Kevin Gillese (born 24 December 1980) is a Canadian actor, writer and improvisor from Edmonton, Alberta. He started as a performer with the improv company Rapid Fire Theatre and also works regularly with the Atomic Improv and performs annually at the Die-Nasty Soap-A-Thon. He was the Associate Artistic Director of Rapid Fire Theatre from 2005-2007, then Artistic Director until December 2009. In January 2010, Gillese began his term as Artistic Director of Dad's Garage Theatre Company in Atlanta, Georgia.Gillese left college to take up improv. In 2004 Gillese was nominated for an AMPIA award for best director for his first film Turnbuckle. He performed a spoken-word show "Wisdom Teeth" directed by Chris Craddock at the Edmonton International Fringe Festival in 2009 and hosted a cabaret night at the fringe with Amy Shostak.Gillese has toured across Canada and internationally with the show Hip Hop 101, as well as with his improv show: Scratch, which played twice weekly in Edmonton when not touring. He appeared with Arlen Konopaki in Scratch at the New Zealand International Comedy Festival in 2008, and they toured Europe for six weeks at the end of 2009. In 2010 they wrote "Fairy Tales Scratched", a modern surreal take on fairy tales.He has a cousin named Amy Badun and is also related to actress Meeshelle Neal. He has 6 brothers, 1 sister, and 1 sister in law.
If you aren't making bold moves with your comedy, then you aren't really succeeding. And I guess I was really succeeding because my sets were bombing regularly.
2
When I'm performing, I often have the party guy vibe, the kind of guy who says he's drunk even when he's not drunk. As artistic director, my true self is far less out of control. I'm really ambitious but I try to be sensitive, to balance my alpha male go-get-the-goals personality and to make sure that no matter what's going on, everybody's happy.
3
I'd always assumed bigger, nicer cities had bigger and better companies than Rapid Fire. It turns out that this safe little incubator nestled in this brilliant arts and theatre community is actually a breeding ground for success. We're forced to find ways to entertain ourselves; we can't just walk down to the beach.
Actor
Title
Year
Status
Character
Hart of America
2016
TV Short
The Pharmacist
2010
Manny
Sterile Atomic Fly
2008
Short
Stevsie / Ophelia
Santa's Slay
2005
Disgruntled Youth
The Greatest Love Story Ever Told
2005
Turnbuckle
2003
Dougie Phatz
Spider-Man: Attack of the Octopus
2002
Video short
Thief #1
Writer
Title
Year
Status
Character
Hart of America
2016
TV Short co-writer / writer
Dog Watch
2007
Short
Turnbuckle
2003
story and screenplay
Purple Gas
2003
story
Spider-Man: Attack of the Octopus
2002
Video short story
Director
Title
Year
Status
Character
Dog Watch
2007
Short
Turnbuckle
2003
Producer
Title
Year
Status
Character
Hart of America
2016
TV Short executive producer
Turnbuckle
2003
associate producer
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
Serial Scoop Now
2016
TV Series
Himself - Guest
A Total Write-Off!
2007
TV Series
Himself - Mime / Dancer
Known for movies
Hart of America (2016) as Actor
Turnbuckle (2003) as Dougie Phatz
Dog Watch (2007) as Writer
Spider-Man: Attack of the Octopus (2002) as Thief #1
$250,000
