At Blind Tiger Comedy, we strive to create and support outstanding comedy. One of our favourite ways to do that is our House Team program. Students who have completed the fourth levels of our Long Form or Sketch programs may be invited to join or audition for one of our house teams, which are directed by BTC faculty members. Our House Team program has been on hold thanks to a certain virus, but we are excited to be bringing the program back in 2022. More to come!

House Teams typically perform the first Friday of every month at Little Mountain Gallery, though you may also see them at festivals in and outside of Vancouver, and guesting on other shows around town. If you haven’t seen these teams yet, change that: these hilarious comedians represent the future of Vancouver comedy.

If you are currently in a class and wonder how you might someday make a team, know this: keep having fun and striving to improve, the rest will handle itself. We are open to adding new teams as time goes on and new students complete the training program.

THE HOUSE TEAMS

The Blind Tiger Comedy House Teams are stacked. Behold:

DOCTOR COUSINS

HOME ROOM

EMAIL

Get to know the members of Blind Tiger Comedy’s House Teams below!

Alex Gullason

In addition to improvising Alex is also an actor and singer. She is a graduate of the musical theatre program at Capilano University. Select credits: Sophie/Mamma Mia (Chemainus), Sheila/Hair (Renegade), Cool Line XL3/Broken Sex Doll (Virtual Stage). She is a Jessie nominee and Ovation Award winner. Alex and fellow Home Room member Carly have a comedy duo called @thdangerousjanes. She currently teaches musical theatre to kids and lives in the West End with her beautiful son, a Shepard mutt named Louis. Alex is very excited to continue her improv journey with Blind Tiger.

Amy Prouty

Amy Prouty performs at Little Mountain Gallery in Blind Tiger’s improv team, Email.
Look for Amy’s latest work in improv and sketch team, Call Your Mom.

Anita Rudakov

Anita Rudakov is an improviser and illustrator from Vancouver, BC who found her comedic voice through the Blind Tiger program. She performs at shows around town and even designs some of their posters.

Arggy Jenati

Arggy is a Vancouver-based actor and improviser. She has worked with companies and festivals such as The Belfry, Pi Theatre, The Arts Club, Bard On The Beach, The Chop, Revolver Festival, and Boca Del Lupo. Arggy was the 2016/17 playwright in residence at Delinquent theatre and her short films have screen in New York, Vancouver, Toronto and Berlin. She is very stoked to be on house team Email and a member of the Blind Tiger community!

Carly Pokoradi

Carly is an actor, improviser, mover and shaker from Hamilton, ON who enjoys organised fun (all types) and playing (most types). She is a Jessie nominee, an Artistic Producer with Monster Theatre, and a graduate of Studio 58. In her less-than-spare-time, she can be found behind a sewing machine, reading, or co-creating the podcast sitcom Vancouveritis alongside her creative/life partner, Tom. She and fellow Home Room member, Alex, exchange pointed looks and light kisses in their comedy duo @thedangerousjanes. She is honoured to be a part of the Blind Tiger family.

Charlotte Labelle

Charlotte Labelle is a filmmaker and comedian from Montreal. She currently performs on house team Email.

Daniel Jeffery

Daniel is a filmmaker and actor living in Vancouver. He has been a proud member of Blind Tiger’s House Team, Doctor Cousins, since 2018 and never plans to leave.

Dan Willows

David Manuel

David Manuel is an improviser by night. By day he’s a filmmaker, photographer, and writer. By night he improvises with Blind Tiger Comedy, Off Key: The Improvised Musical, GRUMPY!, and Second Storey Theatre. He’s been performing for four years and is chasing those sublime little comedy moments that only improv can make.

Denea Campbell

Denea is an improviser, sketch comedian and cool human lady who has been proud to call Blind Tiger her comedy home since 2014. Since then, she’s had the pleasure of performing at the Del Close Marathon in NYC, Montreal Sketchfest, Upfront Theatre in Bellingham and at the Vancouver International Improv Festival. She loves her Blind Tiger House Team Doctor Cousins and their coach, Devin, very much.

You can also see Denea performing regularly with Nasty Women Comedy and her duo Garbage Sisters.

Gary Lim

Gary Lim is an improviser and sketch comedian from Surrey who spends too much time on the SkyTrain. He started learning at Blind Tiger back in 2015 and just sort-of never left. Nowadays, he performs regularly with some of the best people he knows on three stellar teams: Home Room, Upward Spiral and Uncle Janes. His parents haven’t seen him improvise and think he’s been training to be an RMT. Please don’t break their hearts.

Geoffrey Walter

Geoffrey Walter took his first improv class with Blind Tiger Comedy in the spring of 2014. He was so impressed with the passion of the staff, and the quality of the community that he devoured through the entire curriculum in a year and a half. He’s taken what he’s learned at Blind Tiger to stages across Vancouver, and to New York City at the 2015 Del Close Marathon. He proudly represented Blind Tiger Comedy at the 2015 Vancouver International Improv Festival. Geoff can be scene performing with The Blind Tiger House Team, National Anthem, Instant Theatre Company, and The Noise. As always, Geoff gives a shout out to his Mom.

Graeme Achurch

Graeme is a writer, improviser and sketch comedian. Besides performing with Blind Tiger, you can catch him at comedy shows all over Vancouver, including his monthly sketch show, Soda Fountain, at Little Mountain Gallery.

Jordan Moore

Jordan is an improvisor, comic and cat dad who has been around the Vancouver improv scene for close to a decade. He began improvising at UBCimprov, where he later coached and directed. He has travelled far and wide as one-half of the cross border duo NBA Hall of Famer, as well as working with local genre masters Grad School Improv. Jordan is very excited to be joining the Blind Tiger House Team Doctor Cousins.

Karla Monterrosa

Karla is effortlessly funny (rarely), beautiful beyond belief (sometimes), and probably also an angel (always). She was born and raised in San Salvador, El Salvador, and relocated to rainy Vancouver, BC in 2009. Karla is an illustrator, comic relief, and Instagram story auteur. She performs improv and sketch comedy with Blind Tiger Comedy and The Radical. She also talks about the internet on the podcast QTYN. Follow her on Instagram. Please! @karlamontz.

Maarten Bayliss

Maarten is an improvisor, sketch comedian, and musician. Not only has he been working with Blind Tiger, but also Proud of You, a sketch group consisting of members who all met via Blind Tiger. In addition to this, he has also appeared on such shows as The Hero Show, Weird Al Karaoke, and Paul Anthony’s Talent Time.

Marina Kononenko

Marina Kononenko is a Vancouver-based improviser and wunnabe sketch comedian. She first took improv classes at Instant Theatre some 4-5ish years ago. She has been with Blind Tiger for 2ish years and now she’s here to stay! Currently a part of Home Room, she has previously worked with improv groups House of Haus and Mom’s Spaghetti. Improv aside, she is most famously known as the first woman to ever formally be kiss by rose (on the lips).

Nathan Hare

Nathan Hare is a comedian from Vancouver, BC. He performs around the city and co-hosts the show Soda Fountain at Little Mountain Gallery.

Patrick Dodd

Ryan Anderson

Ryan is a filmmaker, improvisor and sketch comedian performing regularly with Blind Tiger Comedy and Instant Theatre.

Aside from co-hosting an improv-based radio program, he also performs with Weekend Boys, Roomboy and Forever Ring, both at home and in other cities across North America. He plays for keeps. Sometimes castles and dungeons but always fortified medieval structures.

William Dunn

Will has been improvising with Blind Tiger since 2014. He currently performs twice a month at Little Mountain Gallery with house team Email, does fun stuff on other comedy shows sometimes, and is a member of Little Mountain Gallery’s board of directors.

Vanessa Lever

Vanessa is a comedy nerd, in the nerdiest sense of the word. After completing the Theatre Arts program at MacEwan University (Edmonton), she fooled around with some sketch comedy and theatre, was seduced by Vancouver, hooked up with some stand up comedy, and is has now found herself bumpin’ uglies with improv. Saucy.
She writes funny stuff. Sometimes she draws funny stuff. Other times she does funny stuff. Depends on the day really.

Featured Alumni

We have had some outstanding comedians featured on our house teams over the years. To wit:

Racquel Belmonte

Racquel Belmonte is a sketch comedian, improviser, voice actor, baby enthusiast, nap aficionado, and pasta queen living in Vancouver. When she’s not performing with her BTC Houseteam Reynolds, she’s performing in her comedy duo Carmelahhh, with the all-female comedy troupe Nasty Women, a variety of Instant Theatre shows as a Guest Artist, and on her lonesome in other cool shows around the city! She’s performed frequently in the Vancouver International Improv Festival, in the Del Close marathon in New York, and at Ryan Stiles’ Upfront Theatre in Bellingham. Find out what she’s up to next by following @carmelahhhduo on all of the social medias!

Drew Clarke

Drew Boy Clark received his improv training from Blind Tiger Comedy, Instant Theatre and Vancouver TheatreSports League. He has performed at/with the Del Close Marathon in New York, the Vancouver International Improv Festival, the VTSL Rookie League, and of course, Blind Tiger Comedy.

Ronald Dario

Ronald Dario is a sketch comedian and improviser from Vancouver and an alumnus of Blind Tiger Comedy’s improv and sketch house teams, and now a member of the Blind Tiger Comedy faculty! Ronald has performed at JFL NorthWest, the UCB Theatre’s Del Close Marathon (New York), the Vancouver International Improv Festival, and the Vancouver Sketch Comedy Festival. He also regularly performs at local shows like The Hero Show, Sidekicks, and Weird Al Karaoke.

Catherine Veitch

A long-time Ontarian, Catherine Veitch made the move to Vancouver in 2014. She currently works in arts marketing, but previously trained in acting at Queen’s University before studying Meisner with The Impulse Company in London, England and Acting with Passion with the brilliant Niki Flacks. Catherine has been training at Blind Tiger Comedy for the past two years doing improv, and is thrilled to be joining the Blind Tiger House Team with some of her favourite people. She is looking forward to having more opportunities to perform and (hopefully) make people laugh at Little Mountain Gallery.

Jenny Rubé

In October 2013, Jenny Rubé packed up all of her Edmontonian possessions and moved to Vancouver to live the life of an actor and comedian. This is something she’s come to love more and more everyday. Along with Blind Tiger House Team shows, Jenny can be seen in various comedy staples around town. She has also had the pleasure to perform at Ryan Stiles’ Upfront Theatre in Washington and at the Magnet Theater in New York for the Del Close Marathon. You can follow Jenny on Instagram and Twitter @jroo16.

Kerri Donaldson

Kerri is an improvisor, sketch writer, comedian and silly human lady. She has recently joined the inaugural sketch house team with Blind Tiger of which she’s super proud and definitely didn’t have to look up the word ‘inaugural’ because she’s an English Major.

She’s also on the cast at Instant Theatre of which she performs regularly and is also a member of local comedy cuties National Anthem. She has performed at the Vancouver International Improv Festival, at the Del Close Marathon in New York, the Seattle Festival of Improv and the Vancouver Sketch Comedy Festival. In her spare time, she enjoys being a twin.

Malcolm McLeod

Malcolm McLeod is a Vancouver born and raised improviser, actor, and writer who has been improvising since 2013. He’s improvised all over North America from the Del Close Marathon (New York) to the Upfront Theatre (Bellingham). He’s taken Blind Tiger classes from the start. He can be seen regularly doing shows with the Blind Tiger Comedy, VTSL’s Rookie League and occasionally The Fictionals.

Meredith Hama-Brown

Meredith Hama-Brown is an actor and writer/director from Vancouver, British Columbia. Her work as an actor has screened worldwide at various festivals, and she has accumulated two ‘Best Actress’ awards, one for the Leo Awards and one for the New Renaissance Film Festival (Amsterdam). In the past couple years she has studied comedic improvisation at Blind Tiger Comedy, where she has recently joined the House Team. She also took part in the experimental improvisation collective, Brio, which performed in January 2018.

Stacey McLachlan

Stacey McLachlan is an improvisor, sketch comedian and writer who edits magazines by day and won’t shut up at night. She trained at Blind Tiger and is now lucky enough to perform with her favourite weirdos regularly: her sketch group Proud of You runs a monthly show at Little Mountain Gallery, while her improv duo Garbage Sisters offers the opportunity to do weird voices with comedy soulmate Denea Campbell. She tried standup for a while, but this is more fun.

Shane McLean

Shane is an improviser, actor and sketch comedian. He performs with Blind Tiger Comedy’s sketch house team. In addition to this, he is also a member of Little Mountain Improv, Instant Theatre, and not one but two all male comedy trios: Weekend Boys and Roomboy. Shane has also wormed his way onto local shows such as Weird Al Karaoke, Sidekicks, Rapp Battlez, The Hero Show, and Comics on Comics.

Amy Elderkin

Amy has been doing theatre, music and dance since she was a wee tot but was always sensing that something was missing. In 2013 after watching an improv show in Toronto, she decided that comedy was calling her name. Amy‘s worked her way through all of the Blind Tiger since 2014 and continues to train at the school. You can see her perform with the Blind Tiger House team and at other shows around Vancouver.