A Brief History
Renée Amber is an improvisor, actor, event host, sketch comedy writer, business woman, mother and emerging filmmaker. She is a senior improvisor at the Loose Moose Theatre Company in Calgary, where she trained in her youth with the legendary Keith Johnstone and an incredible group of peers. There she co-produced and hosted 3 seasons of a late night comedy show, Past Your Bedtime (with improv partner Andrew Phung), before she took a time out to put her progeny and herself to bed at a reasonable hour. She is a writer and actor on Cowtown (Nur Films, Telus Optik) and an actor on Let's Talk English (Spotlight Productions, Omni). Her original plays have been produced across the country (ATP, Ground Zero Theatre, Theatre Ste-Catherine). Renée is also known for her work in the development of Spontaneous Theatre (Mimi in Rebecca Northan’s Blind Date, Co-creator and Eydis in Legend Has It). Her first short film, Coming To Term, is distributed by the Winnipeg Film Group. Renée has hosted events, managed theatres, and has toured shows internationally.
AWARDS & RECOGNITION / Betty Mitchell Award Nominee for Outstanding Performance by an Actress (Legend Has It) · 2017 Rosie Award Best Fiction Web Series (writer & lead performer on Cowtown, Nur Films) · University of Calgary Dean's Award for Creative Achievement (Faculty of Fine Arts)
EMCEE / Share the Dream Gala & Art Auction (KOAC, FifthFloor) · ATB BoostR (Festival Hall) · Future of Leadership Summit (Online - Cisco Webex) · Ask a Leader Show (Online - Zoom) · Geeky Summit (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019) · CAMP Festival of Technology Art & Design (2017, 2018) · Ember Awards (Digital Alberta) · Calgary International Film Festival Alberta Spirit Awards · Social Venture Partners' Calgary Fast Pitch · Calgary Folk Music Festival Apache Talk Tent & Comedy Stage (2014, 2015) · Calgary Stampede Talent Search · Carol of the Belles: Duets Edition!, Christmas Concert
SELECTED THEATRE CREDITS / Blind Date (London, UK; Denver; Whitehorse; Edmonton; Calgary) · The Shape of Things (ATP) · Hay Fever, Macbeth, A Christmas Carol (Theatre Calgary) · The Philadelphia Story (TC, Manitoba Theatre Centre) · Arcadia, Ivanov, The Real Thing (Theatre Junction) · Tough! (Sage Theatre) · Jack & The Beanstalk (Dandi Productions, Montréal Symphony, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, L'Orchestre symphonique de Québec)
ORIGINAL PRODUCTIONS & COLLABORATIONS / Cowtown TV Seasons 1 & 2 ; ongoing (sketch writer, actor - Nur Films; Telus Optik) · When the Sea Swallows (Solo Centric Festival) · Le Gros Spectacle (as The Wind-Up Dames - ATP PlayRite's Festival of New Canadian Plays; Theatre Ste-Catherine) · PARANOiA (as The Wind-Up Dames - Ground Zero Theatre) · Legend Has It (co-creator, improvisor - ATP; Spontaneous Theatre) PeeL (as The Wind-Up Dames - Western Canadian Fringe Circuit) · Space: The Final Frontier Women (co-writer, actor - LMTC)
SELECTED IMPROV PROJECTS & FESTIVALS / Loose Moose Theatre Company (Senior Improvisor - ongoing) · Past Your Bedtime (Late Night Improv & Comedy - Renée Amber & Andrew Phung) · Rapid Fire Theatre (Prairie Bowl Improv Festival; Improviganza) · VIFF (Vancouver Improv Festival (as Past Your Bedtime & Missed Connections) · Wayne Jones & Colin Mochrie (as Calgary All Stars) · Kinkonauts (various guest projects) · Sled Island Music Festival (Comedy programming) · Calgary Folk Music Festival (Comedy Programming) · Theatre Ste-Catherine (Sunday Night Improv) · Bad Dog Theatre (Micro) · Legend Has It (Spontaneous Theatre) · Blind Date (Spontaneous Theatre) · Mix Tape Improv
SELECTED THEATRE CREDITS / Blind Date (London, UK; Denver; Whitehorse; Edmonton; Calgary) · The Shape of Things (ATP) · Hay Fever, Macbeth, A Christmas Carol (Theatre Calgary) · The Philadelphia Story (TC, Manitoba Theatre Centre) · Arcadia, Ivanov, The Real Thing (Theatre Junction) · Tough! (Sage Theatre) · Jack & The Beanstalk (Dandi Productions, Montréal Symphony, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, L'Orchestre symphonique de Québec)
SELECTED FILM & TV CREDITS / Coming to Term - Writer, Direcor, Actor · Legend of Whitey - Actor ·Karrol's Christmas - Actor · Cowtown: Writer, Actor - lead ensemble ; seasons 1, 2 & ongoing (Nur Films) ·Let's Talk English: Actor - lead ensemble (Spotlight Productions) ·