Ella Galt was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia. She earned a B.A. in Theatre Studies at Monash University and since a young age has appeared in numerous plays, short films and musicals. Her credits include performances at The Melbourne Fringe Festival and with Jocular Theatre in Barcelona. She toured Italy with children’s theatre company Pidgeon English, and completed a formation course in Dance at CMD’H in Barcelona. Ella has over 20 years of singing, theatre and improv experience, and creates committed and vibrant theatrical improv. Since joining BIG in 2012 she has trained with some of the most renowned improv teachers and coaches in the world and has studied, performed, taught, and directed in improv festivals around Europe.

John Lane was raised in Birmingham, England, but has spent almost the entirety of his adult life in Barcelona. A natural show-off, John has always enjoyed the attention of an audience. Growing up, that mainly consisted of entertaining his sisters and dipping into the odd school play. His creative endeavours have included stand-up comedy, recording comedy sketches, and writing, producing, directing and appearing in short films and theatrical productions, notably short plays with Jocular Theatre, the English Theatre Group and Microteatro. John discovered the magic of improv with BIG in 2012. Since then, he has enjoyed the space and opportunity offered by improv to develop and hone his acting chops, and to truly embrace the playfulness of life.

Kevin Cahill is a product of the American Midwestern city of Cincinnati, Ohio. He has lived in Barcelona since 2005. Born to parents who met in musical theatre, Kevin has participated in various types of performance since the age of 5. More recently, you may have seen him perform improvisation at BIG student shows, or in Jocular Theatre’s 2017 production of Hand to God. In 2015, he began his improv journey with the BIG Improv School and became hooked by working to stay in the present, the art of listening, and finding and offering support on stage, the foundations of great improvisation. He’s very thankful to his partner, Laura, and their two children for their indulgence of his theatrical pursuits. He’s also extremely happy and grateful to be part of the cast of BIG and finds it awkward to write about himself in the third person.

Kiva Murphy is an Irish/French actress, entrepreneur, and performer with over 20 years of experience on stage and screen. A former clown doctor, she has worked as an improviser, actor, and comedian, founding the award-winning theatre company No Guilty Bones and bringing her unique brand of physical comedy to audiences worldwide.Since 2017, Kiva has been performing and teaching with Barcelona Improv Group (BIG), making improvisation her full-time passion in 2019. In 2020, she and Ella Galt took over BIG, steering it through the pandemic and opening Barcelona’s only English-speaking improv venue. From TV to international festivals, Kiva continues to perform and teach globally, sharing her expertise in improvisation, clowning, and spontaneous storytelling.

Leanne Shellshear was born in Brisbane, Australia and started acting and dancing as soon as she could walk and talk. Her first improv experience was at age six when she attended speech and drama classes in a smelly, often flooded, old house with a delightfully eccentric teacher who frequently cast her as an extravagant tree or a strange swamp creature. Leanne’s love of performing blossomed through competing in eisteddfods, school Theatresports championships and acting in community theatre productions. She has performed with Big Fork Theatre and Impromafia in Brisbane, including at the Brisbane Comedy Festival. Leanne has also trained with the Free Association in London and Barcelona Improv Group. Off the stage, Leanne has a degree in Speech and Language Therapy and works with children with Autism and other disabilities. Her free time is spent nourishing a strong true crime addiction.

Martin Robinson hails from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, USA, and has been within spitting distance of a moose. After departing the cold north, he was introduced to improv in 2005 in Atlanta, Georgia. He continued his journey in San Francisco and Oakland, performing with Shoestring Radio Theatre in 2015 and Lucky Dog Theater in 2016. More recently, he trained with Hangar Manicómico in A Coruña and with the BIG Improv School in Barcelona. Martin is beyond thrilled to be a part of the cast of BIG and to continue seeking the joy in the unexpected and the beauty in the ephemeral.