Cale Bain has been performing improvised comedy theatre since 1988 and has taught, workshopped, directed, produced and performed shows around the world ever since.

He trained through the Second City Theatre Company in Toronto. Since moving to Australia, Cale has directed and produced Theatresports® to sell-out audiences at the 1700-seat Enmore Theatre through Impro Australia, where he also has had the role of director of training, performed in the Sydney and Melbourne comedy and fringe festivals as well as the Perth Fringe and Canberra’s Improvention. Cale also started Sydney’s first longform improv show, Full Body Contact No Love Tennis that lived for some ten years (also known as Tennis Improv). Cale was the improv director for Foxtel‘s Whose Line Is It Anyway? Australia.

In his other life, Cale is a media academic, investigating the confluence of journalism and comedy, teaching media and communications studies. Cale’s philosophy on improv is relationship focused, and he feels strongly that the core principles we use in improv can make our everyday lives better.

Most recently, Cale has received two grants through the University of Technology Sydney. With his colleagues, they were awarded an opportunity to bring improv to the entire communications first-year student body, so as to increase engagement. Subsequently, the same team was awarded a Social Impact Grant to work with the refugee community in Cisarua, using improv to combat the mental health stresses that would accompany not knowing one’s statehood. The team has since returned to Cisarua and continues a relationship with the community.

Cale is one of the founding directors of Improv Theatre Sydney.