Our Team
Matt Goldberg
is the founder and artistic director of Confabulation. Through Confabulation, he has taught storytelling and coached stories and pitches for students, professionals, artists and amateurs for a range of ages and backgrounds, and for all kinds of purposes. Matt is a Montreal-based comedian, writer, actor and storyteller. He is also a founder member of Uncalled For — an award-winning Canadian sketch and improv comedy troupe, based in Montreal and Toronto. He hosts the Confabulation podcast, and has performed at Fringe Festivals and storytelling shows across Canada, as well as at special events with Centre Phi, CBC Books and Just for Laughs. Matt teaches English literature and storytelling at Vanier College, in Montreal.
Deb Vanslet
is the general manager of Confabulation. She is a Montreal storyteller, writer and media artist. Her independent videos, including Sick World, Weather Permitting, and Rules of the Road, explore storytelling, performance, and dance. For sixteen years Deb produced and hosted Dykes on Mykes, at CKUT 90.3 FM. She also produces and hosts the Confabulation podcast. In 2015, she won the 3Macs Carte Blanche QWF prize for her short story Self-Serve, and Ghost Station was published in the Queer Perspectives edition of The Malahat Review. Deb is a winner of the 2023 QWF Ian Ferrier Spoken Word prize.
Carol-Lynne Michaels
has been the co-producer/artistic director and co-host of Confabulation Victoria with Cassandra since they co-founded the show in 2016. She is a communications and marketing specialist, story and presentation coach, producer of podcasts and events, and community builder. Her training spans theatre performance and production, facilitation, applied communication and photography. Since moving to the island from Vancouver in 2009, she co-founded TEDxVictoria, lived two years 'plastic-free', lived in a passive house, has been a board member of various film, art and media nonprofits, and most recently got a dog and named him Wheels.
Cassandra Togneri
is the co-producer/artistic director and co-host of Confabulation Victoria. She is a communications specialist, a public speaker, story coach and has been working on Confabulation Victoria since 2016. Before that she was working in theatre performance, administration and advocacy in Montreal, where she started working with Matt Goldberg and Confabulation. She has a bachelor of arts in Theatre from York University and a graduate diploma in communications from Concordia University. Most importantly, she is Maeve's mother.
Smriti Bansal
is a Montreal-based content-marketer and story coach who specialises in the art of business storytelling. She's worked with leaders in organisations including Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Braindate by e180, Fringe Festival, Creative Mornings and Grove Atlantic, helping them find their story, deliver memorable presentations, and forge deeper connections with their audiences.
Michele Luchs
is a Montreal-based storyteller and story coach who specialises in storytelling for non-profits and the education milieu. She has shared stories at Confabulation, This Really Happened, Yarn, The Mosquito Slam, Vancouver’s The Flame and Record Club, and is three-time winner of the Vancouver Story Slam. She has helped teachers, professors, scientists, librarians, and other professionals find their story, and use storytelling to better collaborate with others, present to diverse audiences, and develop stronger teams.
