Our People
As a member-based organisation, we’re supported by the students and alumni who’ve been playing with us for many years. Here are a few of our members who’ve taken on key roles.
Bentwood Chair of the Board, General Manager, Teaching Faculty
Aden began improvising in 1986, and started taking it seriously in 2012. He has trained intensively at iO Chicago, The Annoyance, and with Jimmy Carrane, and has performed as far afield as Cape Town and Canberra. He’s also a member of Perth’s long-running performance troupe, The Big Hoo-Haa!
Aden delights in working with individuals and teams to help them rediscover play, embrace uncertainty and face the unknown with courage. In addition to running Only the Human, he runs corporate workshops and teaches Psychology at the University of Notre Dame.
Board Secretary, Cliche Hammerer
Rich discovered the magic of improvising in high school through playing saxophone and exploring jazz.
At university he lost class debates but left the audience in stitches by integrating prop-based comedy into his presentations. Rich continued his passion for performing with Scitech, producing and presenting shows across WA and internationally at festivals in Singapore and China.
As a parent of two energetic boys his improvisational skills are challenged daily. Professionally Rich is an experienced contract manager working in healthcare and he aims to squeeze a laugh out of every meeting.
Board Member
Tara joined Only The Human last year and experienced going from feeling like a nervous mess on her first free trial of improv to the high of performing at Comedy Underground - the feeling of euphoria from class and stage cannot be beat! She believes that feeling and all the laughter improv brings is the best antidote to the stress of daily life, and as a Board Member wants to contribute to ensuring everyone has access to improv comedy and the supportive network of amazing people that sit around that!
Tara is in the Emerging Leaders in Governance Program, which develops under 40’s to take on a board position in the NFP sector. She holds a Master of Organisational Psychology and works as a consultant to Not-for-Profit (NFP) organisations in Western Australia.
Board Member, Teaching Faculty
Ashleigh fell head over heads in love with the art of improvised theatre when she first signed up for a course on a whim in 2016. The romance has continued over the years and she has been lucky enough to have trained in a variety of comedic and dramatic styles and performed in a range of short, long and narrative form shows in Canberra, Adelaide, Auckland and Perth.
Ashleigh performs monthly with Comedy Underground at Lyric Lane and has recently started teaching with Only the Human.
Ashleigh is looking forward to helping grow the Perth improv scene through her role on the board, so more people can fall in love with the art just like she has.
Board Member
Alice first found improv in 2017 and hasn't looked back since. She was taught improv by some of the best in OTH and has gone on to teach and coach herself. She also performs regularly in Comedy Underground.
Alice now serves as a member of the board and hopes to foster more connection and creativity within the community.
Board Member
Suren began his improv journey early in 2023 and was quickly hooked after attending a taster session.
Since then, he has immersed himself in the craft. He is on a mission to ensure that the same positive experience he had is accessible to everyone who wants to try it!
Board Member
Louise has been an active member of PITS for several years, and a regular performer in the Comedy Underground ensemble. She has been a board member since January 2024, coinciding with the development of the PITS/OTH twin governance model. She is a lawyer by background but these days works in research and the community sector, and she sits on several other boards as well as PITS.
Operations Manager
Having started learning and performing improv early in 2022, Don has jumped head first into the community. Don founded and manages the Improv WA Discord server, where many of the community now hang out and interact. Founding member of improv team Samurai Gran, he has performed to full houses at Perth Fringe Festival and loves the shared trust, vulnerability, and authenticity that makes for great improv.
He began working for Only The Human and PITS in 2023 and is now responsible for day-to-day operations, decision-making, and community management. With over two decades in management and leadership roles, Don’s experience is proving crucial to OTH’s growth and community impact.
Teaching Faculty
Nathan got started in improvised comedy 20 years ago and has continued on and off since then. He is a graduate of the Upright Citizen's Brigade in Los Angeles and performed improv and sketch comedy with them and iO West in Hollywood before coming to Perth and joining Only the Human. He is excited to nurture the local improv community and drink amazing coffee, not necessarily in that order.
Teaching Faculty
Cameron has performed improv for 13 years and taught for eight. He has taken the stage throughout the US and Europe, and performed in eight Edinburgh Fringe Festivals. His teaching style encourages less talk, more action; you’ll find yourself doing more of the things that make improv easy and fewer things that make improv difficult. Cameron knows that fun improv relies on skills that must be practised into habit and bases his teaching in the principles of sincerity, reliability, and respect.
Cameron joined the OTH teaching faculty in September 2024 jumping straight in to plan and facilitate an advanced course for the coming term.
Teaching Faculty
Amy is a local performer, producer, director, award-winning writer, and all round creative enthusiast. Armed with two bachelor degrees from the WA Academy of Performing Arts, Amy believes improv is the perfect space to nurture inclusivity in theatre. Creator of 'Coded Comedy' — a fusion of musical improv, stand-up, and ChatGPT-generated content — her team regularly performs around Perth and across the Fringe Festival. Amy has performed with the likes of Anthony Warlow and Mirusia Louwerse, but finds her greatest joy in the genuine connections, discovery, and passion of the local arts community.
Amy joined the OTH teaching faculty in September 2024 and is hugely excited about sharing her wealth of experience with Perth’s students of improv.
Teaching Faculty
Jaleesa Maher is an experienced comedic improviser, writer, teacher and performer. She has studied improvisation and sketch at The Second City and The Assembly in Toronto. As the founder of the hit sketch comedy group YAAAS KWEEN, she believes comedy can be made more accessible for marginalised groups.
She also holds a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Marketing and works as a full-time Digital Analyst.
So, what gets Jaleesa out of bed in the morning? A flat white and the chance to make people laugh. She knows this line is corny, we told her.
Teaching Faculty
Patrice has been improvising since she was born! Making it up as she went along. Expressing true emotion, building relationships, and sprinkling in some comedic timing is the space in which she feels most comfortable. She began her improv journey in 2015 through Only The Human and is also a member of the sketch comedy troupe YAAAS KWEEN.
Patrice is highly driven and excited to provide a space where people can be creative, unique, and have a laugh with fellow emerging improvisers.
When she isn’t teaching improv, Patrice is creating opportunities for the community and child health research organisations to collaborate for positive impact and outcomes. She used to play WAFLW!
Teaching Faculty
Jay Overington fell in love with improv in a Freo basement in 2016, and began performing and teaching soon after. A huge nerd, Jay has studied with iO Chicago, Chicago Improv Studio, The Assembly, and Magnet Theatre. He enjoys cooking, making dubious fermented drinks, and drawing portraits of Jason Statham.
Teaching Faculty
Anthony started improv in 2016 at Endgames Improv in San Francisco, and extensively studied there for four years, eventually co-founding a troupe "Stunt Dad" and performing fortnightly Harold shows in the Mission District. He also studied and performed in Oakland at All Out Comedy before moving to Perth in 2021 and becoming involved with Only The Human. He is fascinated by all things improv.
When he's not improvising he works as a software engineer, runs D&D games, and sends egg memes to his friends.