archives
Life is a klusterfork.
We might as well laugh.
Thanks for visiting our archives! To learn about past shows, performers and sponsors, click on the gallery options below.
Until it’s safe to perform in front of live audiences, we’re offering virtual workshops.
Improv Intensive
June/July 2020
Our powerhouse intensive program catapulted improv fundamentals to the next level! A group of 10 students enjoyed live and interactive online classes from Ed Sahely, Andy Massingham, Jan Caruana, Herbie Barnes and Lisa Merchant and a weekly chance to play scenes with these 10,000 hour pros.
Instructors
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Jan Caruana
Paul Constable
Linda Kash
Andy Massingham
Jeff Michalski
Jane Morris
Jack Mosshammer
Reviews
“Learning from “the masters” of their craft helped me take my improv to a new level. Thanks!”
– Deb Crossen
“A rare opportunity to practice improv in a safe, supportive environment with some of Canada’s best. It was informative, challenging, sometimes hilarious and simply addictive!”
– Gina Dineen
klusterfork, It’s Winter! Still.
Friday, February 21, 2020
Market Hall, Peterborough Ontario
Geri Hall (from This Hour Has 22 Minutes), Lisa Merchant, Ed Sahely and Dan Fewings brought laughs and music to this great night. Due to popular demand, cabaret seating was added with an elevated stage so even more people could enjoy a hot show on a cold night. The house was packed.
Thanks to our lead sponsors EXIT Realty Lift Lock’s Mary Ellen McCamus, kawarthaNOW.com, Park Street Dentistry, Long & McQuade and all the advertisers who support us. A portion of the proceeds of this show went to support the work of YES Emergency Shelter.
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Photos
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Video
Performer Bios
LINDA KASH is a familiar face to Canadians as the Kraft Philadelphia Cream Cheese angel and has an extensive career of credits in television and film including Seinfeld, Everybody Loves Raymond, Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show and the Fargo series opposite Ewan MacGregor. She runs the Peterborough Academy of Performing Arts (PAPA), founded in 2007 with her late husband Paul O’Sullivan, teaching improv and acting skills to children, teens & adults.
PAT MAITLAND trained with Second City in Toronto and went on to enjoy a 25-year career in broadcasting as a writer and producer for lifestyle & educational television with TVO, YTV, Discovery, among others. She’s had an extensive career as a journalist, freelance writer and consultant with a focus on publicity and marketing. She is an actor and director in Peterborough community theatre.
ANDREW ROOT is the creator and writer of the 1950’s-style comedy-crime podcast Crime City! (free on Apple Podcasts) as well as the recent comedy-murder-mystery The Meridian Murders. Andrew has performed improv and sketch comedy with a number of groups around the Peterborough area; dramatic credits include the title role in a college production of Hamlet, which was just as dreadful as it sounds. His parents are very supportive.
GERI HALL spent five years starring on CBC’s This Hour Has 22 Minutes, where her hilarious character, “Single Female Voter”, made national headlines during the federal 2008 election. She is a proud alumna of The Second City, and has won some nice awards that made her mom proud. She is currently starring in the hilarious new hit sketch show, Middle Raged, which will be touring nationally in 2020, to a town near you!
ED SAHELY played Henry in Sexy Laundry for New Stages in Peterborough. Some of Ed’s theatre credits include: Outrageous, Dishwashers, Last Resort, Funny Thing Happened on The Way To The Forum, Weekend Comedy, Annie, Lend Me A Tenor, The Drowsy Chaperone, Chicago, Fiddler On The Roof. Some film and television credits include: Canadian Bacon, Three To Tango, Glitter, Robocop, Getting Along Famously, Sue Thomas: F.B. Eye, Road To Avonlea, Traders, Due South, Red Green, Doc, Monk, Kojak, Dan For Mayor, Murdoch Mysteries, Skins, Designated Survivor. Ed is a Dora Mavor Moore Award winning Second City Alumnus.
MEG MURPHY is a graduate of York University’s Fine Arts program and has worked as an actor in film, television & theatre. For over a decade she co-hosted a morning show on two local radio stations, Star 93.3 & 107.9 Classic Rock. She is a graduate of the Second City Conservatory and the Seneca College Documentary Filmmaking Institute. Her feature documentary, “Murphy’s Law”, won Best Documentary Film at the Fingal Film Festival in Ireland in 2016 and her short film, “Towns End” won an audience Choice Award at the Vox Popular Film Festival in 2018. She is an actor, public speaker and published writer.
No stranger to Peterborough audiences, DAN FEWINGS is the lead vocalist and lyrical improvisor for the trio, The Three Martinis as well as one half of the bluegrass duo Bowskill and Fewings. Dan is delighted to be invited to be a part of this klusterfork and has enjoyed working with Linda in the past as playing Ralph Kramden to Linda’s Alice, in a Peterborough production of The Honeymooners.
LISA MERCHANT is a multiple nominee and winner of 3 Canadian Comedy Awards for “Best Female Improvisor” and ensemble for Monkey Toast – The Live Improvised Talk Show. Lisa was one of the cast of the Gemini-nominated Joe Blow Show. She created and produced Toronto’s longest running comedy festival, March of Dames. Some television credits include: Murdoch Mysteries, American Gods, Private Eyes, Degrassi XV, Train 48, to name a few. She co-produces and performs monthly in “Monkey Toast”, now in its 16th year. She is constantly in search of a better cinnamon bun!
Media and Reviews
klusterfork, It’s Christmas!
Friday, November 22, 2019
Market Hall, Peterborough Ontario
The epic opportunity to see The Canadian Tire guy, the Philly Cream Cheese Angel and nephew Harold from the Red Green Show together on one stage wasn’t lost on anyone; the event sold out days before curtain.
This show was able to happen due to the fantastic support of EXIT Realty Lift Lock’s Mary Ellen McCamus and Rennie Lowes, The Olde Stone Brewing Company and CORUS Entertainment. Other supporters included Park Street Dentistry, Long & McQuade, the Peterborough Theatre Guild, kawarthaNOW.com, ALL ORGANIC by Charlotte Products, Sherbrooke Heights Animal Hospital and the Pyle Group Scotia Wealth Management.
The success of this event allowed us to donate $1000.00 to Five Counties Children’s Centre, Peterborough. Thanks to all!
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Photos
Click any photo to open the image gallery.
Video
Performer Bios
LINDA KASH is a familiar face to Canadians as the Kraft Philadelphia Cream Cheese angel and has an extensive career of credits in television and film including Seinfeld, Everybody Loves Raymond, Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show and the Fargo series opposite Ewan MacGregor. She runs the Peterborough Academy of Performing Arts (PAPA), founded in 2007 with her late husband Paul O’Sullivan, teaching improv and acting skills to children, teens & adults.
PAT MAITLAND trained with Second City in Toronto and went on to enjoy a 25-year career in broadcasting as a writer and producer for lifestyle & educational television with TVO, YTV, Discovery, among others. She’s had an extensive career as a journalist, freelance writer and consultant with a focus on publicity and marketing. In Peterborough she performed with New Stages (Our Town), acted and directed with the Peterborough Theatre Guild (Twelfth Night, Born Yesterday, Real Estate) and as recently as last week directed The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee now running at the Guild.
PAUL CROUGH has performed locally and internationally in solo and musical theatre productions. He is a playwright, director and choreographer and was inducted in to the Peterborough Pathway of Fame in 2013 for his contributions to Dramatic Arts. In 2005, he was recognized by the County of Peterborough for his Leadership in the arts. Many of Paul’s original theatrical works and compositions have been featured at the Ennismore Homestead Theatre where he has worked as Artistic Director for the past ten seasons. Growing up on a farm in Ennismore with a television set that got one channel is the real reason Paul got involved in music and theatre. He is a Dramatic Arts teacher by day.
DIANNE LATCHFORD A professional actor for almost 40 years, Dianne has appeared on stages from Shaw Festival to Winnipeg’s Rainbow Stage to Sudbury Theatre Centre and beyond. Local audiences may have spotted her at New Stages, TTOK, 4th Line Theatre and more. Screen credits range from Murdoch Mysteries and Queer As Folk to the iconic SCTV. Dianne is also a musician, singer/songwriter and visual artist whose paintings are held in private collections in Canada, the USA and the UK.
MEG MURPHY is a graduate of York University’s Fine Arts program and has worked as an actor in film, television & theatre. For over a decade she co-hosted a morning show on two local radio stations, Star 93.3 & 107.9 Classic Rock. She is a graduate of the Second City Conservatory and the Seneca College Documentary Filmmaking Institute. Her feature documentary, “Murphy’s Law”, won Best Documentary Film at the Fingal Film Festival in Ireland in 2016 and her short film, “Towns End” won an audience Choice Award at the Vox Popular Film Festival in 2018. She is an actor, public speaker and published writer.
PAUL CONSTABLE is an Alumni of Second City, and has appeared in many theatrical and television productions. He can be seen over the holidays (blink and you’ll miss him) in the upcoming Christmas Crush, and they usually rerun that Twelve Men Of Xmas thing on Lifetime or something. You probably know him best as Gary, the Canadian Tire Guy, a role he’s been playing for close to a decade.
Deborah Kimmett is a Toronto-based comedian, actress and author currently touring her Downward Facing Broad show, which sold out at Peterborough’s Showplace Theatre. Her play, The Year of Suddenly, was presented by New Stages Theatre Company, also in Peterborough. She appears regularly at comedy festivals as well as on CBC (The Debaters, Frankie Drake, Gayle Pyle, TallBoyz). Deborah has written two books of comedic essays: Reality is Over-Rated and That Which Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Funnier.
PATRICK McKENNA may be best known for his fifteen seasons as the loveable, nerdy, techno-geek, Harold on the hilarious Red Green Show. But he started his career as a Stand Up comedian before joining Toronto’s Second City mainstage company. Patrick is a three-time “Best Actor” Gemini Award winner for both comedy and drama. You can next see Patrick in his recurring role as Inspector Slorack in Murdoch Mysteries. You can also hear Patrick in no less than five regular animated series.
ED SAHELY played Henry in Sexy Laundry for New Stages in Peterborough. Some of Ed’s theatre credits include: Outrageous, Dishwashers, Last Resort, Funny Thing Happened on The Way To The Forum, Weekend Comedy, Annie, Lend Me A Tenor, The Drowsy Chaperone, Chicago, Fiddler On The Roof. Some film and television credits include: Canadian Bacon, Three To Tango, Glitter, Robocop, Getting Along Famously, Sue Thomas: F.B. Eye, Road To Avonlea, Traders, Due South, Red Green, Doc, Monk, Kojak, Dan For Mayor, Murdoch Mysteries, Skins, Designated Survivor. Ed is a Dora Mavor Moore Award winning Second City Alumnus.
Media and Reviews
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JAN CARUANA has taught improv classes across the country and has coached numerous improv teams. She is an award winning performer and writer with credits including Baroness Von Sketch, Kim’s Convenience, Mean Girls and the young adult juggernaut The Next Step. Last year, Jan directed the critically acclaimed sketch troupe Not Oasis in their Fringe Hit We’ve Come From Away.
PAUL CONSTABLE is an alumnus of Toronto’s Second City. While there, he helped co-create six Mainstage shows, including the Canadian Comedy Award Winning Psychedelicatessen. He has appeared in various films and TV shows, including Downsizing, The Twelve Men of Xmas, and Murdoch Mysteries. On stage, he has been in musicals such as A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Buddy:The Buddy Holly Story, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat and They’re Playing Our Song. As a teacher, he taught improvisation with the Second City for close to a decade. Most people know him best as Gary, the Canadian Tire Guy, a part he has been playing not quite as long as a certain angel with a cream cheese fascination, but close …darn close.
LINDA KASH is a familiar face to Canadians as the Kraft Philadelphia Cream Cheese angel and has an extensive career of credits in television and film including Seinfeld, Everybody Loves Raymond, Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show and the Fargo series opposite Ewan McGregor. She runs the Peterborough Academy of Performing Arts (PAPA), founded in 2007 with her late husband Paul O’Sullivan, teaching improv and acting skills to children, teens & adults.
ANDY MASSINGHAM has been an actor, teacher, director and playwright for over thirty years. His Dora award-winning wordless play Rough House toured Canada and the US. Andy conducts physical theatre workshops at Second City, Tarragon, Toronto Film School, University of Ottawa and Humber College. He has appeared at the Stratford Festival, N.A.C., Theatre New Brunswick, Banff Centre, Soulpepper and many others.
JEFF MICHALSKI has taught all forms of improvisation for over twenty years, as well as developed his own long-form techniques. He has performed across the United States, Canada, and Ireland in theatres and nightclubs and has directed Second City companies in Chicago, Los Angeles, Kilkenny, and Toronto. Founder of the Second City ETC, he also helped create the Second City Training Program in Chicago and Los Angeles. As a producer, director and performer, he has worked with Dan Castellaneta, Chris Farley, Amy Sedaris, Mike Meyer, Steven Colbert, Ryan Stiles, and many more.
JANE MORRIS is the Johnny Appleseed of comedy clubs, having opened the Chicago Comedy Showcase, the Second City ETC, Second City Los Angeles, Upfront Comedy, the Comedy Underground and currently managing the fanaticSalon in Culver City. She has most recently been seen in Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Shameless, AP Bio and in 2019, Steven Soderburgh’s The Laudromat. A founding member of the Second City ETC in Chicago, Jane was the first woman director and changed the cast dynamic from the traditional 4 man 2 woman troupe to 4 women and 3 men. She teaches a writing-for-performance workshop at the fanaticSalon every Wednesday evening and performs live at the venue on a regular basis.
JACK MOSSHAMMER is a 30-year veteran actor and improv performer. Writing, acting and teaching credits include Second City (Toronto and Los Angeles), Bad Dog Theatre, TheatreSports, Humber College and The Toronto Film School. He was in the improvised movie Man of the Year and can be seen playing Seymour in the vintage improvised soap opera Train 48 (available on Prime).
