About the Teachers

NOLAN MAYRAND (Improv for Youth)

NOLAN MAYRAND is a passionate teacher and performer who believes improv builds confidence, creativity, and connection. With years of stage and classroom experience, he creates a supportive, playful space where students can take risks, trust their instincts, and have fun. As an Educational Assistant of six-years he has plenty of experience managing classrooms, adapting to individual behaviours, and coaching various extra-curriculars – soccer, chess club, and, of course, improv.

ALEX MONK (Intro to Improv / Improv: Next Steps)

ALEX MONK started improv when he was 12 on a dare and turned it into a career. He’s met some of his best friends in the world doing improv and even met my wife at one of his shows. He truly believes that improv has been the most versatile skill he’s ever honed and that it helps in his everyday life, his career… and it's just a fun way to live. Looking to get started with improv? Or looking to improve? Alex will help you reach your improv goals! His goal is simple: empower others to perform in front of audiences!

MICHAEL K POTTER (Playwriting 1: Mastering the Basics / Playwriting 2: Creating Memorable Scenes / Playwriting 3: Creating Vivid Characters)

MICHAEL K POTTER is an award-winning writer, educator, producer, director, and occasional actor. For more than 25 years, as both a teacher and a researcher, he’s been helping people become better teachers and storytellers. Michael’s produced plays include The Worst Thing I Ever Did (written with Fay Lynn and Michael O’Reilly, 2017), Another Fucking Christmas Play: A Fucking Musical (written with Fay Lynn and Michael O’Reilly, 2018), Puppets in the Hands of a Malevolent God (2025), and the upcoming play Innocence (scheduled for February 2027). You might also know him as the Managing Director of Post Productions, Co-Owner/Operator of The Shadowbox Theatre, and the co-founder of the Windsor-Essex Playwriting Contest, for which he has served as coordinator and judge since 2018. In 2022 Michael received an award for Performing Arts Leadership in Theatre from Windsor Endowment for the Arts. In 2021 he co-created and co-wrote the comedy series (up)Staged (with Fay Lynn and Joey Ouellette) – and served as executive producer and co-director when it was filmed in 2024. As a teacher what’s most important to Michael is ensuring that all students enjoy their experience while reaching their potential.

FAY LYNN (Playwriting 1: Mastering the Basics / Playwriting 2: Creating Memorable Scenes / Playwriting 3: Creating Vivid Characters)

FAY LYNN is an award-winning multi-disciplinary artist with over 20 years experience in the theatre industry. Artistic Director of Post Productions, and Co-Owner/Operator of The Shadowbox Theatre, she has spent the better part of her life on and around a stage as a writer, producer, director, stage manager, set designer, technician, and actor – among many other things. Fay’s produced plays include The Worst Thing I Ever Did (written with Michael K. Potter and Michael O’Reilly, 2017), Another Fucking Christmas Play: A Fucking Musical (written with Michael K. Potter and Michael O’Reilly, 2018), and Traffic (2024). In 2018 she co-founded the Windsor-Essex Playwriting Contest, for which she has served as co-coordinator and judge ever since. In 2021 Fay co-created and co-wrote the comedy series (up)Staged (with Michael K. Potter and Joey Ouellette) – and served as executive producer and co-director when it was filmed in 2024. As a teacher her goals are to help students see their value as artists and storytellers while building their confidence as human beings.