Director

Amy is always excited to work with improv groups, and help them play to their strengths. She is most excited to experiment with pulse edits, mirroring, choral speech, as well as addressing fears and true stories on stage. She has conceived of many formats in her time with Rapid Fire Theatre, as well as a director abroad.

In 2012, Amy created Rapid Fire Theatre’s BONFIRE Festival; A Celebration of Longform Improv. The focus of BONFIRE is to give ensemble members an opportunity to devise and experiment with new long-form formats. Through this process, Amy had the opportunity to vet and nurture numerous new improv projects annually. From genre-focused epic quests, to wrestling-inspired Theatresports matches, to a show where performers each speak different languages, BONFIRE is about encouraging risk taking. Amy takes this spirit with her when directing any improv ensemble.

Her original formats include Fear of the Unknown, Double Exposure, and Face Your Fears. Fear of the Unknown explores choral speech in the context of the gothic horror genre, and you may have seen it at Improvention in Canberra, FERRIR on Réunion Island, or a Halloween run at Instant Theatre in Vancouver. Double Exposure delves into the non-narrative connections we can find between stories using mirroring and repetition. It has appeared at Vancouver Improv Festival and Paper Street Theatre festival in Victoria. Face Your Fears also premiered at Vancouver Improv Festival, and has been performed by other troupes around North America since then.