Dwayne Mailman has been performing and teaching improvisation and stage combat for over 7 years. He fell in love with improv when he took part in a Theatre Ontario workshop which taught the basics. After that, there was no looking back! As a graduate of Second City’s Conservatory program, Dwayne co-operatively wrote and performed in his own sketch review, eventually becoming the Technical Director for their Educational Company and teaching improvisation to school kids of all ages. He has gone on to teach and perform improvisation in a multitude of different venues ranging from backyards to corporate boardrooms all across Ontario. Taking his love for the art of improvisation and combining it with the Ministry of Education curriculum, Dwayne gives all of his students a classroom experience that is both fun and educational. (Interested in improv classes check out School Workshops, Camp Day Experience, Adult Classes)

With regard to Stage Combat ever since he watched wrestling as a kid, Dwayne has been fascinated with how to make combat look real without actually hurting anyone. To that end Dwayne worked his way up through the ranks of several renaissance and medieval festivals, training first as a “page”, then a “squire” until finally gaining “knight” status. He honed his craft and has a fine ability with unarmed and armed stage combat. Dwayne has applied these skills as the Fight Captain on many productions and has been a trainer for many medieval education and theatre companies. Dwayne has had the opportunity to choreograph fights for various mediums including interactive festivals, stage productions, educational events, TV shows and movies, including choreographing and performing fights and stunts for Synn Studios' series "Mind's Eye". (For more information about our workshop or choreography services)

Tracy has a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science and juggles her career as a successful Entrepreneur and professional consultant with her work as a teacher of improv and stage combat. She has been performing “in character” and other forms of improv since 1998, including her work with the Institute for Healthcare Communication of The College of Family Physicians of Canada (www. ihcc.ca). As a graduate of Second City’s Conservatory program she has had a great deal of exposure to different styles of improv and has been teaching improv to actors, business professionals and kids since 2012. The joy she gets through her work teaching kids to be more resilient individuals through improv is rewarding and fuels her. Tracy’s perspectives as both a business owner and scientific professional allow her to relate to Focus UP’s business clients and provide them with course plans which actually tackle some of their “real-world” issues.

Her work in Stage Combat started with outdoor renaissance and medieval festivals and since 1998 she has become proficient with hand-to-hand, quarterstaff, rapier and broadsword. After working as Fight Captain for a number of stage productions over the years, Tracy now works as the assistant Stage combat instructor for Focus UP and co-produces and co-stars in her own fight-based pirate show “Smash, Bash & Crabbe”.

Since starting her professional TV, film and commercial acting career in 2001, Tracy has earned a reputation for her incredible booking rate especially in improvisation-based auditions. Casting Directors have asked to use Tracy’s audition tapes in their courses as an example for new actors of what to do to land a role. She takes great pride in teaching other actors to get more comfortable with improv auditions and how to book the work. (Check out our Improv for Auditions, On Camera Intensive workshop).