AndreW barrett

Artistic director

Andrew is a queer multidisciplinary theatre artist based in Victoria, BC. He is a creator, performer, teacher, director, and administrator. He received his BFA in Theatre from the University of Victoria with a focus on direction, physical theatre, and performance design, and has pursued contemporary dance training through the Victoria School of Contemporary Dance since 2010. He is a recent recipient of a BC Arts Council’s Early Career Development Grant for a mentorship project in Artistic-Director-Training with Atomic Vaudeville’s Britt Small.

He has worked for and been affiliated with numerous companies in Victoria over the past seven years, including the likes of SNAFU Dance Theatre, Atomic Vaudeville, and Intrepid Theatre. He has operated as Theatre SKAM's Communications Coordinator since January 2017. As a teacher, he has taught theatrical movement and creation for SKAM's SKAMpede Young Company and its School of Performing Arts, the Pacific Design Academy’s Acting for the Screen program, and has done workshops through Impulse Theatre, for the poets of Victoria Festival of Spoken Word, and the students of the Gulf Islands School of the Performing Arts, for which he is an alumni.
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EMILY PIGGFORD

ArTISTIC ASSOCIATE

Emily moved to Toronto after receiving her BFA in Theatre from the University of Victoria. Her decision was made during SummerWorks, 2011, while performing in SNAFU Dance Theatre’s, Pretty Little Instincts. Since then, Emily appeared in a workshop of Daniel MacIvor’s, Inside, directed by David Ferry, and Loyal Ronin: The Working Girls’ Version, directed by Mitchell Cushman, as part of Canadian Stage’s Spotlight On Japan Festival.

Emily is an Artistic Associate of Impulse Theatre, with whom she has developed their solo show, ana, with Impulse Artistic Director, Andrew Barrett. Emily also appeared as The Witch in Impulse’s, Wolf In The Mirror.

Recent TV credits include THE LISTENER (CTV), LOST GIRL (Showcase) and HEMLOCK GROVE (Netflix) as well as Kristin Waterson's web series, THAT'S MY DJ (Vimeo). Emily has also held leading roles in short films, such as Slater Jewell-Kemker's STILL, Jeremy Ball's FROST and Imogen Grace’s #COLD.

IMPULSE THEATRE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Pamela Bethel,
​​President

Pamela divides her time between being a multidisciplinary artist and a childbirth educator/doula. She is heavily involved in the Victoria arts scene and is excited to be the inaugural President of Impulse Theatre.  In her spare time, she eats and sleeps.  
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pamelabethel.ca

Nathan Gauld,
​Vice president

Nathan currently works as an Event Manager for the City of Victoria. He has more than 11 years of experience in event management, organizing large-scale events and experiential marketing programs across the country. Nathan is a “big picture” person with an ability to visualize the possibilities at hand and connect people and ideas to produce winning strategies.
 
He was a founding board member for the Unity - Gay Straight Alliance Conference, connecting and educating teens from the Greater Toronto Area for 3 years.  
 
Nathan has lived all over this wonderful country and is proud to call Victoria home for the last 4 years. 

Justine Shore,
Secretary/treasurer

Justine received her BFA in Theatre at the University of Victoria in 2004 with a concentration in Directing and Costume Design.  In 2010, she joined Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre as Administrator and worked with them for six seasons before joining the Intrepid Theatre team in 2014 as Operation and Venue Rentals Manager. She has been an active member of Atomic Vaudeville’s cabaret series since 2006 as past Administrative Assistant and current performer. Board experience includes being past board member of the former Bombus Theatre (formally known as The Bumblebee Collective) as well as current Treasurer for SNAFU Theatre. She is honored to be a member of the board for Impulse Theatre and loves all that they do and create!

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Holly Brinkman,
​director-at-large

Holly is a teacher and storyteller who moved to Victoria in 2014. She has a bachelor's degree from McGill University and a teaching degree from the University of Victoria. She tries to bring drama and storytelling into the classroom at every opportunity. ​

Jenson Kerr,
​Director-at-Large

Jenson is a an actor, writer, and performer with a focus on making everyday life a little more “queer”. He graduated with distinction from the University of Victoria’s Phoenix Theatre B.F.A. program and has worked along side local companies such as Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre and Intrepid Theatre both on stage and behind the scenes. ​

Christopher Vickers,
​​Director-at-Large

Christopher Vickers has been doing improv since he was a brace faced cherub. His Vancouver improv team, Crazy Like Jesus won Instant Theatre’s coveted crown in 1999. He’s moonlighted in most of Victoria’s improv troupes––most recently as an inaugural member of Paper Street Theatre. He was a performer and writer for numerous shows in Atomic Vaudeville’s cabaret series. He co-wrote and starred in RifflandiaTV––doing interviews, sketches, and hosting the festival. He co-created and performed a (bizarre) monthly children’s show for adults called Come & Play with Ryan and Chris. Christopher is a graduate of Vancouver Film School’s full time acting program and has acted in many features, short films, music videos, and commercials. Lately he has stepped away from performing and has set his sights on UVic’s creative writing program.

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