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Matt Elwell, Artistic Director, has been using improvisation to facilitate soft-skills learning in the corporate, public and educational sectors since 2001 with previous experience as an instructor, director, and actor in professional theater since 1997. A performer with The ComedySportz Theatre since 2000, Matt has presented on the art and use of improvisation at the 2003 International Thespian Festival, and the 2003 Educational Theater Association Annual Conference, as well as several conferences at the state level. As a performer, Matt has appeared with Second City Theatricals, GayCo, WNEP, IO, and Dave & Co. Matt is also an Associate Faculty Member of the Second City Training Center in Chicago as well as a proud member of the American Society for Training and Development.
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Sam Super, Assistant Artistic Director, has performed and taught improvisation across the country and abroad, including at the Chicago Improv Festival, the Toronto Improv Festival, and the Miami Improv Festival. Since studying acting and directing at the University of Oregon and the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London, Sam has called Chicago home. Along with performing and teaching at ComedySportz, he can be seen in The Hot Karl, Baby Wants Candy, DSI's The Beatbox, & Revolver at the iO Theater. Sam has trained numerous business professionals and executives in the art of improvisation, and creates digital sketch comedy as an actor, writer, and editor with Seven8nine Productions.
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Steph DeWaegeneer has been an active performer with ComedySportz for over 15 years. She was an dynamic force with ComedySportz Houston from '91-'97, and has been performing with ComedySportz of Chicago since April '98 as well as being an original ensemble member of the fully-improvised musical comedy, Whose Chorus Line Is It Anyway?. She has been honored by her peers twice, as Best Referee (2000 & 2002). At Improv Olympic she performed with Trick Dogs. Her Chicago directing resume includes: How to Eat Fried Worms, Wild Pecos Bill, the VH-1 inspired parody Beneath the Music, and Velvet Tom's Red Shoe Diaries. Currently she Coaches Battle-Prov team the Volcano Bunnies. She is a graduate of The Second City Conservatory and holds a B.F.A. from Sam Houston State University (August '89). The highlight of her career in Chicago is the day Gary Sinise stopped by her office (and she has the photo to prove it!).
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Mike Enriquez is a former student of the ComedySportz Training Center and fully remembers the nervousness and excitement he felt when signing up for his first improv class. His experience with the ComedySportz Training Center led him to accepting a position as a member of the ComedySportz Ensemble in 2003. During his first year as ComedySportz performer, he was awarded "Rookie of the Year". Other performing credits and training experiences include the iO(formally the ImprovOlmpic), Second City and the Playground. Mike has been a teacher with the ComedySportz Training Center since 2005 focusing on the beginning improv classes.
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Katherine Gotsickhas performed, taught and directed with ComedySportz since 1999. She has served as Director of the Family Matinee Series, and has written and directed many of its interactive fairy tales. She is a member of the adjunct faculty a the Second City Training Center. She has taught at the Chicago Improv Festival and the ComedySportz National Tournament, directed Playground Incubator teams and independent ensembles, and coached four CSz High School League teams. She's studied with and performed at Second City, IO and Annoyance. She currently performs with the Big Yellow Bus at the Playground. Prior to Chicago, Katherine taught and performed the Johnstone method in Washington, DC.
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Stephanie McCullough (Psy.D.) has been performing improv piano with ComedySportz since 1999 and has been musical director since the fall of 2005. She began her piano studies at the age of five and studying music composition at the age of nine. Her undergraduate studies included music composition and piano performance at the College Conversatory of Music in Cincinnati, Ohio before moving to Chicago to acquire her Doctorate degree in clinical psychology. Stephanie's published dissertation was on an empirical study of creativity and collaboration in the making of an original musical in 2001. Stephanie toured nationally with the Second City Touring Company from 2004 to 2006 and has, herself, co-written at least one original musical per year since 2000. She has created hundreds of songs and has been music director for dozens of musicals, corporate productions and recording projects. Stephanie attributes overcoming years of performance anxiety and severe childhood shyness to improv and the culture of spontaneity, commitment and acceptance that ComedySportz specifically promotes.
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Dave Ries is thrilled to be part of the ComedySportz family. Originally from Ohio, he moved to Chicago by way of North Carolina where he helped found The Idiot Box Comedy Club. He can also be seen performing at iO and with DSI's The Beatbox. He thanks his wife, Jen, for her love, support, and everything that she puts up with in the name of laughter.
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Alida Vitas has taught with ComedySportz for several years. See her ensemble bio here.
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Martin Wilson is thrilled to teach at ComedySportz. In addition to competing at ComedySportz, Martin can be seen performing long form improv at the iO Theater. For three years in college he was the co-director of "Improvisational Theatre" (also known as "I.T.") at his alma mater, The College of William & Mary. Since graduating and moving to Chicago, he has run workshops for various corporations and school groups, and has taught people of all age and skill levels in the CSz Training Center. Getting to watch students both young and old embrace the lessons and theories of improvisation is one of his greatest thrills.
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Jen Ellison was an ensemble member with The ComedySportz Theatre for several years, and is currently Artistic Director of the WNEP Theater Co. For more information about Jen, please check on her at the WNEP website.
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Additional Faculty: Joey Bland, Tara DeFrancisco, Matt Larsen, Robyn Norris, Rance Rizzutto, and Jeffrey L. Shivar. |
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