Perfuct Storm :: An improvised comedy show

DAN BAIN

As well as being a performer for Perfuct, Dan is also the producer of the show and runs their insane Instagram account.

Dan's performance career began after training for two years at CircoArts, obtaining an EQL6 dip. New Circus with a major in Clown and Comedy. From there he worked as a street performer, traveling globally and performing in such prestigious festivals as The Halifax Buskers Festival, The Sparks Street Buskers Festival, The Singapore River Buskers Festival, and The Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, and Saskatoon Fringe Festivals.

In 2002 he became a member of The Court Jesters and performed their improvised comedy show Scared Scriptless at the Court Theatre or at private, corporate, or fundraising events, literally thousands of times. He was also the artistic director of The Court Jesters, leading and shaping the output and culture of the company from 2014 until his contract ended in 2020.

He is an accomplished and award-winning playwright and screenwriter with a large body of produced work. In theatre writing, he is represented by Playmarket New Zealand.

From 2017 to 2020 Dan was the associate director of The Court Theatre. He is a highly regarded theatre director with an enormous number of credits . Career highlights include The Odyssey, Stephen King's Misery, Ideation, Around the World in 80 Days, Boudica, and Titus Andronicus.

Dan can regularly be found headlining and MC-ing at Good Times Comedy Club or on your podcast app of choice where his sleep-aid show Sleepytime Mumbles continues to be bafflingly popular.

KATHLEEN BURNS

Kathleen began her career as a Court Jester in 2003 and still performs in Scared Scriptless.

She is a graduate of the National Academy of Singing and Dramatic Art and works as an actress and director.

Her Court Theatre acting credits include Educating Rita; The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time; Steel Magnolias; and The Pink Hammer. Her other theatre credits include A Servant to Two Masters; Under Milkwood; Cinderella (Circa Theatre), and Avenue Q; Five Women Wearing the Same Dress and Flagons and Foxtrots (Fortune Theatre).

Kathleen’s most recent television work is Sextortion (TVNZ). Her film credits include The Cleaner, Ghost Shark 2, and the soon to be released The Push.

EMMA CUSDIN

Emma began studying for a degree in musical theatre at The National Academy of Singing and Dramatic Art, but quit halfway through to go and work as a scale double on Peter Jackson's Hobbit films.

It doesn’t seem to have affected her career as she has a considerable number of credits as an actor, improvisor, director, and comedian.

She has performed improvisation in Scotland and England and was a member of the renowned Loose Moose Theatre Company in Canada before returning back to Christchurch improvisation company, The Court Jesters. She’s been there on and off for 14 years, performing or MC-ing the Court Theatre’s Scared Scriptless and The Early, Early Late Show.

As an actor, she’s toured Australasia for 3 years as a member of Playhouse Theatre Company and appeared at The Court Theatre in The Seagull, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Emperor’s New Clothes and Epic Journey to the Shops.

Other acting roles include The ACB with Honora Lee and Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker for Repertory Theatre, Malvolia in Twelfth Night for Top Dog Theatre, and Hermia in A Midsummer Night's Dream for the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra. She also worked as a voice and screen actor for the legendary TV show What Now? for two and a half years.

Emma is also a marriage celebrant, standup comedian, and a fan favourite in the live audience podcast Dungeons and Comedians, where her character Belt achieved living local legend status.

HENRI NELIS

MICHAEL BELL

Michael Bell is a musician and theatre producer. Also, an enthusiastic actor, he did theatresports at school, but after being ranked number five in his high school theatresports team (where a team must consist of four people) he was forced to weasel his way back onto the stage by playing the piano.

Turns out this was a great choice as he joined The Outwits in 2004, playing their regular improvised comedy show Cheap Laughs and playing music for their hilarious corporate events and gigs.

In 2005, Michael joined the Court Jesters and, being their only muso, played Scared Scriptless at the Court Theatre every single Friday in a row for two years straight, as well as any corporate comedy performances for the Outwits or the Court Jesters that required a musician. Eventually he became very tired and stopped this in 2015.

In 2009 Michael set up touring theatre company NZ Playhouse, bringing live theatre into schools. It is now New Zealand’s largest theatre company when measured by audience numbers, performing to over 100,000 people each year.

When not being a theatre producer, he is a music producer, running Orange Studio – the South Island’s largest recording studio when measured by square meterage.

Since 2018, Michael has set up and run Little Andromeda which is the country’s largest theatre venue when measured by the number of performances not cancelled throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

He received a 2021 civic award for services to the arts, which is the country’s largest award when you ignore all the larger ones.