BAD DOG THEATRE COMPANY ANNOUNCES FEATURED PLAYERS ENSEMBLE SEASON 8

We are thrilled to announce the Season 8 ensemble of the Featured Players Program: Alex Cabrera Aragon m, Alexa Mackell, Alfred Chow, Amrutha Krishnan , Edward Choi, Janet Mac, Jared Wonago, Lance Oribello, Liz Cyrus, Maddy Atamanchuk, Patrick Ronan, Sachin Sinha, Shane McLean, and stevey hunter.

This paid, performance-based program is a cornerstone of Bad Dog’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of comedic voices. Over the course of six months, the Featured Players will develop their skills in improvisation, ensemble creation, and comedic storytelling, culminating in an original live show, People of the City, which is a part of Factory Theatre’s Spring 2026 Season. They will also be the repertory cast for the longest running comedy show in Toronto and Bad Dog’s flagship show, Theatresports.

Now in its eighth season, the program continues to evolve under the guidance of the company’s leadership and core faculty. This year’s cohort reflects a bold and playful vision for the future of comedy—featuring performers from a range of disciplines, backgrounds, and lived experiences. 

Training in the program includes weekly rehearsals, masterclasses, mentorship with established artists, and on-stage performance opportunities. Past alumni of the program have gone on to join international touring companies, write for television, create acclaimed web series, and become integral members of Toronto’s comedy scene.

Some notable alumni of the Featured Players include Tricia Black (Pretty Hard Cases), Guled Abdi, Franco Nguyen and Tim Blair (TallBoyz), Ajahnis Charley (This Hour Has 22 Minutes), Coko Galore (Second City), Lisa Gilroy (The Studio), Kyah Green (Sort Of), Tom Hearn (Gay Garbage), DJ Mausner (Prom Dates), Clare McConnell (Murdoch Mysteries), Rakhee Morzaria (Run The Burbs), Laura Ramoso (What We Do In The Shadows), Veronika Slowikowska (David & Jonesie’s Locker), Carley Thorne (uncarley), and Chris Wilson (This Hour Has 22 Minutes). 

“The Featured Players program is a vital part of how we imagine the future of improv and comedy at Bad Dog,” said Alia Rasul, Bad Dog’s Managing Artistic Director. “We are thrilled to be collaborating  with such a brilliant group of artists over the next few months.”

The cast will make its debut Friday, September 4th and perform every Friday at Theatresports Toronto, Fridays at 7pm at Comedy Bar Bloor (945 Bloor Street West). Tickets start at $20 and are available at comedybar.ca 

Meet the Season 8 Featured Players:

Alex Cabrera Aragon

Alex has had a major crush on improv ever since she started performing in 2014. Performing with troupes like The Kids’ Table, Bruce, Smooch and now Featured Players, that crush has blossomed into a true love. But don’t, like, tell improv she said that, ok? Play it cool!

Alexa Mackell

Alexa MacKell is a comedian who has been improvising and teaching improv for over ten years. Born and raised in Calgary, she studied at the Loose Moose Theatre Company and recently moved to Toronto. She has been regularly performing in improv shows at Bad Dog Theatre and directed the most recent run of Theatresports. Alexa is known for her big character choices, playing to emotional truth, and her ass that refuses to quit (even though many have urged it to).

Alfred Chow

Alfred Chow is an improv teacher, producer, and performer who has performed in over 20 cities worldwide. In 2023, his duo "Mahjong Mafia" won The World’s Biggest Improv Tournament. He teaches at Bad Dog Theatre, coaches several indie teams, and leads corporate workshops for clients across various industries.

Amrutha Krishnan

Amrutha Krishnan is a performer known for her past work with Affirmative Reaction, performing across Toronto and international festivals. She’s currently with the improv group Birdhouse and recently starred in the musical comedy “Neptune’s with a Fish” at Paprika Festival.

Edward Choi

Edward is a Toronto-based actor with a wide range of performance experience, including appearances at Detroit Improv Festival, Vancouver Improv Festival, JFL42, and with the Second City Touring Company. Edward is fresh off a sold-out run of Toronto Fringe’s award winning David Lynch’s Seinfeld. He has trained extensively in improvisation at leading institutions, such as Upright Citizens Brigade, The Second City, and Bad Dog Theatre.

Janet Mac

Janet Mac is an improviser and artist from Toronto. She is a member of the improv troupe, Indoor Recess. With a love for characters rooted in voice, she enjoys playing big characters with grounded points of view. She loves being in nature, electronic music and prefers savory over sweet.

Jared Wonago 

Jared Wonago is an improviser and actor who has been at it for close to a decade now. Originally from Edmonton, he was a featured player at Rapid Fire Theatre for a handful of years and then became a recent alum of the acting program at the National Theatre School (Montreal). Now back in Toronto, Jared looks forward to playing with all of these talented performers.

Lance Oribello

Lance Oribello is an actor, improviser, Second City Conservatory and Bad Dog Studio Series graduate, and member of Comedy Bar house team Staccayto Staccato. Credits include Hart House Theatre’s The Shawshank Redemption, Guelph Fringe’s award-winning Make Up! The Musical, and a championship victory at the World's Biggest Improv Tournament 2025.

Liz Cyrus

Liz Cyrus is a Jamaican Canadian improviser based in Toronto. She's performed in some of the city’s staple shows, festivals, and tournaments. A lifelong storyteller, she also explores standup, sketch comedy and works in unscripted television production. When she’s not on stage, she’s writing—or diving headfirst into her thousandth hobby.

Maddy Atamanchuk

Maddy Atamanchuk is an improviser, sketch comedian and producer based in Toronto. Maddy is a member of the sketch group Brain Frogs and performs regularly at various improv shows around the city. In her spare time, Maddy loves eating ice cream and having fun!

Patrick Ronan

Patrick Ronan is an award winning comedian with 12 years of experience in stand up, sketch and improv. A graduate of the Humber college Comedy Writing and Performance Program. Patrick has performed in many festivals and has appeared in multiple film and television projects

Sachin Sharma

Sachin Sinha is an actor and comedian from Ottawa, Ontario. Since moving to Toronto in 2019 (then moving back in 2021 after *the sickness*), he has completed The Second City Conservatory, Bad Dog Studio Series, has been an understudy for Second City, and performs with his improv troupe, Mrs. Beast. 2 weeks after moving to Toronto the first time, he met Craig Robinson at Comedy Bar. He was flossing at the bar and very sweaty.

Shane McLean

After a meteoric rise to the middle of Vancouver’s improv scene, Shane moved to Toronto in 2018 and found the transition easy on account of his talent, grace and utter humility. He is a founder of the powerhouse group Little Mountain Improv (now defunct) and has performed at incredibly impressive festivals all over North America (mostly defunct).

Stevey Hunter

Stevey Hunter is a queer comedian, actor, and writer. They’re a Virgo Sun, Gemini Moon + Rising who can’t eat gluten (celiac club — yes they’re embarrassed by it!) Stevey has performed and taught improv across the country and is a member of Toronto based troupes soft hands and Hard YAS.

FEATURED PLAYERS ALUMNI

Season 1:

Allana Reoch, Callum Wratten, Chris Ramelan, Christian Smith, Connor Low, Daphney Joseph, Ify Chiwetelu, Nate Callens, Nelu Handa, Rakhee Morzaria, Sarah Szloboda, Talal Itani, Tricia Black.

Season 2:

Alessandra Vite, Andrea Marston, Andy Hull, Christina Nicolaou, Coko Galore, Gavin Pounds, Hamed Dar, Michelle Hart, Natalie Metcalfe, Nina Adler, Rosie Dempsey, Scott Lloyd, Sharjil Rasool, Tim Blair

Season 3:

Allison Hogg, Brittney Drysdale, Carol Zoccoli, Chris Wilson, Clare McConnell, Gordon Neill, Lisa Gilroy, Martha Stortz, Monica Garrido, Paul Aihoshi, Ryan Sheedy, Samantha Adams, Samuel Loeb, Zohaib Khan

Season 4:

Adam Niebergall, Alia Ceniza Rasul, Amanda Parker, Caitlin English, Chris Leveille, Emily Richardson, Filipe Dimas, Ivan Yuen, Jess Grant, Kyah Green, Matt Nadeau, Rebecca Payne, Steven Suepaul, Tom Hearn

Season 5:

Carolyne Das, D.J. Mausner, Devon Henderson, Emily Bilton, Franco Nguyen, Gillian Bartolucci, Guled Abdi, Justin D’Angelo, King Chiu, Mark Shyzer

Season 6:

Alex Kolanko, Anne McMaster, Antonis Varkaris, Antony Hall, Brennan Asbridge, Danny Avila, Jackie Twomey, Johan Denora, Leanne Miller, Rhys Naylor, Sam Hancock, Shannon Lahaie, Shohana Sharmin, Youness Robert-Tahiri

Season 7:

Amanda Cogan, Bita Joudaki, Carley Thorne, Cihang Ma, Dana Puddicombe, Freddie Rivas, Geoff Cork, Miguel Gauthier, Patrick Murray, Randl Morales, Rob Lewin, Rosh Abdullah, Tyra Banda

For inquiries about the Featured Players program, please contact stephanie@baddogtheatre.com