_edited.jpg)
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.
Adrianne Gagnon
She/ Her
Instructor
Meet Adrianne Gagnon, a seasoned improv instructor and performer with over 15 years of experience captivating audiences and teaching emerging talent across North America. Adrianne's dedication to the art of improvisation shines through her work with the Halifax-based musical improv troupe, Improv the Musicalher, as part of the three-woman improv troupe, 'We're From Here', and as the creator and producer of the former Big City Improv Festival. Adrianne has graced stages at various festivals and improv centers across the continent, leaving her mark on the local, national and international improv community.
Her dynamic performances have left a trail of laughter wherever she's gone, earning her a well-deserved reputation. With an unwavering passion for sharing her expertise, Adrianne willingly lends her improv skills and knowledge to anyone interested in enriching their minds, hearts, and lives. 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.
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.
MATTHEW MATERI
He/ him
Instructor
Matthew Materi is a Halifax teacher who originally was introduced to improv through a school club and Dungeons and Dragons. Almost 7 years later he is an accomplished improv coach that is the current two time winner of the Canadian Improv Games junior Tournament. Specializing in character development with a drop of musical theater he loves introducing new people to this fun, crazy and rewarding world.
Outside of the Spontaneity world; Matthew is a Science teacher in middle school and runs two separate improv teams at the middle school level as well as one at the High School level. He also assists with the Canadian Improv games as a mentoring coach for new teachers and coaches interested in starting their own improv club around Canada.
Matthew believes that improv is very much like teaching: No two styles are alike. Everyone has a different way to play and that is what makes improvisation so wonderful to watch and perform. By combining our collective strengths together we create a wonderful artform that will leave a lasting impression on anyone who is willing to take the “yes, and” plunge.
LEO MELANSON
he/ him
Instructor
Leo is an improviser that has been performing on and off around Halifax since 2012. When not performing on stage, he is also a voice actor and comedic writer with credits that include the Geeks versus Nerds podcast and the Dtoons animated webseries. Leo also channels his improv background through his hobbies of cosplay and Twitch streaming.
Dylan Jackson
he/ him
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.
ABBY GOODWIN
She/Her
Instructor
Abby navigates life through the lens of improv, using it to manage anxiety and embrace her “new” self as a Traumatic Brain Injury survivor.
Trained in neurodiversity, yoga, neuro-nutrition, classical dance, and mindfulness, Abby works with adults who have Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities to foster independence and wellness.
She’s trained with members from Hello City (Halifax), Mile End Improv (Montreal) and Blind Tiger Comedy (Vancouver). Abby is stoked to connect with the Spontaneity community!
Adam Myatt
They/them
Instructor
Truly Madly Adam (they/them) is a stand-up comedian, writer, curator and artist from Halifax, Nova Scotia. They were long-listed in the CBC Comedy Next Up competition, and won Gold (2019) and Silver (2023) in the Best Of Halifax reader’s poll for Best Comedy Show. Their first stand-up album was recently released on Comedy Records.
Erik Garf
he/ him
Instructor
Erik Garf is a comedian of many trades, currently based in Halifax/Kjipuktuk, Nova Scotia. Early in his performance career, he developed his sense of humor and producer know-how in university acting as Artistic Director for his alma mater's comedy group; where he later graduated with a Drama Studies degree along with a Performance Award for his commitment and involvement in theatre and comedy. He then moved to Halifax where he began producing comedy shows at the Bus Stop Theatre, Mouse Trap Comedy, Halifax Fringe, and elsewhere. Erik made his debut in Toronto’s comedy scene at the 2020 TO SketchFest. These days, Erik continues to produce innovative and experimental shows with the Understudies, and brings new life to sketch, improv, and stand-up with his kind and generous direction to the growing comedy community and looks forward to facilitating workshops and creating opportunities for people of all experiences to perform comedy in a supportive environment.