Faculty

Michael has taught improv to everyone from Kindergarteners to college students. He currently teaches middle school in District 81 and leads drama camps in the summer. He grew up in Spokane and loves being an active member of its thriving arts community.

Dahveed is a professional actor and director with over 16 years of experience in the arts (stage, film, and music). He is an alumnus of Eastern Washington University’s Theatre Arts Program, who has held leadership positions with the Spokane Theatre Arts Council, West Valley High School, Spokane Falls Community College and the Company Ballet School. He was born at Sacred Heart Hospital in Spokane, Washington, and has remained there with a dedicated focus on fostering a community of professional work through experimentation, exploration, and thoughtfulness. His passion can be seen in many avenues as he is always searching for ways to transform himself through art, while he remains a lover of all things theatre to the core. Dahveed has been twice nominated as an Irene Ryan Semi-Finalist (2014-15) and was awarded the Certificate of Merit for Direction (2016) and a Certificate of Merit for Music Composition and Arrangement (2019) by the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Arts Festival. He has also been nominated for the Leadership Award with Spokane Arts as the Co-Founder of Spokane Playwrights Laboratory. He recently won Outstanding Dramatic Lead Performance and Outstanding Ensemble with Stage Left Theater's production of Pass Over at the Kaleidoscope 2023 Festival and is on the path to the American Association of Community Theatre's National Competition for Pass Over in June.

A Spokane native, Clarissa brings the passion and enthusiasm she’s had for improv comedy and The Blue Door specifically to teach 101 classes and teen workshops, and hosting events such as birthday parties. She likes books and horror movies, kickboxing, plants, and her cats.

A Pacific Northwest local, Annica took her first improv class in early 2015 and was improvising with the Blue Door troupe by May of that year. She's a Player, Art Curator, and Instructor (Improv 101 & Punning Classes) at the Blue Door. She is the founder and host of The Punderground (Spokane's pre-eminent punning competition) and holds two world punning titles. When she's not teaching, she can be found blacksmithing, dancing, reading, writing, and watching her unicycle gather dust.

Michael is a traveling musical comedian and improv teacher who began improvising with Blue Door Theater in 2010. He recently released a comedy special and has performed in Europe, Canada and throughout the US. When he's not on stage he enjoys playing, traveling and trying new restaurants.

Having begun learning and performing improv in 1987 at Gonzaga University, Lawra is one of the original members of the Blue Door Theatre and served as the Artistic Director for several years. Lawra has a BA in Philosophy and Music from Gonzaga and a Masters in Counseling and Education from Whitworth. When she is not driving her two teenage children here or there or dreaming up how to build a retreat center faster, she works privately as an alternative counselor/coach using the modalities of tarot cards and guided meditation. She has incorporated improvisation into all areas of her life and believes that imagination is the key to understand yourself. She teaches improv at women’s workshops with her friend and mentor Jobeth Eckerman and has taught and performed improv for more years than she can remember. Lawra will be co-teaching the Improv for Self-Care class. She has also not grown up yet at 53 and believes that she doesn’t have to.

Dave Honeycutt is an experienced youth improv coach and performer. With over a decade of coaching experience, they have helped many young performers develop their skills and confidence on stage. Dave has performed with a number of notable improv groups including the Blue Door Theater and MG Teams. Their passion for improv and dedication to their students have made them a valued member of the improvisational community.

A Spokane native and lover of improv theatre, Alex has been performing and teaching improv for over a decade with the BlueDoor Theatre in Spokane and is currently their technical director. For the last 5 years, he’s coached Mt Spokane High School’s improv team, The Broadway Dropouts. And on occasion (when he’s not doing improv) he can be found crying to One Piece and taking naps.

Brigid is an artist and educator. Born and raised in Spokane, she received her BA in Theatre Arts from Gonzaga University, where she first performed short-form improv with GUTS. She spent 8 years working in Montessori Early Childhood Education, receiving her AMI certification in 2017, and is now a primary caregiver and freelance artist. In 2019, she joined the Blue Door Theatre as a player and expanded her role to include Improv classes and workshops for teens in 2022. She loves combining her joy for theatre arts with her joy for learning through play.

Tay is an Ohio native who relocated to Washington in 2014. She started performing improv in Seattle in 2017. After moving to Spokane, she became a BDT player in 2019. She currently co-teaches the Teen Workshops and will be teaching the Improv for Self-Care class (TBD). A research scientist by day, she also enjoys being active and gaming (of all kinds) in her free time. Tay likes teaching improv because it infuses creativity and mindfulness into everyday life.

Mary is a native Washingtonian who began her improv training in Spokane with Cream of Wit in 1997 and is a founding member of the Blue Door Theatre. She teaches at Whitworth University, Gonzaga’s School of Law, and Gonzaga’s School of Leadership Studies. She leads alifeYOUnited, a nonprofit dedicated to suicide prevention education, and is passionate about mental health (and Shakespeare, and travel, and all things England, and curry, and her dog Crumpet). She loves helping improv students get out of their own way - especially in school workshops and self-care classes.

Heather is a local poet and business owner, teaches Improv and Poetry at the Blue Door Theater, and workshops at Spokane Public Schools. She is fascinated by the safe spaces both improv and poetry can create and loves the way both art forms speak to one another. She will never stop believing that everyone has a poet and improv artist living inside of them, waiting to speak! Her own poetry can be found in the i-70 Review, and Gagibi journal. When she is not working, writing, or spending time with her husband and three daughters, you can find her jogging (slowly) on trails around Spokane with her Labrador Retriever. Yes, she means to go that slowly.

Originally from West Virginia, Mike moved to Spokane in 2012, beginning his improv journey with a 101 class at Blue Door in 2016. He's currently an Assistant Artistic Director, a Player and an Instructor whose hobbies include reading, birding, memorizing pi, and making this bio as concise as possible. Mike strongly believes that improv is for everyone, but specifically you.