Iris Rice
Program Assistant
Iris assists all THYT Theatre Programs by helping to establish a safe environment for participants to grow in theatre. Iris works with Program Leaders to teach the fundamentals of theatre creation and design.
Bio
After graduating high school in 2017, Iris began performing with Edmonton’s Rapid Fire Theatre, and Red
Deer’s Improv Jelly. During this time they improvised in various long and short-form improv comedy formats.
Working with Improv Jelly provided Iris with opportunities to perform for community/corporate events, including a fundraiser for Bull Skit Comedy, which led to Iris joining the company in 2019. Iris continues to work with Bull Skit, most recently performing in The Gays of Our Lives, The Key of I: An
Improvised Musical, and Maestro. Some of their past work with Bull Skit includes performing in their Late Night shows and their genre-based formats, drawing inspiration from biopics about country music artists to medical dramas.
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Their scripted acting experience includes Every Christmas Story Ever Told (Central Alberta Theatre-2018),
Ferdinand in The Tempest, and Banquo in Macbeth for the Bard on Bower (Prime Stock-2019), and as a touring actor with the anti-tobacco production Butt Ugly (2016).
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In 2018, Iris worked abroad in upstate New York as the drama lead for Camp Echo Lake, providing campers ages 7-16 with a summer curriculum on acting and making motivated choices. The six weeks spent with this group allowed them to see growth and outcomes happening in real-time.
Iris began working at Red Deer Childcare in 2021, in their before/after school program at Joseph Welsh.
Here they were able to gain a better insight into what students need from their electives/communities outside of school.
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During their youth, Iris participated in Theatre Alberta’s Artstrek, a theatre intensive for high school-aged
students. Learning from working production staff and performers was instrumental to Iris’ development. Helping foster spaces where kids can learn more about their interests and themselves is a way for them to give back for the opportunities they were given.
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Outside of performing, they fill their time with collaging, hobby computer building, and making Eurodance mixes. Some of their favourite movies include Picnic at Hanging Rock and The Invitation.