2018 | ImprovAcadia

Larrance Fingerhut (Music Director) has been improvising on the piano since he was two years old. After spending 13 years performing and composing in the Bar Harbor area he went to Chicago where he was music director for iO, Baby Wants Candy, and Second City Touring Company, and a teacher and music director at Columbia College. In the winter months he composes string quartets and this past winter he music directed at Penobscot Theater in Bangor and taught at College of the Atlantic.

JENNIFER SHEPARD is one of the owners and is proud to say, "this is our fifteenth season"! Jen studied theater at University of Iowa, improv in Chicago and then moved to Maine in 2004. During the winter, she used to run away to work on Norwegian Cruise Lines for The Second City but now she stays in Maine. One of the many highlights of this winter was co-hosting, with Jason Preble, Oscar Night at Reel Pizza as Minnesotans Thor & Dorcas. {Do you read? Start!} She's taught improv at The College of the Atlantic, the Beth C. Wright Cancer Resource Center, with the Sea Coast Mission on Isle Au Haut & Frenchboro, at Penobscot Theater and, of course, ImprovAcadia. This winter she had the pleasure of performing in Penobscot Theater’s production of Beauty And the Beast as Le Fou and at COA in The Wolves. In closing, meow.

Sam Super is so happy to be back at ImprovAcadia and so is his Camelbak Hydration Backpack. Sam has followed his love of improvisation across the globe, performing and teaching at several international festivals and during five contracts aboard Norwegian Cruise Line ships. Most recently, Sam worked for two years in Amsterdam performing at the legendary Boom Chicago.With the Second City, Sam has appeared in #DateMe, The Second City’s Improv All-Stars, and Twist Your Dickens at the Goodman Theatre. He was named the 2017 Teacher of the Year at The Second City Training Center and is the former Director of the professional ensemble at ComedySportz Chicago.
Sam has performed with many of Chicago’s premier improv ensembles: Baby Wants Candy, ComedySportz, Revolver/Chaos Theory/The Deltones at the iO Theatre, The Hot Karl and many more. Sam studied at the University of Oregon, earning a degree in Theatre Arts with an emphasis in Directing.

Amber Linde is so excited to get to be back at ImprovAcadia this season. She is an improviser, actor, and teacher in the Chicagoland area and really enjoys teaching improv and musical improv at institutions such as The Second City and Storytown Improv. She has played on teams such as The Musical Armando at iO Chicago and Anarchy: An Improvised Rock Opera at the Annoyance Theater. She has cruised aboard Norwegian Cruise Lines performing for The Second City and enjoys finding ways to perform and teach improv all over the country. Recently Amber has received her Master's in Social Work and hopes to find ways to bring improv to mental health settings. She is so happy to be performing this year with her fiancé Sam and looks forward to some fun shows with this great group of folks.

Lauren Malara is overjoyed to be returning to Improv Acadia. She received a degree in acting from DePaul University and went on to perform for The Second City Theatricals. In June of 2017 she was crowned The Funniest Person in New Orleans.

Joe Burton is very excited to be back at Improv Acadia. Joe spends most of his time with his sons, Crash and Greer, fixing things, and biking around Chicago where he and his wife, Shelby, call home. He is a member of the Improvised Sheakespeare Company, The Fowler Family Radio Hour, and is a founding member and executive director of Bughouse Theater. He would like to thank his wonderful family, for all of their support.

Eve Krueger spent two years performing with Second City's National Touring Company. based in Chicago, IL. In Chicago she is also a member of the improv show Trigger Happy at the Annoyance Theater and is a former member of the Under the Gun Ensemble. While living in Atlanta Eve spent 8 years improvising, acting, teaching, directing, writing and day-jobbing at Dad's Garage Theater Company and 5 years improvising with Laughing Matters. She is absolutely thrilled to be back for her third season at ImprovAcadia.

Shelby Burton is delighted to be returning to Improv Acadia for her 9th season! Shelby spends the majority of her time teaching middle school theater. She is a proud founding member of Bughouse Theater (www.bughousetheater.com) where she is the current Director of Outreach and Education, directs Hogwash: An Improvised Tall Tale ( www.hogwashkids.com), and performs in The Fowler Family Radio Hour. She would like to thank her family, husband Joe, and their two sons Crash and Greer for their love and support. She would like to also give a shout out to her in-laws for traveling to Maine with her family every summer so she and her husband can perform together on the same stage.

Dennis Price returns to ImprovAcadia for his fourth season. He thanks Jen and Larrance for giving him a chance to play and for keeping improvisation alive and well in Maine! When he’s not improvising in Bar Harbor, he teaches English and Drama at Monmouth Academy. Dennis is the founder of Capital City Improv, an Augusta, Maine-based improv comedy group. www.capitalcityimprov.com Dennis would like to add that he isn’t hungry, but he could eat! Enjoy the show!

Laurel Zoff Pelton is so excited to be performing with ImprovAcadia this summer season! Originally from Minnesota, she is a graduate of The Second City Conservatory, iO Chicago, and Northwestern University, where she earned degrees in Performance Studies and Creative Writing. In the past she has performed with the Second City aboard the Norwegian Dawn, and is currently a remote writer for Cards Against Humanity. Back in Chicago, you can find Laurel onstage with her iO Harold team, Comet, and performing stories, songs, and sketches all around the city. Big hugs and thanks to her family and friends.

Caleb George lives in Chicago by way of Arlington, Texas. He attended the University of Houston where he studied Theatre and Film. He was a member of the ComedySportz Houston ensemble for four years until moving to Chicago in 2010. Caleb is a part of several wonderful teams in Chi-town including , Thirsty: The Premier Improv Drinking Party at the Apollo Theatre, his two-man troupe George Lusk, iO's Harold team Artemis and is proud to be a founding member of Chicago Reader's Best Improv Troupe of 2016, HitchCocktails . Caleb travels across the country performing short form with Mission IMPROVable's red team company and you can follow his exploits @CalebGeorgeous on Twitter.

Jason Geis is thrilled to return for his fifth summer! When not performing in Bar Harbor, Jason is running around Chicago performing at The pH Comedy Theater and with his iO house team, Uh Oh.
Jason has trained and played at The Annoyance Theater and iO Theater. Jason has also taught and coached for iO, The Playground Theater, The Basement Theater (Atlanta), Huge Theater (Minneapolis), ImprovBoston (Boston), Zoo Improv (Champaign, IL), Westside Comedy Theater (LA) and was formerly the coach of the Depaul University college improv team. Jason also likes directing and writing, some of his favorites include: The Breakfast Club Musical, The Room: The Musical, Centralia, and Not As Advertised. He is currently working on two new original musicals! Big thanks to Jen and Lawrence for having me back, now everyone turns your phones to off, or you might try...off.

Jason Preble is excited to be performing with ImprovAcadia again this summer. Jason is an actor and an improviser from Bangor Maine. When not performing with ImprovAcadia, Jason improvises throughout the year with The Focus Group out of Bangor, co-hosts The Mouthnoise Podcast, and works as an IT professional at a local credit union. Jason would like to thank Jen and Larrance for the fantastic opportunity, the rest of the incredibly talented cast, and his wonderful wife for supporting his efforts to make things up in front of people.

Lizz Mathews is excited to be back in Maine after three fabulous years of working with ImprovAcadia, the Penobscot Theatre, and Capital City Improv from 2014-2017. Prior to living in Maine, she worked as an improviser around the Midwest; teaching, performing and coaching improv since 2004. She currently lives in Denver, where she can be seen performing on house teams at the Bovine Metropolis Theater and the Voodoo Comedy Playhouse. She also teaches improv and coordinates the intern program at the Voodoo. Lizz wants to thank Larrance and Jen for being role models to her, and for everything they’ve taught her onstage and off. Let’s have some fun!

Amy Roeder is delighted to be back at ImprovAcadia for her 14th season! Most recently, she performed with Penobscot Theatre Company in Ugly Lies the Bone and Shear Madness and directed the Penobscot Theatre’s Dramatic Academy. A Second City Theatricals veteran, she performed in Second City revues at the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, the Denver Center for Performing Arts, the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, onboard the NCL Epic and NCL Star and in Second City's "History of Chicago" show at the UP Comedy Club. Amy has had the great good fortune to have improv homes at Gotham City Improv in New York, the Improv Asylum in Boston, the Playground Theatre in Chicago, Improv Athens at the University of Georgia, and at the incomparable ImprovAcadia. Amy holds an MFA from the University of Georgia and her BFA from the University of Evansville. During the daylight hours, Amy is the Director of Education at Penobscot Theatre Company, the northeasternmost professional regional theatre in the country. Many thanks to Jen and Larrance for the opportunity and to her husband Eric.

Bryce Read is thrilled to be in Vacationland, performing with ImprovAcadia! A New England native, Bryce is an alumnus of ImprovBoston’s Mainstage and Touring Company casts, as well as Improv Asylum’s ETC cast. Since moving to Chicago in 2013, Bryce has completed the conservatory, music, and writing programs at the Second City, as well as the Severn Darden Graduate Program, where he performed with Citizens Abroad in Get There Or Try Dying. Bryce is currently an instructor in the Second City Training Center. Recent credits include performing with Big Bang Improv, and in his solo show, Believe Me.

Andi Sharavsky is a graduate of Second City's Comedy Studies and Music Improv Conservatory programs. She has also trained at iO and The Annoyance. Andi performs in The Musical Armando at iO, and she is an alumnus of Infinite Sundaes - The Second City Training Center's musical house ensemble. Andi has contributed to The Onion News Network, and her writing has also been featured in The Chicago Tribune, Reductress, McSweeney’s, Splitsider, BuzzFeed, Thought Catalog, and The One-Minute Play Festival. She is a graduate of Vassar College, where she was honored with the Molly Thacher Kazan Memorial Prize for Outstanding Work in the Theatre Arts.

Andel Sudik is an alumnus of The Second City ETC stage in Chicago, The Second City National Touring Company, Communications, Theatricals and NCL Cruise lines as well as a frequent contributor to Second City Network Words. She is also alumnus of Boom Chicago in Amsterdam where she got to live for two years, learn to ride a bike and do some of the most bizarre voice overs ever.

Andel has improvised with the Deltones at ioWest, Edmund Serves Coffee at The Second City Hollywood, Baby Wants Candy at the Apollo and a million other teams and shows at io Chicago and the Annoyance. When she isn't on the road she can be found teaching improv and sketch to teens and adults at The Second City Training Center in Chicago and trying to dye her hair gray.

Andrew McCammon is extremely excited to join ImprovAcadia for its 15th season! He is the writer/director of Chicago sketch troupe, DGAF and has been featured in the NBC industry and SNL showcases at the iO Theater, Chicago. Andrew recently worked for Second City Theatricals aboard the Norwegian Gem and is a member of the writing and improv faculties at the Second City Training Center. He is very happy to be sharing the stage and the beautiful scenery of Maine with his talented girlfriend, Erin Island.

Erin Island is thrilled to be a part of ImprovAcadia’s 15th season! She is a graduate of the iO Chicago Improv Program and the Second City Improv Conservatory, Music Improv Conservatory, and HouseCo Program. She performs at iO Chicago with DGAF and Artemis and around Chicago with Buzzed Broadway, After Party, and The Greatest Story Never Told. She also teaches improvisation with Mudlark Theater. Erin is so grateful for the opportunity to perform and explore Maine with her awesome boyfriend, Andrew McCammon!

Bill Stern has been performing the improvised arts in the streets and theaters of America since the year 2000. He has studied improvisation at iO, Annoyance, and directly under Keith Johnstone. He has toured to over 50 cities in 24 states and has played in tens of festivals. Currently a house team member of iO Chicago's Dart and The Playground theater's K.C. Redheart, Bill still manages to get out on the road a few times a year with the experimental theater group, Available Cupholders. From shows in parks and on city buses for bystanders to crowded theaters and auditoriums; from short-form to long-form, comedic to dramatic, narrative to avant-garde; from sets that lasted 5 minutes to shows that have lasted 41 hours, Bill has tried everything he and his compatriots could dream up to try in the realm of improvised theater and currently looks forward to continuing that tradition with the ImprovAcadia.

John Hartman is an alumnus of The Second City Mainstage in Chicago, where he wrote and performed two revues, Panic on Cloud 9, for which he was nominated for a Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Actor, and Depraved New World, for which he won the Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Actor. He currently performs improv in Los Angeles every Friday night at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre with the musical improv powerhouse Baby Wants Candy. On TV, he has appeared in recurring roles on The Good Place (NBC), Young Sheldon (CBS), Trial & Error (NBC) and Scorpion (CBS). Other selected TV credits include 2 Broke Girls (CBS), Disjointed (Netflix), Superior Donuts (CBS), Modern Family (ABC) and Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO). Thanks as always, Jen and Larrance!

Collier Free moved to Chicago after graduating from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and has completed the Second City Conservatory and Music Improv Program. They are an ensemble member of the CSz Theater and Funny Bones Improv. Collier is very excited to return to ImprovAcadia, and is always game to talk about or look at cute animals.

Sean Sullivan is a Chicago-based improviser born in Rhode Island, trained in Boston, and excited to be back in New England. He is an ensemble member at both ComedySportz Chicago and Laugh Out Loud Theater, has performed at Chicago's iO Theater, and additionally tours with Baby Wants Candy and is part of the original cast of "Shamilton", an improvised biographical hip-hop musical. Sean teaches and coaches improvisation at several theatres, has written for Second City Network and contributed to The Onion since 2014. Sean also works as a facilitator and actor for Imagination Theater, a youth social issues theater. Sean would like to thank Southwest Airlines for helping him get here.

This is Cynthia Kmak’s fifth year with ImprovAcadia and she’s as happy as an over sized lobster that needs to be thrown back in! Originally from Wisconsin Dells, WI, Cynthia moved to Chicago to pursue her dream to make people laugh. She performs and teaches improv and workshops all over the city and in some lucky suburbs. She’s most proud of the class she created called Improv on the Spectrum, which helps teach social skills and dealing with anxiety thru improv. She’s a graduate of Second City’s Conservatory, iO’s training center and completed studies at the Annoyance and at ComedySportz Milwaukee. Cynthia spends her days trying to become famous and running insane amounts of miles while coaching others to enjoy doing the same. She’d like to thank Jen and Larrance for letting her close out the season with them.

Luis Cortes is Mexico City born, LA raised and now living in Chicago. In addition to having appeared in several national commercials and TV shows in English and Spanish, Luis has also toured with The National Theater for Children, The Story Pirates, ComedySportz LA and Second City Theatricals aboard Norwegian Cruise Lines. He has also performed on several mainstage teams at iO West in Los Angeles, and as part of Fast Loud and Funny in the UP Comedy Club at Second City. He currently performs with ComedySportz Chicago and with Infinite Sundaes, a Musical Improv Group at Second City Chicago.

Greg Komorowski is a Toronto born actor/improvisor who has been honing his craft since 1999.
Trained at The Second City and Bad Dog Theatre in Toronto, Greg now teaches improv and resides in Chicago with his talented and beautiful wife, Tabetha.
He has hosted a Food Network Canada show, performed on cruise ships and does a podcast called “Watchin’ Weight with Tab & Greg”. He has a wonderfully supportive family and a JRT named Buddy.
Greg is happy to join ImprovAcadia for his first season and hopes you enjoy the show as much as he does!

Tabetha Wells is thrilled to be joining the cast of Improv Acadia for this season and currently hails from Chicago where she lives with her husband Greg and dog Buddy.
She’s visited Bar Harbor on cruise ships in the past as part of her job working several years for Second City at Sea, but is looking forward to seeing what it’s like when the sun goes down. In addition to performing for Second City on cruise ships, she’s also been a member of their National Touring Company (Canada) and is currently a faculty member teaching improvisation and writing at their Training Center in Chicago.
When not working for Second City, she writes, and also co-hosts the podcast “Watchin’ Weight with Tab & Greg” where she and Greg chronicle their weight loss journey (eating cruise ship food for years has it’s drawbacks).
She’s currently training for the TCS New York City marathon, so her legs are probably very tired tonight.

ImprovAcadia

Our Cast of 2018