Thursday, April 17 - At the Fracas! Tent in McCarthy Quad MRS Degree (USC - Los Angeles, CA) - 6:00-6:40pm Foosh (UCSD - San Diego, CA) - 6:40-7:20pm Knights of Comedy (Chapman University - Irvine, CA) - 7:40-8:20pm The 8th Floor Improv (Ohio State - Columbus, OH) - 8:20-9:00pm Improvability (UCSB - Santa Barbara, CA) - 9:20-10:00pm Occam's Razor (University of Chicago - Chicago, IL) - 10:00-10:40pm Open Improv Jam! - 11pm-midnight
Friday, April 18 - At the Ground Zero Performance Cafe Vertigo-go (Swarthmore College - Swarthmore, PA) - 6:00-6:40pm Comedy Corner (University of Arizona - Tucson, AZ) - 6:40-7:20pm Smile and Nod (Cal Poly SLO - San Luis Obispo, CA) - 7:40-8:20pm jericho! (UC Berkeley - Berkeley, CA) - 8:20-9:00pm The Noise Next Door (University of Kent - London, U.K.) - 9:20-10:00pm Commedus Interruptus (USC - Los Angeles, CA) - 10:00-10:40pm Open Improv Jam! - 11pm-midnight
Saturday, April 19 - At the Ground Zero Performance Cafe Vidushak (USC - Los Angeles, CA) - 6:00-6:40pm Barren Mind (ASU - Tempe, AZ) - 6:40-7:20pm Buttprov (UCSC - Santa Cruz, CA) - 7:40-8:20pm The Charles Darwin Experience (University of Arizona - Tucson, AZ) - 8:20-9:00pm Birdstrike Theatre (UC Davis - Davis, CA) - 9:20-10:00pm Second Nature (USC - Los Angeles, CA) - 10:00-10:40pm Open Improv Jam! - 11pm-midnight
With: Tim Bagley (The Groundlings, Monk, Walk Hard), Brian Huskey (Free Radio, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Superbad), Nicole Randall Johnson (MADtv, Andy Barker P.I., The 40-Year-Old Virgin), Jerry Minor (Carpoolers, SNL, Mr. Show), Kaitlin Olson (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Riches). Todd Stashwick (The Riches, Burn Manhattan).
With: Chad Carter (Creature Comforts, Human Giant) of the UCB's MySpace Show, Ed Helms (The Daily Show, The Office), and Seth Morris (Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Marijuanalogues) of Seth and Ed's Puppet Talk Show.
University of Southern California - Los Angeles, CA
MRS Degree Improv, USC's only all-female improv troupe, has been bringing laughter and joy to all who will listen since 2005. a member org of USC's Women's Student Assembly, the lovely ladies of MRS are paving the way for women in comedy one tasteful dick joke at a time.
performing 6pm-6:40pm Thursday, April 17th at the Fracas! Tent in McCarthy Quad
Founded in 2002, FOOSH strives to bring hilarity and shenanigans to UCSD's notoriously studious campus. FOOSH is best known for its fast and free short-form play, which it likes to present in awesome new formats, like the Survivor Style Showdown.
performing 6:40-7:20pm Thursday, April 17th at the Fracas! Tent in McCarthy Quad
We are the Knights of Comedy. We are a student run and created Improv Group from Orange County California. We have been performing at Chapman University twice a month for the past 4 years. We have rehearsals 3 times a week working on enhancing our skills as improvisors. Each week has a specific theme that we focus on with new exercises and games. We have recently been given the chance to perform up in LA at a few local venues and even at some local theaters in Orange County. We perform both short and long form style improv along with wit and guessing games. We try to bring an intelligent style of humor to the stage so the audience will walk away feeling that they learned something that night. We perform for the sheer joy of entertaining an audience and ourselves with improv. It helps not only with our performing skills but communications skills as well (Example: quick thinking). Why do improv? It is just plain old fun with good friends, good jokes, and a good time.
performing 7:40-8:20pm Thursday, April 17th at the Fracas! Tent in McCarthy Quad
8th Floor Improv is in its 5th year of activity. The group started as a short form group and has since expanded to long form. One of the most active groups at OSU, the 8th floor has performed for a wide range of audiences from students on campus to professionals at corporate events. 8th Floor is home to 11 performers/students, and its alumni range from Chicago to New York performing comedy.
performing 8:20-9:00pm Thursday, April 17th at the Fracas! Tent in McCarthy Quad
Improvability has been performing every Friday since its inception 4 years ago. While utilizing mostly short-form games, each night's performance ends with quasi-long-form. The troupe hopes to expand its long-form as well as continue filming sketch comedy while performing around UCSB's campus for various events and functions. Each year ends with Improvability's 24-hour Improvathon, which (as you probably guessed) involves 24 hours of non-stop improvisation. Other troupes are invited to join us for this comedic marathon, so if interested, seek one of us out.
performing 9:20-10:00pm Thursday, April 17th at the Fracas! Tent in McCarthy Quad
Occam's Razor is an independent improv comedy troupe founded in 1999 by two University of Chicago undergraduate students. We're named after and inspired by a principle of 14th century English mathematician Sir William Occam. Paraphrased: "Among multiple explanations for the same phenomena, the simplest is the best." In other words, "keep it simple, fresh, and funny." During the school year, we perform shows at the University of Chicago outside of the University's theater institutions. We are currently expanding our horizons with experimental games, but have also put on shows including long-form, the Harold, improvised musicals, stand-up comedy, dance routines, and sketch.
performing 10:00-10:40pm Thursday, April 17th at the Fracas! Tent in McCarthy Quad
Vertigo-go is an improv force from Swarthmore college in Swarthmore (Borough of) PA. The troupe is many suns and has whoa. Often journalists misconstrue the nature of noble gases, suspended underneath the gigantic molten pit fall of joy that VGG gave into the (CANT READ). Fun can exist. VGG was raised by wolves. We are 52'2" from end to end, like long walks, pina coladas, and getting caught in the rain.
performing 6pm-6:40pm Friday, April 18th at the Ground Zero Performance Cafe
Comedy Corner is the nation's longest running sketch and improv comedy troupe and has been performing in the U of A's student union cellar since 1979 Fridays at noon. They perform original written material every week and do short form improvisation.
performing 6:40-7:20pm Friday, April 18th at the Ground Zero Performance Cafe
Smile and Nod has been to the first three Fracas! We perform short and long form improv, and perform two shows every saturday during the school year. This year we are celebrating 10 years!
performing 7:40-8:20pm Friday, April 18th at the Ground Zero Performance Cafe
jericho! Improv is a long form improv, sketch comedy, and guerrilla theater group from UC Berkeley. Since its conception in the long summer of 2005, jericho! has become responsible for everything good and holy in the world, jericho! regularly performs on the UC Berkeley campus and around the San Fransisco Bay Area.
performing 8:20-9:00pm Friday, April 18th at the Ground Zero Performance Cafe
With their perfect blend of ludicrous characters, barbed one liners, epic stories and musical extravagance this team of five slightly posh English blokes will have you in stitches with their fresh brand of off the cuff humour. Pioneering experimental improv in the U.K for 3 three years ‘The Noise Next Door’ are “destined for big, big, things.” Monkey Business Comedy Club – London.
performing 9:20-10:00pm Friday, April 18th at the Ground Zero Performance Cafe
University of Southern California - Los Angeles, CA
Started in 2006, Vidushak (court jester in Hindi) is USC's first and only Indian improv troupe. Being who they are, they bring their unique flavor (and accents) to the classical improv games, so don't be surprised if they burst out into a bollywood song-and-dance routine or heated altercations in Hindi during the show!
Check them out to see how spicy this masala can get.
Koi Shaq?
http://uscvidushak.blogspot.com
performing 6pm-6:40pm Saturday, April 19th at the Ground Zero Performance Cafe
Barren Mind Improv was created at ASU over 20 years ago and has visited dozens of improv festivals across the nation since. BMI is excited to make their second appearance here at Fracas! and looks forward to seeing some great comedy.
performing 6:40-7:20pm Saturday, April 19th at the Ground Zero Performance Cafe
Humor Force V and Someone Always Dies are two of UC Santa Cruz's most prominent improv teams. They are excited to perform their sows in a barn theatre for the campus community and are excited to be joining forces for Fracas! V
performing 7:40-8:20pm Saturday, April 19th at the Ground Zero Performance Cafe
CDE is the University of Arizona's first and only all improv comedy troupe. Every Tuesday night faithful audiences come to witness an hour of free, mind-bending, laugh-inducing, life-changing, improv comedy based entirely on audience suggestions.
performing 8:20-9:00pm Saturday, April 19th at the Ground Zero Performance Cafe
Birdstrike Theatre is a sketch and long form improv troupe that reigns from UC Davis. Their style is of ruthless social satire with a side of silliness, pointing out the absurdity of the 'real'. They put on a bi-weekly improv showcase in addition to three major revues a year. This is their second Fracas!, and they are stoked to be here!
performing 9:20-10:00pm Saturday, April 19th at the Ground Zero Performance Cafe
University of Southern California - Los Angeles, CA
Second Nature has been around USC for almost six years. Eight members strong, the troupe is committed to constantly challenging themselves to reach new levels of improv zen. Their goals are to perform as a team, to play at the top of their intelligence, and to have fun with each other and their audience. During the school year, Second Nature performs weekly at USC’s Ground Zero Performance Cafe. In addition to their regular shows, the troupe performs special format shows “The Facebook Show” and this year performed several Armandos, with guest monologists including Kate Flannery (The Office), Tom Lennon (Reno 911!), Will Sasso (MADtv), and Lauren Weedman (The Daily Show). Later this summer, Second Nature is performing for three nights at the San Francisco Improv Festival - where they will be the only college troupe in attendance.
Second Nature is passionate about improv comedy. Though young, the troupe has performed throughout Los Angeles and the United States including at ImprovOlympic, The West Side Eclectic, The Dirty South Improv Festival, and at several Universities. Their location in Los Angeles, along with their reputation for being a driven, talented young troupe, has enabled Second Nature to work directly with some of the top improvisers in the country including professionals from The Upright Citizen’s Brigade, The Groundlings, ImprovOlympic, MadTV, and members of the legendary improv troupes The Swarm, and The Reckoning.
Second Nature is a little troupe with big ideas. Fracas! is one idea of ours that has taken off. But we’ve got plenty more. Check us out at 2nimprov.com or by e-mail at improv@usc.edu
performing 10:00-10:40pm Saturday, April 19th at the Ground Zero Performance Cafe
The Improv Jam is a chance for everyone at Fracas! to play together. Anyone from any troupe can perform - brave audience members to! The jam will consist of 3-4 sessions, each with approximately 10 people. The Improv Jam will be hosted by Second Nature.
Heather Anne Campbell began improvising at Improv Olympic, in Chicago, at the age of 15. A student of Del Close, she completed her work in the Windy City as the youngest member of Close's final production, Spoo, which toured to the Austin Comedy Festival. A four-year member of Northwestern University's The Mee-Ow Show, she was hired by Boom Chicago in Amsterdam and spent three years abroad until moving to Los Angeles in 2005. Soon after, Heather was selected for The Groundlings Sunday Company, while simultaneously performing at UCB (Last Day of School), IOWest (The Armando), and Ultimate Improv.
Heather has appeared as a guest performer on MADtv, in ImprovEverywhere's "Food Court Musical", and with Tim Meadows in Heather, Miles, and Tim.
Currently, she performs at IOWest and UCB, in The Armando, Roberto Alomar, Last Day of School, and Heather and Miles. Additionally, she is the Senior Editor at Play Magazine and Geek Monthly, where she flaunts her knowledge of video games, anime, and tech gadgetry.
scheduled to appear in the Women in Improv panel, Friday April 18th from 11am-12pm at the Ground Zero Performance Cafe
Stephanie Courtney is a popular member of The Groundlings Main Company, and is also a regular improviser in “The Crazy Uncle Joe Show,” a weekly, long-form improv show at The Groundlings.
She plays a recurring role in “Mad Men,” the acclaimed AMC series written by “Sopranos” writer-producer, Matt Weiner.
She can be seen in the features “The Brothers Solomon,” with Kristen Wiig, Will Arnett and Will Forte, and The Farrelly Brothers’ “The Heartbreak Kid,” opposite Ben Stiller.
Other credits include: Christopher Guest’s “For Your Consideration”; and “Blades of Glory,” with Will Ferrell. She appeared in the recurring role of Carolina the PR guru on HBO's "The Comeback," opposite Lisa Kudrow. She the all-improvised series on MTV, “Faking The Video.” And she voices several characters on "Tom Goes To The Mayor," on the Cartoon Network's Adult Swim programming block.
She is a lead in the indie film "Melvin Goes To Dinner" (directed by Bob Odenkirk, released by Sundance on DVD.)
Stephanie originally hails from New York. After graduating from the Neighborhood Playhouse, she set out to conquer New York Theatre! But when New York Theatre turned out to be wearing an elephant costume in "Babar's Birthday," Steph turned to stand up comedy to work out her feelings. Six months later, she moved to LA with Naomi Odenkirk as her manager. Since then Stephanie's performed at Just For Laughs -- the Montreal Comedy Festival, and has been invited to the Aspen Comedy Festival twice. (The first time performing in the show she wrote with her sister Jennifer, "Those Courtney Girls," the second time performing in "Mr. Show: Hooray For America" which she also toured with nationally. Both times performing stand up as well.)
scheduled to appear in the Women in Improv panel, Friday April 18th from 11am-12pm at the Ground Zero Performance Cafe
Natasha Leggero is originally from Rockford, IL, but has traveled the world enough to mask this unfortunate fact. After graduating from Hunter College in New York City and studying at the Stella Adler Conservatory, she moved to Los Angeles and started doing stand-up comedy. For the past three years, Natasha has performed stand-up all over Los Angeles and New York. Her performances include appearances on "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson," Comedy Central's "Premium Blend," and "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno."
Natasha has starred in pilots for NBC 2007's "Comedy Colosseum," Comedy Central's 2006's "Gay Robot," and Oxygen's 2005's "Nothing Up Our Skirts" and was the star of MTV's hit new series "The 70's House." She was also seen playing "Rita the Drunk" in "Joe Schmo 2" and various deviants in her three-year recurring stint on Comedy Central's "Reno 911."
scheduled to appear in the Women in Improv panel, Friday April 18th from 11am-12pm at the Ground Zero Performance Cafe
Jessica was born in Tempe, Arizona. She was an only child who loved waterskiing and pretending. She graduated from Arizona State University with a B.A. in theatre. Although studying sounded fantastic, A.S.U. is where she began doing sketch and improv. Soon after graduating, Jessica moved to Los Angeles where she studied at Improv Olympic, going on to become a stand-out performer in groups like Brand X, King Ten, and Squadron.
A go-to girl for Comedy Central star producer/showrunners, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, Jessica guest starred on their political sitcom send-up "That's My Bush" and has contributed voices to their infamous animation "South Park." She has also contributed sketches and characters to ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live," CBS' "Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" and Showtime's "The Underground."
In 2003, she starred in a season of Comedy Central's improv/hidden camera series "Trigger Happy TV," before landing the role of Eleanor (the weeper) on Spike TV's 2004 reality parody "Joe Schmo 2." The following year, she starred in two pilots "The Hollywood Show" for Comedy Central (playing a mock reporter) and "The Sportsmen's News" for the Outdoor Channel (playing a mock news co-anchor). Jessica was one of the stars of the Comedy Central series "Halfway Home" in the role of Carly Barzak. She was proud to be playing the first female comedy drug mule on television.
scheduled to appear in the Women in Improv panel, Friday April 18th from 11am-12pm at the Ground Zero Performance Cafe
Danielle Schneider, an actor and comedienne, is a graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. With her writing partner Dannah Feinglass she wrote and starred in the show Eye Candy (Dir. Amy Poehler) which was selected for the HBO/Aspen Comedy Festival. Together they also created the show Dead Heiresses which was developed as a pilot for Comedy Central.
As an actress Danielle’s many credits include NBC’s Happy Family, FOX’s My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss, Comedy Central’s Crossballs and Contest Searchlight as well as many other shows on MTV, VH1, UPN and more. Danielle was also a long time panelist on VH1's critically praised and highly rated Best Week Ever.
Danielle can be seen in the upcoming movies Spring Breakdown with Amy Poehler as well as Step Brothers with Will Ferrell.
Danielle performs regularly at UCB in shows such as The Improvisers of Comedy, Asssscat and many others.
scheduled to appear in the Women in Improv panel, Friday April 18th from 11am-12pm at the Ground Zero Performance Cafe
Stephnie Weir was raised in Texas and attended Odessa Junior College studying theater and broadcasting. Following that she went on to attend Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, were she studied anthropology and women’s studies.
As she expanded on her creative talents in Chicago, Ms. Weir performed at the Second City’s Main Stage, the Goodman Theater, and at the ImprovOlympic. She and her husband, Robert Dassie, created a two-person show entitled “WeirDass” that they have performed in New York, Chicago and Edinburgh. Ms. Weir recently performed her one-person show entitled “Slowdeatha, TX” at the Comedy Central Stage.
In Los Angeles, Ms. Weir spent five seasons as a writer/performer on MADTV (her final episodes aired last season). She was recently seen on the ABC comedy, BIG DAY (she portrayed the wedding planner, “Lorna”). In film, Ms. Weir appeared recently in FUN WITH DICK AND JANE and stars in several upcoming independent features, MOONPIE, EDEN COURT, THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TRACKS as well as PING PONG PLAYA.
Ms. Weir lives in the Los Angeles area.
scheduled to appear in the Women in Improv panel, Friday April 18th from 11am-12pm at the Ground Zero Performance Cafe
Convoy is Alex Fernie, Alex Berg and Todd Fasen. Having performed together since attending Vassar College, Convoy came together in it's current, three-person form in 2005. The members of Convoy have studied improv at IO West and the Upright Citizens Brigade theater, where they now perform. The three can currently be seen as Convoy (which holds the record for most Improv Cagematch wins at UCB) as well as members of the house harold team Sentimental Lady and the sketch group Thirty:30. Members of Convoy have appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live and in the upcoming Eddie Murphy movie where Eddie Murphy plays a spaceship. They are currently working on an improvised pilot for television.
scheduled to appear in the Forming and Sustaining a Cohesive Group panel, Friday April 18th from 12:30pm - 1:30pm at the Ground Zero Performance Cafe
Sean Conroy has studied improvisation with every member of the Upright Citizens Brigade as well as Armando Diaz and Kevin Mullaney. He has performed stand-up comedy on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central's Premium Blend and Late Friday on NBC. His one-man show, Taught, was selected for the 2001 HBO U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Colorado. He has written for the Comedy Central show Shorties Watching Shorties as well as Comedy Central's Crossballs. He has appeared in the feature films Happy Hour, Martin and Orloff, The Untitled Onion Sketch Movie and Blackballed: The Bobby Dukes Story. He improvised with Chicago City Limits in national tours and as a mainstage player in their Off-Broadway show. Sean is also a founding member of the longform improv group, The Swarm. Learn more about him at his very occasionally updated website, WWW.SEANCONROY.COM.
scheduled to appear in the Forming and Sustaining a Cohesive Group panel, Friday April 18th from 12:30pm - 1:30pm at the Ground Zero Performance Cafe
Billy Merritt has been with the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater since it's inception, teaching, directing, and performing. He has performed in over 50 different shows at the theater including Assscat, Kilgore, Harold night, The Real Real World, Immortal Kombat, Robot TV, the Third Degree and Gigantic Man. He has developed such shows as Piledriver, The Sunshine Gang, Brain Town, Rat Radio and My Dinner With Billy. Billy was one of the founding members of the legendary house team The SWARM, and played to sold out shows with The Stepfathers Friday nights at the New York UCBT.
Billy's television credits include MTV's Boiling Points, VH1's Best Week Ever, VH1's Sledgehammer, Late Night w/Conan O'Brien, Law and Order:Criminal Intent, Comedy Centrals Straight Plan for the Gay Man, Bravo's Great Things About..., and most importantly, The Upright Citizens Brigade TV show. Billy can currently be seen on TV on the MOJO channel in "Uncorked with Billy Merritt",as well as CMT's Prankville.
scheduled to appear in the Forming and Sustaining a Cohesive Group panel, Friday April 18th from 12:30pm - 1:30pm at the Ground Zero Performance Cafe
Brian Huskey is a long time performer and teacher at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater who has performed on VH1's Best Week Ever, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, the Upright Citizens Brigade television show and the improvised comedy FREE RADIO on VH1. He has appeared in such films as Superbad, Semi-Pro, Meet Dave, and Patriotville and has written for Comedy Central's Crossballs, PRI's Fair Game, as well as being a commentator, and has penned two films for Paramount Pictures. And yes, he is the" Sonic Guy", the one who sits in the car with his TV wife and seems to only eat Sonic Drive In food.
scheduled to appear in the Improv in the Entertainment Industry panel, Saturday April 19th from 1pm - 2pm at the Ground Zero Performance Cafe
Tim Bagley comes from good mid western stock. He was raised in Minneapolis Minnesota, Madison, and Trempealeau, Wisconsin, and Niles, Michigan. He majored in Art, with a minor in Psychology at California State University Fullerton.
After college came a string of odd jobs; A butler at the Playboy Mansion, a page at Paramount Studios, a Mitzi Gaynor dancer, and a phone service operator for two pimps named T-money and Blueberry Muffin.
Somewhere in there he began taking acting classes with Nina Foch, Howard Fine, and The Groundlings. He spent 1990 - 1995 writing and performing with the prestigious Groundlings main company. He won two LA Weekly awards for best solo comedy performance in “Groundlings, Pretty Groundlings,” and best ensemble for “Groundlings, Good and Twenty.” Film highlights include “Knocked Up,” “Employee of the Month,” “Accepted,” “The Day After Tomorrow,” “Happy Texas,” “Austin Powers 2/ Spy Who Shagged Me,” and “The Mask.” TV highlights include “Monk,” “Will and Grace,” “According To Jim,” “King of Queens.” “7th Heaven,” “Wanda Does It,” “Situation Comedy” “The Court,” “ER,” “Dharma & Greg,” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”
Tim’s play, “Happy Hour,” won the 1999 Jury Award for Best One Person Show at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen. Tim resides in Los Angeles, but still enjoys a good Wisconsin cheese ball.
scheduled to appear in the Improv in the Entertainment Industry panel, Saturday April 19th from 1pm - 2pm at the Ground Zero Performance Cafe
NICOLE RANDALL JOHNSON recently completed two seasons as a SERIES REGULAR on FOX's late-night sketch show, "MADtv". Prior, Nicole was a SERIES REGULAR for two seasons on the highly acclaimed NBC/Bravo comedy "Significant Others." She has RECURRED on Comedy Central’s "Reno 911!" and the NBC series "Andy Barker, P.I.," produced by Conan O’Brien, starring Andy Richter. Nicole has GUEST-STARRED on "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "The Shield," "C.S.I" and "Monk," among others. Nicole's feature credits include, "The 40-Year Old Virgin," "In Her Shoes," "School for Scoundrels," "Transformers," "License
to Wed" and "The Brothers Solomon." Nicole will be seen in the summer of '08 in the Universal/New Regency feature, "Little Big Men" starring Paul Rudd and Seann William Scott. Ms. Johnson studied at the renowned Groundlings School and Theatre in Los Angeles where she completed all levels of sketch & improvisation training, moving on to perform every week as a member of the theater's SUNDAY COMPANY. Nicole attended University of Arizona where she trained in the BFA program for Acting/Directing while being a writer/performer in her school's sketch & improvisation group, COMEDY CORNER.
scheduled to appear in the Improv in the Entertainment Industry panel, Saturday April 19th from 1pm - 2pm at the Ground Zero Performance Cafe
Jerry Minor is a lead in the ABC’s series, “Carpoolers,” about a motley crew of neighborhood guys in a regular carpool.
Minor, born in Memphis, TN, and raised in Flint, MI, comes from the famed Second City stage where he was the first performer ever to have appeared with every Second City stage, performing with the companies in Detroit, Chicago and Toronto, for a total of 10 stage reviews.
A former cast member of “Saturday Night Live,” and HBO’s “Mr. Show with Bob and David,” Minor was in also in the cast of the groundbreaking but short-lived 4-camera sitcom for HBO, “Lucky Louie,” as Louis CK’s African-American neighbor who suffered Louie's clumsy attempts at friendship.
Minor has also appeared on such television shows as "Arrested Development," “The Awful Truth with Michael Moore,” and at Comedy Central on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” “Trigger Happy TV,” and “Crank Yankers.” He makes regular guest appearances on “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”
His feature credits include "Semi Pro," with Will Ferrell; “Beer League” (with Artie Lange) and appearances in “Anchorman,” “Let's Go to Prison” (directed by Bob Odenkirk), and “Junebug.”
Minor lives in L.A. and is a popular performer at the very hip Largo, M-Bar, UCB Theater, and other alternative comedy venues, where he showcases his many inspired characters.
scheduled to appear in the Improv in the Entertainment Industry panel, Saturday April 19th from 1pm - 2pm at the Ground Zero Performance Cafe
Born in a small town outside of Portland, Oregon, Kaitlin cultivated her passion for acting at the University of Oregon, where she got her Bachelor's degree in Theatre Arts. After her stint on stage, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting professionally. She began at The Groundlings Theatre in Hollywood, training ground to comic greats such as Will Ferrell and Phil Hartman. Kaitlin secured a coveted spot in The Groundlings Sunday Company, which proved to be an amazing showcase, leading to recurring roles on both Curb Your Enthusiasm, where Kaitlin plays "Becky," Larry's sister in law, and The Drew Carey Show, where she played "Traylor," Mimi's nemesis, for two seasons.
Olson also had the honor of joining Drew Carey and several cast members of Who's Line is it Anyway on a USO tour, performing improv shows for US troops in Bosnia, Kosovo and Norway.
Soon after The Drew Carey Show ended, Olson was cast as a series regular on the Fox series Kelsey Grammer Presents: The Sketch Show.
Previously, Olson has been a series regular on the Fox improv/hidden camera series Meet the Marks and recurred on Punk'd and The Jamie Kennedy Experiment. She has also had notable guest starring roles on Out of Practice and Miss Match, opposite Alicia Silverstone.
Olson currently stars as "Sweet Dee" on the FX breakout sitcom, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. She can also be seen recurring on the new FX hit series The Riches, playing the one armed Southern spitfire “Hartley” opposite Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver.
scheduled to appear in the Improv in the Entertainment Industry panel, Saturday April 19th from 1pm - 2pm at the Ground Zero Performance Cafe
Todd Stashwick was born in Chicago and raised in the suburbs right outside of the city. As a child he always had one eye on trying to work in Chicago at The Second City. Soon after graduating from Illinois State University, he began performing at several local improvisational theatres and was quickly hired to tour with The Second City all over the country.
Following productions at The Second City Detroit and The Second City Northwest, he moved to New York. In New York he formed a company of improvisers and began staging the underground critically acclaimed BURN MANHATTAN all over the city. (Other performers often included Kate Walsh, Jeremy Piven and Spencer Kayden.)
Quickly, work in television and film drew him to Los Angeles where he shot several pilots and series including recurring work on the series M.D.’s, AMERICAN DREAMS, RODNEY and STILL STANDING. Recently work includes roles in the features YOU, ME AND DUPREE and the upcoming films THE AIR I BREATHE and LIVE!
He can currently be seen on the FX series THE RICHES opposite Minnie Driver and Eddie Izzard. He has not abandoned his love for improvising and performing, though, and owns, operates, performs and teaches at his own improvisational theatre in North Hollywood called THE HOTHOUSE (www.hothouseimprov.net.) He has also taught and performed his style of improvisation internationally.
scheduled to appear in the Improv in the Entertainment Industry panel, Saturday April 19th from 1pm - 2pm at the Ground Zero Performance Cafe
Chad Carter is a writer and improvisor based in LA. He has been performing at the UCBT since there was a UCBT. He has also performed at the Chicago Improv Festival, the Toyota Comedy Festival, the San Francisco Sketch Festival, Caroline's, and a bunch of others. He has written for Comedy Central's "CrossBalls", ABC's "My Kind of Town", and the Adam McKay produced "George Bush is a Mother F*cker". Chad Carter is a trained physicist.
scheduled to appear in the Creating an Original Improvised Show panel, Saturday April 19th from 2:30pm - 3:30pm at the Ground Zero Performance Cafe
Ed Helms portrays Dunder Mifflin salesman Andrew "Andy" Bernard on NBC's Emmy Award-winning comedy "The Office." Andy joined the Scranton sales team after a merger between Scranton and his former Stamford, Conn. branch.
Helms was born and raised in Atlanta, Ga. He headed to New York City to pursue comedy shortly after attending Oberlin College in Ohio. For years, Helms worked in the comedy trenches as a stand-up comedian, which led to regular spots at NYC's top comedy clubs.
He recently wrapped a four-year stint as senior correspondent on the Emmy Award-winning "The Daily Show with John Stewart." Helms also wrote a feature film for Paramount Pictures and will be seen in the DreamWorks feature film "Evan Almighty" opposite Steve Carell.
His television credits include "Premium Blend" for Comedy Central, numerous national voice-overs and a 2002 Super Bowl Budweiser commercial, appearing opposite Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
Additional acting credits include writing and performing sketch comedy with numerous groups over the years and studying improvisation with "The Upright Citizens Brigade." Helms can still be seen regularly performing at The Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in New York City.
He resides in Brooklyn. He also plays the banjo.
scheduled to appear in the Creating an Original Improvised Show panel, Saturday April 19th from 2:30pm - 3:30pm at the Ground Zero Performance Cafe
Seth Morris is a stand-up, sketch and improv comedian from San Francisco and the former Artistic Director of UCBTLA. He began studying improv and sketch with the UCBTNY in 1997. Seth appeared in, directed and wrote for many shows at the UCB and has performed at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival, The Toyota Comedy Festival, The San Francisco Sketch Fest, The Chicago Improv Fest, The Telluride Comedy Festival and The Dirty South Comedy Festival. He also appeared in the long-running Off-Broadway production of The Marijuanalogues. Television credits include numerous appearances on Late Night with Conan O’Brien as well as Comedy Central’s Upright Citizens Brigade, Chappelle’s Show, Crossballs (for which he also wrote) and The Denis Leary Roast and MTV’s Damage Control. Film credits include Blackballed: The Bobby Dukes Story. Whew!
scheduled to appear in the Creating an Original Improvised Show panel, Saturday April 19th from 2:30pm - 3:30pm at the Ground Zero Performance Cafe
