Chris McIlveen

Founder, Improv Coach

A certified Ontario teacher (OCT 658775) with over 25 years of improv experience, Chris McIlveen brings a wealth of international improv experience to Third Space Theatre. He trained extensively with People’s Republic of Comedy and Zmack! Improv in Shanghai, China. From there, he taught improv for Zmack! and Enreach Education, and served as a facilitator, coach, and judge for improv at the EdTA Young Thespians Festival. As a performer, he founded the long-running shortform troupe Screaming Lemur in Hangzhou, China, and developed the longform showTypecast: The Improvised Sitcom with Zmack!. He has performed to global audiences and with actors from around the world with the digitial group Typical Heroes.

As an impov coach, he focuses on foundational skills like active listening and teamwork, structured through a scaffolded teaching method. He aims to instill confidence, enhance quick thinking, and cultivate a love for theatre in his students, emphasizing improv as a tool for personal growth and creativity.

“Chris is one of the best improv coaches I’ve seen.”
– Kelley M. (Broadway veteran; theatre professor, Mary Baldwin University)

“Thank you Chris. Screaming Lemur brought me back into acting.”
– Noah E. (Theatre educator, Shanghai)