Meet the Team

  • A group of people standing against a black background, with the focus on a young man wearing glasses and a black t-shirt, smiling and looking to the right.

    Aden Date

    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.

  • A woman with shoulder-length dark wavy hair, smiling, wearing a sleeveless green top, against a dark background.

    Amy Fortnum

    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.

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    Wyatt Nixon-Lloyd

    TEACHING FACULTY

    For over two decades, Wyatt has performed improv across Australia and around the world. He’s been part of The Big HOO-HAA! in Perth since 2005, established The Big HOO-HAA! Melbourne, and was an inaugural member of house teams at Improv Conspiracy (Vic) and Improv Theatre Sydney (NSW) a little over a decade ago. He’s trained and performed in Los Angeles with iO West and Second City, Hollywood. Wyatt is a performer and writer for Nickelodeon, Tonightly with Tom Ballard, The Project, and continues his love for making comedy in all forms.

  • A man with dark hair and a beard smiling, with someone taking a photo of him in the background.

    Jay Overington

    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.

  • A young man with dark hair, green eyes, and a beard smiling at the camera against a dark background.

    Michael Becker

    TEACHING FACULTY

    Michael is an actor, improviser, and filmmaker featured most recently at the 2025 St Kilda Film Festival. He has been studying improv for a decade; predominantly in Sydney, with additional workshops in New Zealand and a graduate of the 5-week intensive course at iO in Chicago. He has taught classes at Academy of Improv in Sydney and run numerous workshops with Aquinas, MLC , and previously with Only The Human. 

    He has been studying and teaching social dynamics for years and has recently begun applying his new understanding about relationships to long-form improv. 

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    Jalessa Maher

    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.

  • A man with short dark hair, glasses, and a beard smiling against a red brick wall.

    Nathan Blumenthal

    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.

  • A woman with shoulder-length brown hair, wearing a gray blazer and earrings, looking to her left with a slight smile in an indoor setting with warm lighting.

    Ashleigh Blechynden

    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 helps grow the Perth improv scene through her role on the Perth Improvised Theatre Society board, so more people can fall in love with the art just like she has.

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    Cameron Davis

    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.

  • Close-up of a man with red hair, freckles, and a beard, wearing a black shirt, standing in front of a background featuring tall beer glasses and bottles.

    Don Rowe

    OPERATIONS MANAGER

    Having started learning and performing improv early in 2022, Don has jumped head first into the community. He founded and manages the Improv WA Discord server, where many of the community now hang out and interact. As a founding member of improv team Samurai Gran, Don 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.