What is Spontaneity Improv Company?
Located in Halifax/ Kjipuktuk, Nova Scotia.
Spontaneity is an improv school looking to give opportunities to adults and youth through improv education and performance experience. As the only improv focused school in the HRM, we offer space to grow and develop your skills. Within our company there are options to move up within our class levels. Spontaneity strives to create a safe and inclusive space for everyone.
When signing-up for our classes, students will participate in different improv and theatre games. They will get the chance to explore different improv formats, be it short form or long form. As well as the uniqueness of combining different performance mediums into our improv classes and shows. Depending on students’ interests we may explore puppetry, foley, dance, singing, ensemble movement, narration, mime, clowning, mask work, voice work/ audio shows, impersonations, and sketch comedy.
Spontaneity's Values
We believe that community, trust and connection is very important when it comes to improv and building relationships. Improvised theatre is a very intimate art form where you must support your fellow teammates and take risks on stage. Not knowing what’s going to happen next is the fun part, but it can also be nerve-wracking. At Spontaneity Improv Company we strive to create a safe space where folks can feel comfortable to push themselves as much or a little as they would like.
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Sophie Nadeau
she/her
Executive Director/ Instructor
Sophie is an improviser, content creator and all around human who loves to share her passion for theatre and exploration. She has been a player, volunteer, coach and instructor with the Canadian Improv Games the last 11 years and has performed improv with Saint John’s Improvisation Corporation and HRM’s Make Em’ Ups. Sophie has taught improv classes with Neptune Theatre School for the last 5 years, teaching students from ages 10-adult, she has also coached improv teams and led improv workshops and classes with the HRCE. Sophie has 15 years of dance training in tap, jazz, contemporary, lyrical and musical theatre. Sophie is a graduate of the Screen Arts film program at NSCC and loves making digital content. She has performed theatre with Kennebecasis Valley High School, KV Players and Saint John Theatre Company and has written and produced three original Fringe Festival shows. Sophie is very excited to be encouraging young performers to be everything they want to be! Her favourite type of dog is a jack russell terrier and her favourite Summer Blizzard®️ Flavour is Cotton Candy.
Draven Hewitt
He/him
Instructor
Draven is an improvisor, comedian and writer based in Dartmouth and Halifax. He's been coaching in the Canadian improv games for 9 years now and is very excited to start this new chapter at Spontaneity. Dungeons & Dragons, rock climbing and painting are his favorite activities when he isn't improvising.
Alexander Naus
He/him
Instructor
Alexander is an actor, improvisor, and voice actor. When he isn't making silly voices alone at home in his basement, he enjoys spending his time on stage or on camera... making silly voices. Alexander studied improv at Second City Toronto and has performed improv in some capacity for over 15 years. In his past life he's been an aircraft mechanic, a drag queen, an IT specialist, and if he could walk into a bar as all three he might have a good joke. Alex is new to the teaching side of improv and has a burning passion to teach others how to never have to read another script again.
Luschka (Lou) van Aardt
She/ Her
Instructor
Luschka (Lou) van Aardt (she/her) met the improv world at Mount Allison University, joining the team Sackville Presents: the Improv, in 2017. The open, welcoming, carefree atmosphere of improv resonated immediately. She helped run a middle school improv club, and in her final year of university, she co-led the Presents team. In 2018, she was part of the Next Act Festival at Bus Stop Theatre, has performed various times with Hello City, the Understudies, and other variety shows in Halifax, and enjoys long walks on the beach with her dog.
Adrianne Gagnon
She/ Her
Musical Improv Instructor
Meet Adrianne Gagnon, a seasoned improv instructor and performer with over 15 years of captivating audiences and nurturing emerging talent across North America. As the driving force behind the Big City Improv Festival in Toronto, Canada, Adrianne's visionary leadership as founder and executive producer propelled the festival's success for 7 incredible years.
Adrianne's dedication to the art of improvisation shines through her work with the renowned three-woman improv troupe, 'We're From Here.' Their dynamic performances have left a trail of laughter and inspiration wherever they go, earning them a well-deserved reputation across Canada and the United States.
With an unwavering passion for sharing her expertise, Adrianne has lent her teaching and technical talents to prestigious institutions like Second City Toronto’s Education Company, enriching the minds of aspiring improvisers. Her instructional prowess extends beyond the classroom, as she has graced stages at various festivals and improv centers across the continent, leaving an indelible mark on the improv community.
With an impressive blend of creativity, experience, and leadership, Adrianne continues to shape the world of improv, leaving a legacy of laughter, innovation, and artistic growth in her wake. She is thrilled to be part of the team at Spontaneity Improv and looks forward to growing both the musical and non-musical improv scene in Halifax.
Mitchell Horne
He/ Him
Instructor
Mitchell is a perpetual student of the world; someone who seeks to understand
in order to be understood. He is also a clumsy goofball, known for his warm
presence and knowing smile.
Improv found Mitchell as a teenager, and has been a place to call home ever
since. He is a dedicated volunteer with the Canadian Improv Games, a national
organization bringing improv training and performance to high school students.
He has studied and performed improv in several places spanning Ontario and the
Maritimes, including The Making Box in Kitchener and Bad Dog Theatre in
Toronto. As a teacher his goals are always to embrace mistakes, surrender to
the present moment, and guide students in following their natural rhythm.
Mitchell believes that improv is a pure and very human form of expression,
through which we can (re)discover our sense of play and form meaningful
connections with others. The ephemeral nature of this art form is a reflection
of the temporary and fluid nature of our world and ourselves; a beautiful
thing.
Outside of improv he works as a computer engineer. He enjoys music, yoga, and
being in nature.
Hannah Baker
she/ her
Instructor
Hannah Baker has been an improviser in St. John's for 5 years. She's previously been a player of the Canadian Improv Games (CIG) where she performed at the national competitive level twice, and was a part of the Improv U Leadership Program. She coached junior and senior high school improv teams with CIG for three years, both in person and online. Most recently, she was a regular performer with St. John's Improv in their shows Whose Date is it Anyways? and The Jam Jams Jam: Improvised Comedy Inspired by Music. She also taught a youth improv workshop with the company. She is now based in Halifax and is pumped to be working with Spontaneity Improv Co!
Dylan Jackson
he/ himm
Instructor
Dylan is an actor and Improviser based in the HRM. He was introduced to improvised theatre through the Canadian Improv Games (CIG) in high school, performing at the national competitive level in his senior year. Outside of performing "normal theatre" he started a very short-lived Improv Society during his first year at the University Of King's College and attended the conservatory program at Neptune Theatre (2019-2020). After a long hiatus from performing he's finally ready to welcome back and embrace his inner weirdo (like that old acquaintance you haven't seen since graduation and you're like "yiiiikes, what happened to him"?)
He is very excited and eternally grateful to be given the opportunity to share his experience with improv to others and to bring some of that joy and wonder he first felt when he first started in high school.
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