2024 Headliners
Thank you to our #OIF2024 headliners!
Becky Johnson
Becky Johnson is a Canadian Screen Award winning writer and comedian. An alumna of the Toronto Second City Mainstage, Becky has performed internationally with her influential improv projects including Catch23 Improv, The Sufferettes and IRON COBRA. As a writer, Becky has contributed to Baroness von Sketch Show, The Hour Has 22 Minutes and CBC’s Because News. Becky has also been a panelist for Canadian pitches at JFL Comedy Pro’s Stand Up and Pitch competition. As an actor, Becky has been featured on Baroness von Sketch Show (CBC/IFC), What We Do in the Shadows (FX) , Odd Squad (PBS/TVOKids), Workin’ Moms (CBC/Netflix), Space Riders: Division Earth (Funny or Die) and more. Becky has won two Canadian Comedy Awards for her work in improvisation and two Canadian Screen Awards for writing on Baroness von Sketch Show.
Isaac Kessler
Isaac Kessler has been performing, writing,directing and producing comedy for over 16 years. He is an internationally-acclaimed and multiple Canadian Comedy Award nominee (2012/14/15/19), nominated as Best Male Improviser in 2015. He is one half of the award-winning improv/clown/sketch juggernaut 2-MAN NO-SHOW alongside his comedic soulmate Ken Hall.
In the summer of 2022, Isaac debuted 1-MAN NO-SHOW, his first ever solo show. It received rave reviews and standing ovations at the Toronto Fringe, and won the Artists Pick Award at the Edmonton Fringe Festival, the largest theatre festival in North America.
He is also an award-winning director, having directed Julia VanderVeen in her solo clown show, My Grandmother’s Eye Patch.
Isaac possesses some TV credits and features in a bunch of funny national commercials like the beer one where he was on camera for 4 and a half hours straight.
For the past 11 years, Isaac’s training has focused on Clown, Mask, Idiot Work, Bouffon, and LeCoq-based Physical Theatre with world-renowned instructors Philippe Gaulier (mentor of Sacha Baron Cohen), Paola Coletto, John Gilkey, Dr. Brown (Philip Burgers), and Aitor Basauri of Spymonkey fame. He has performed with the ground-breaking Wet The Hippo Collective by Cirque du Soleil’s John Gilkey, and Dean Evan’s visionary Bouffon troupe Mil Grus (Producer’s Award - Hollywood Fringe/Fringe Encore Series - NYC’s SOHO Playhouse).
Follow him on TikTok (@djmenorah) because he went viral once.
Jill Bernard
Jill Bernard (she/her) has been performing with ComedySportz-Twin Cities since 1993, and is a founding member of HUGE Theater in Minneapolis. Her one-woman improv piece, Drum Machine, has been featured in over forty improv festivals. She has taught and performed improv in Argentina, Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Colombia, England, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates and in over forty of the United States; and also on an episode of MTV “Made.”
Ken Hall
Ken Hall is a Canadian Comedy Award Winner (Best Breakout Artist) and multiple CCA award nominee, including most recently, Comedic Artist of the Year. Ken plays the lovable Herb and provides motion capture as the body of Pogo in Netflix's THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY.
Ken is also one-half of the critically acclaimed comedic duo 2-MAN NO-SHOW with his comedic soulmate, Isaac Kessler, and has had the pleasure to work for CIRQUE DE SOLEIL.
Ken has appeared in numerous film and television roles including two seasons on TBS’s hit series PEOPLE OF EARTH and has appeared as a guest on CONAN.
He has studied clown with master clown instructors, Philippe Gaulier, Francine Cote, Paola Coletto and Aitor Basauri and improv at The Second City (Toronto), iO Theare (Chicago), The Annoyance Theatre (Chicago) and The Upright Citizen's Brigade (NYC).
Ken teaches Comedic On-Camera Acting, Clownprov and Mindfulness at Bad Dog Theatre, Clown and Public Speaking at The Second City, and improv at The Assembly and The Social Capital Theatre in Toronto.
Ken was awarded the Frank McAnulty Award for Faculty Instructor of the Year 2019 at The Second City.