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Andrew barrett (HE/HIM)Artistic PRODUCERAndrew is a queer multidisciplinary performing artist based on the traditional territories of the Lekwungen-Speaking Peoples/Victoria, BC. He is a creator, choreographer, performer, director, educator, administrator, and founding Artistic Producer of Impulse Theatre.
He received his BFA in Theatre from the University of Victoria (UVIC) and studied Arts and Cultural Management at MacEwan University. He has worked as a producer, choreographer, operations manager, and more, with notable companies such as the Belfry Theatre, Intrepid Theatre, Theatre SKAM, and CCPA. He was a 2020/21 and 2024/25 Artist in Residence at Dance Victoria and was the recipient of the 2022 City of Victoria Creative Builder Award. ANDREW (at) IMPULSETHEATRE.CA |
Associate Artists
Amber Downie-Back (She/They)Amber Downie-Back (she/they) is an interdisciplinary artist who lives and creates on the unceded territories of the lək̓ wəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ Peoples. Working with movement, projection, and other installation media, Amber is interested in integrating their curiosities through collaborative and process-focused contexts. Amber’s lived experience with chronic illness propels them to generate intimate, interactive experiences that reflect the crip rhythms they prioritize while creating. They have a BFA in Contemporary Dance from Concordia University, have worked as a performer, creator and collaborator, and was the recipient of the 2023 Chrystal Dance Prize.
Learn more about Amber here: amberdownieback.com Roles include: Video Designer for the soft spaces, Research and Collaborator for Flight Patterns, Creator and Performer in Joy Cuisine. Patricia Reilly (She/Her) |
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Patricia's career in theatre began in Edmonton, following a Diploma in Technical Theatre from Red Deer College. She moved to Victoria, and then the U.K. to continue her education and design practice. Following these moves she worked in the Stratford Festival design department for seven seasons. As a collaborative artist, the theatre arts is where she has found creatively fulfilling work for much of her career. Additionally, she is developing projects in animation, illustration, and writing.
Patricia grew up in Squamish BC, London ON, and Beaverlodge AB and currently lives in Southern Ontario, on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee, Lūnaapéewak and Attawandaron. Learn more about her here: www.patriciareilly.com Roles include: the soft spaces' production designer; blank spirit research and creation. |
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Jess Amy Shead (She/Her)Jess is a performer, creator and producer, with a focus on site-specific micro-performance, puppetry, theatre for young audiences, ASL/English theatre, collective creation, and musical theatre. She is the co-recipient of two Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards for Outstanding Production and Outstanding Performance in the TYA Category, and a Vancouver Fringe Artistic Risk Award. She has worked as an actor at The Globe Theatre, Pacific Theatre, Chemainus Theatre, The Gateway Theatre, The Belfry Theatre, and Theatre SKAM, among others. She has recently become a Sign Language Interpreter as well.
Roles include: Creator and Performer in Joy Cuisine. |
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Angus Steele-Gaffney (he/Him)Angus Steele-Gaffney (he/him) is an interdisciplinary artist, performer, and sound designer working in myriad media, ranging from recycled object assemblages to bespoke audiovisual software programs. Angus' works prize play and reflection using chance encounters, unexpected interfaces, and interactions between sound, touch, text, and movement. He is interested in all aspects of performance creation, and works as a performer, composer, producer, administrator, and technician. He is currently developing “Recycollage” at Metropolitan Fukujusou and is grateful to live and work on Lək̓ʷəŋən territory, home to the Songhees and Esquimalt nations.
Roles include: Sound Designer for the soft spaces, Creator and Performer in Joy Cuisine. |
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Melissa Taylor (She/Her)Melissa was born and raised on Lekwungen Territory (Victoria, B.C.) and now splits her time between Vancouver Island and Ontario. Her work in Victoria has been produced by companies including Theatre SKAM, Impulse Theatre, and hapax theatre.
In Toronto, she has worked as both an actor and playwright with a range of professional and independent companies, including Hart House Theatre, Newmarket National Play Festival, Driftwood Theatre, and the False Claims Collective. She holds an MFA in Playwriting from the University of Victoria, where her thesis was a one-woman adaptation of Tess of the d’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy. Melissa is currently an Associate Artist with hapax theatre and the Co-Artistic Director of Gangway! Theatre Company in Toronto. Roles include: blank spirit research and creation. |
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Tiffany Tjosvold (She/Her)
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Tiffany is a multidisciplinary artist and arts educator whose practices are rooted in movement and play. She is a chronically ill individual whose lived experience informs her desire to create accessible artistic spaces. Tiffany is also the founder of Embrace Arts Foundation, a multidisciplinary arts organization for individuals of all abilities.
Roles include: Peek Fest's Accessibility & Hospitality Manager; accessibility consultant. |
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IMPULSE THEATRE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
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Jackie adamthwaite (SHE/HER), presiDentJackie is a “Recovering” Stage Manager turned Venue Manager. In Victoria she has worked for Pacific Opera, the Belfry Theatre, the Canadian College of Performing Arts, with Ken Lavigne in Concert, as a Show Caller for 17Black Events, and as a Sessional Instructor at the University of Victoria. Jackie is the newly appointed Senior Manager of Theatre Operations for the Vancouver Civic Theatres. She has a BFA in Theatre from UVic, with a specialization in Production Management.
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Maia crockett (SHE/HER), secretary-treasurerMaia is a graduate of the Canadian College of Performing Arts, where she was subsequently employed for five years as an artistic contractor, executive assistant, graphic designer, and I.T. support. She has also been an actor, projection & sound designer, and stage manager for several companies in Victoria, including Kaleidoscope Theatre, Atomic Vaudeville, hapax theatre, and the Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival. Maia is currently an executive coordinator with the provincial public service.
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Randi edmundson (she/her), DirectorDriven by curiosity, Randi wears many hats in the world of theatre, including producing, directing, performance, and design. Her passion for puppetry has taken her across the country and the globe. With her Jessie-Richardson Award winning company Little Onion Puppet Co., Randi has toured multiple original puppet works across Western Canada. She holds a BFA in Performance from the University of Victoria and an MFA in Directing from the University of Calgary. Randi is grateful to create as a freelance artist on unceded Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh territory in Vancouver and on unceded Secwepemc territory in Kamloops.
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Carly Greene Hill (she/her), Vice-PresidentCarly Greene Hill is a movement teacher, performer, and creative facilitator. She brings a background in live events, improv, and storytelling to her role as Vice President of the Board. Passionate about playful collaboration and community building, she is thrilled to support Impulse Theatre’s vibrant vision. Carly holds an undergraduate degree in Psychology and Gender Studies from the University of Victoria, and is a trained project manager currently working for the BC Public Service. In her spare time, she enjoys nature, film, and books from her home on the traditional territories of the lək̓ʷəŋən peoples, known today as the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations.
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Hilary ho (she/her), DirectorHilary is an emerging performing artist passionate about creating work that inspires connection and rekindles hope in our jaded, disjointed, and isolated society. She is privileged to be the pioneer cohort of the School of the Arts, Singapore, where she specialised in theatre. During her time there, she fell in love with physical theatre and devised work, and she continues to be passionate about finding new ways of physical expression and meaningful storytelling.
Hilary moved from Singapore to Canada in 2018. She is grateful to be living and creating on the unceded territory belonging to the lək̓ʷəŋən Peoples, known as the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations. |
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Erica Lebrun (SHE/her), DirectorErica is a lifelong passionate mover, theater lover, and adventure seeker. Her professional life has revolved around inclusive education, community building, and the non-profit world. Erica has a deep love for expressive, intuitive movement and is thrilled to be supporting accessibility in the arts.
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Conor Wylie (HE/him), DirectorConor Wylie is a performer, creator, and director creating experimental theatre, film, and video games, and a Nebula and Hugo Award-nominated writer of science-fiction. With his collective, A Wake of Vultures, he created a multimedia film/performance called K BODY AND MIND, which played as one-half of SEEING DOUBLE at the 2025 PuSh International Performing Arts Festival. He is also an artistic associate of Theatre Replacement, co-writer of sunset visitor studios’ hit indie video game, 1000xRESIST, and protégé for both the Vancouver Mayor’s Arts Award and the Siminovitch Prize. www.conorwylie.ca
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