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JENNIFER SHEPARD In 2004, Jen and Larrance decided to open ImprovAcadia. This is the fifth year! After graduating from the University of Iowa, she moved to Chicago to study improvisation. During her nine years in Chicago, she was fortunate enough to perform at iO (ImprovOlympic) and The Playground Theater. She also worked with The Chicago Comedy Co, touring to colleges and writing corporate comedy. While in Chicago, Jennifer helped to write over 10 sketch comedy shows with The Galileo Players (Science nerds doing comedy), Gay Co! (Some gays, lesbians and a couple of straights doing comedy) and Brick (Masonry mixed with the cement of comedy). Since moving to Maine she's enjoyed teaching improv at The College of the Atlantic, the Beth C. Wright Cancer Resource Center, on Isle Au Haut, and at ImprovAcadia. During the winter months she joins Chicago's The Second City performing for Norwegian Cruise Line in the Caribbean, Europe, and Hawaii. If you really love her, send her yarn. K2Tog now!.
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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. He composes string quartets and music for theater. During the winter months he joins Chicago's The Second City cast performing for Norwegian Cruise Line in the Caribbean, Europe, and Hawaii.
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ANDREW ENINGER is a playwright, actor and director. He leads corporateworkshops for Second City Communications and teaches improv and sketch fortheir Chicago Training Center. He understudied Second City's Mainstagerevue "Red Scare", and was a founding member of GayCo Productions,performing in twelve comedy revues for them. He is the After-Dark Awardwinning composer of "Bandgeeks: A Halftime Musical", which he also directed,and has presented his solo improv show "Sybil" to audiences around NorthAmerica. This is his fourth visit to ImprovAcadia, and he has yet to see a moose.
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JOHN HARTMAN is just thrilled to be back for another season of ImprovAcadia. John was a main stage cast member of the Improv Inferno in Ann Arbor, MI before moving to Chicago. In Chicago, he was recently seen in Photobooth and White Jazz at The Annoyance Theatre, where he also just mounted his first solo show, Your Friends and Enemies. He improvises at The Playground with Victory at Sea, around town with Alright, Janice! and Attila, and at the Apollo Theater with the fine folks of Baby Wants Candy. He would like to thank Jen and Larrance and that lobster he is going to eat.
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KATY COLLOTON is thrilled to be joining the 2009 ImprovAcadia cast.Katy moved to Chicago following her graduation from VanderbiltUniversity in 2005. She has studied improvisation at both The SecondCity and iO. Katy is lucky enough to perform with groups such asInfinite Sundaes (Second City Music Improv House Ensemble); Alright,Janice!; Victory At Sea; IWF (Improvised Wrestling Federation); TryingToo Hard and The Katydids. Her film credits include: Dust,Carnivorous, The European Kid, Silent Shame and Realization. Katywould like to thank her Mom and Dad for all their love and support.
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SHELBY JENNINGS is very excited to be returning to Acadia this year. A native of North Carolina, Shelby currently lives in Chicago. Her most recent projects include The Fowler Family Radio hour which was selected to for the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, South Carolina and Hogwash - an improvised family show. She is also a proud member of two improv teams Cowlick (The Playground Theater) and Airbourne (iO Theater). She would like to thank her family,friends Joe, and Kevin for thier love and support.

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BOB KULHAN is so excited to be here with this great cast at ImprovAcadia!. Kulhan is a proud company member of Baby Wants Candy, an understudy for The Second City, and recently performed in the loosely-scripted Bing Faithful's Very Merry Nondenominational Holiday Special. In addition to improvising, Kulhan created the wildly popular one-man shows, "Shecky Kulhan: Theater of the Mind" & "Shecky Kulhan: Amuse-Bouche". Thanks to my family. I hope you enjoy the show!!!


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AMY ROEDER just finished her second year as an MFA student at the University of Georgia where she worked with internationally acclaimed director Robert Woodruff, was heard throughout Georgia (and the world) in a new adaptation of the radio play The War of the Worlds and won a travel grant to study Theater of the Oppressed in Rio de Janeiro. Amy is an original mainstage cast member of Boston's Improv Asylum, as well, which just celebrated its tenth anniversary. In addition to the Asylum, Amy has had the honor of performing at the Playground Theater in Chicago, Gotham City Improv in New York, with Storybox in Chicago and at the incomperable Improv Acadia for the past three summers. She thanks Jen and Larrance and the cast for the incredible opportunity of performing on the Improv Acadia stage. Amy would also like to thank her adorable husband Eric who is the most patient man alive for putting up with her.
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FREDDIE SULIT, a native of Los Angeles, is extremely excited to be joining the cast of ImprovAcadia. Currently, Freddie is a member of Stir Friday Night and Laugh Out Loud Theater. Recent credits include Kafka on the Shore (Steppenwolf), Execution of Justice (About Face), Band Geeks: A Halftime Musical, and Improvidate. You also might have seen him as a teacher at the Apple Store, a narrator at your local auto show, or some guy on your tv at home. Freddie is in the process of moving from Chicago to Pittsburgh to earn his Masters in Entertainment Technology. He would like to thank Laurel for her constant support and his parents for his super straight teeth. freddiesulit.com
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BECKY ELDRIDGE, is thrilled to be part of ImprovAcadia. Becky has performed in many venues in Chicago, including ImprovOlympic, The Playground Theatre and LOL Theatre. Becky is the co-author of "Little House on the Parody" and "Band Geeks: A Half-time Musical". She'd like to thank Jen and Larrance for this wonderful opportunity and is delighted to be performing in Maine and eating at lobster pots.
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BESS ROMANO, a Connecticut native, is super excited to be performing with ImprovAcadia. Go New England! After graduating from Clark University, Bess moved to Chicago to study improvisation. She has trained with Second City, iO Chicago and Annoyance Theaters. Bess performs all over Chicago and appears regularly on stage with the iO Harold team, Shock Corridor. Bess really loves Lobster Rolls and is probably thinking of eating one...right...now.

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CATHERINE FREEDMAN, Chicago native, is hugely honored to be a part of Improv Acadia's sixth season! A few of her favorite things include eating great food, good company, having a laugh, dogs and cats. Cate began studying and performing improv in 2002 at Second City. Since then, she has done a lot of different things at various theaters and festivals across the country. Currently Cate can be seen with her team Fat Kid and the super fun show "Dinner For Six" at iO (formerly Improv Olympic). When not performing in the preceding shows, she can be seen with The Katydids, Fran McKearn in "Omelet", and with Kimber Hall in "Honeydew". She would like to thank Jen and Larrance for the superb opportunity, the people who have said nice things about her and have put smiley faces next to her name on audition sheets (you all know who you are), her beyond incredible friends, Patrick Stonelake and Hindenburg, Mark Sutton, and most importantly the biggest blessings in her life; Mom, Dad, Mimi and Harry.

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DAVID MAHER is thrilled to perform with ImprovAcadia this summer. He is a Cincinnati native, and he graduated with a degree in English from the University of Chicago, where he performed, directed, and taught with the long-running improv and sketch group Off-Off Campus. He has trained at the Second City Conservatory and the iO Theater. Currently, he drives a trolley and performs around Chicago with Computer, Pssghetti, and K.C. Redheart, an Incubator team at the Playground Theater. He thanks his family and friends for their love and support.
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GILLIAN BELLINGER was an ensemble member with The Second City Musical House Ensemble, Minneapolis ComedySportz, Chicago ComedySportz, Improv Kitchen and was an Acme Comedy Club's Twin Cities Funniest Stand-up Semi-finalist. Gillian currently performs with Laugh Out Loud Theater, at the Playground Theater with Damascus Steel, and the occasional stand-up show. Gillian has a BFA from Hamline University and studied at The London Academy of Theatre and The National Theater Institute. In addition to several independent sketch groups, she has done a variety of commercials, short films, and industrials. So if you're watching TV late at night and think, "Was that...?" Probably. www.gillianbellinger.com
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IRENE MARQUETTE, Having been involved in professional theater, TV production and dance from an early age, improv comedy sealed her fate in 2001. While living in Las Vegas she co-founded the long running improv group Super Yum Yum 2 and choreographed and understudied for the Second City. After moving to Chicago she performed with The Future and Go Go Manifesto at iO (formerly Improv Olympic) and is an original member of The Playground's member team The Senate, now in their 4th year. She co-wrote and performed in the sketch review LHC Presents: Kink and Chasing Dumb a two act play at the Annoyance. She recently directed Dawn 'n' Paige an improvised two person show at iO and the one act play Women Who KILL!. Big time thanks to her family, her fiance Griffen and Improv Acadia. She is thrilled to be here!
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JOE BURTON lives in Chicago where he paints, makes films and teaches science and improv. He also performs with Hot Pocket, Otis, The Improvised Shakespeare Company, and The Fowler Family Radio Hour, and is a co-founder of Bughouse Theater in Chicago. He likes fun things and would like to thank his family and his wife to be, Shelby for their love and support.
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JOHN LANGEN is very excited to be joining the cast of ImprovAcadia. He is an actor and writer in Chicago. His hero is Chef Gordon Ramsey. John is currently performing with the harold team Mrs. Dad and the show Guy Friends, at iO Chicago. He is also a member of the improv ensembles Feverberry Mountain, The Chicago Improv Rebellion, and Mr. Chicken. John would like to thank Katie, Cosby, Wes, Jorin, Mrs. Dad, Charna, his parents, and his Chicago Family for all of their continuous inspiration and support.
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KIMBER HALL is overjoyed to be a part of ImprovAcadia. Originally from Missouri, she now lives in Chicago and recently graduated with a BFA in Theatre from Columbia College Chicago. Kimber trained at iO and currently improvises with the children's show Hogwash, her iO Harold Team, Pretend Soup and Lespos. She has been a part of cast-created shows at Annoyance Theatre, and her two-woman sketch dream, Honeydew, performed at Chicago Sketchfest . She can also been seen in the Smockless Studios' improvised feature film, Club 83. From time to time, Kimber will have an actual script in her hand and has worked with Next Theatre, Studio CAC, and Collaboraction Theatre among others. Kimber loves to ride her bicycle all year long, even during Chicago's winters.
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LEAH GOTCSIK is a comedy writer, performer, and director. Leah has performed improv and sketch comedy with The Second City at Sea, Second City Theatricals, and Boston's Improv Asylum, and improvised with Revolver at iO Chicago, and Baby Wants Candy, among others. She's traveled all over the country with her two-person group, Somebody's in the Doghouse, and their video shorts have been featured by the editors of www.funnyordie.com, crackle.com, and broadcast internationally on www.mevio.com. Her recent indie pilot, Today's Special, screened at the New York Television Festival. Leah is excited to return to beautiful Maine for a second season to perform with the lovely folks at ImprovAcadia!
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LUCIANA BONIFAZI is thrilled to be back at ImprovAcadia! She has performed with the Second City Musical Improv House Emsemble (Infinite Sundaes); Battle-Prov at ComedySportz Chicago; the fabulous Comedy Shrine Players out in Naperville, IL; and more. She just completed her Masters Degree in Arts, Entertainment and Media Management at Columbia College Chicago as well as her training in the Second City Musical Improv Conservatory. She would like to thank Rich and all her friends and family in Chicago for their love and support.

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MEL EVANS is thrilled to be a performing with ImprovAcadia. Originally from New Jersey, Mel currently lives in Chicago, where she has trained at iO and Second City. She is lucky to play all over the city with the wonderful teams RGB, The Basic Eight, Tigers of Macedonia, and Kate, and with the fantastic shows Our Feature Presentation and Improvised Jane Austen.
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MIKALA BIERMA is thrilled to be a part of Improv Acadia's 2009 season. Mikala received her BFA in Theater Performance from the University of Michigan where she fell in love with improv comedy. Since moving to Chicago, Mikala has studied improv at Second City, Improv Olympic and The Annoyance Theater. She can currently be seen performing with Shadowfax, Attila, Clamour and Kapowski! Also, Mikala is a proud company member with Barrel of Monkeys. Mikala would like to thank her mom, dad, Aisha, Mike and Gilbert.
JOHN HARTMAN is just thrilled to be back for another season of ImprovAcadia. John was a main stage cast member of the Improv Inferno in Ann Arbor, MI before moving to Chicago. In Chicago, he was recently seen in Photobooth and White Jazz at The Annoyance Theatre, where he also just mounted his first solo show, Your Friends and Enemies. He improvises at The Playground with Victory at Sea, around town with Alright, Janice! and Attila, and at the Apollo Theater with the fine folks of Baby Wants Candy. He would like to thank Jen and Larrance and that lobster he is going to eat.
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MICHAEL LACHER is entirely delighted to join ImprovAcadia this summer. After graduating from the University of Michigan, he moved to Chicago where he is now an actor, writer, graphic designer, and video producer. He can be seen performing at the iO Theater with Lionelle and at the Annoyance Theater with White Jazz. He'd like to thank his family, Mikala, and his small rat-faced dog for their support.
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NATHAN JANSEN, made his way from Wichita, Kansas to Chicago to pursue his comedy career. He has been performing for six years on various stages there including The iO Theater and Comedy Sportz. He can also be seen performing in the award winning Improv Musical with Baby Wants Candy, iO's Confessions of a Teenage A$#Hole, and the cutting edge sketch comedy group Tammi. He used to dislike it, but is coming around on cheesecake.

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NEAL DANDADE is thrilled to be performing in Bar Harbor! Neal moved to Chicago in 2006 from outside Philadelphia, where he pretended to study theater and pre-med while performing with Vertigo-go, the improv group at Swarthmore College. Upon moving to Chicago, Neal trained at Second City, iO, and The Annoyance. He can also be seen performing with Second City's Outreach and Diversity Ensemble, iO's Shadowfax, DSI's The Beatbox, An Oak, and Stir Friday Night, Chicago's premier Asian-American sketch comedy group. Neal thanks his family and friends for all their love and support.

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SAM SUPER isn't a fan of lobster, but is nonetheless thrilled to return toImprovAcadia! Sam has honed his improv skills in Oregon, London and Chicago,and is currently the Assistant Artistic Director at ComedySportz of Chicago.You can also catch him performing with Baby Wants Candy at the ApolloTheatre, and with the Del Award-winning Revolver at iO. He has performedand taught improvisation across the country and abroad, including at improvfestivals in Chicago, LA, Miami and Toronto. Sam would like to thank hisCamelbak Hydration Backback for all the support.
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SETH DODSON has been living and improvising in Chicago for the past 3 years.As a native El Pason he still finds the freezing cold weather to be anovelty. He currently performs at iO with the Harold team "Mrs. Dad".He also performs with "Big Yellow Bus" at the Playground Theatre. Sethalso gets his kicks by performing with the National Touring Company ofMission Improvable and GayCo. He has a BFA in Acting from Texas StateUniversity that's served him well. Pysch! He is thrilled and thankfulfor the chance to perform at ImprovAcadia!
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STUART RANSON moved to Chicago to study improvisation after graduating from The College of William and Mary in Virginia. After completing the training centers of the Improv Olympic, Annoyance Theater, and Second City, he began a tour of duty with the Second City National Touring Company. At Second City, he also performed with the ETC cast in the Jeff Award Winning "Holy War, Batman!" Stuart is an original member of musical improv group Baby Wants Candy, with whom he attended the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and Spoleto Arts Festival. Baby Wants Candy was named 2005 Ensemble of the Year by the Chicago Improv Festival and performs regularly at Chicago's Apollo Theater and in various New York venues. His other credits include the smash hit musicals "Jedi: A Musical Tour de Force" and "Moulin Scrooge." He lives in New York City.
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TIM CHIDESTER had done a lot of improv. Sometimes for kicks, sometimes for rent. He is happy to do it for either reason.
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TODD W. EDWARDS has been performing comedy in Chicago for over 10 years after moving from his hometown of Richmond, Virginia. Todd was a regular panelist for the Improv Match Game at the ComedySportz Theater and performs at iO with Swanel and the Lindberg Babies 2.0. Todd would like to thank Jen and Larrance for not asking him to wait another year to perform at Improv Acadia.
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VINCENT KRACHT, is thrilled to be returning for his second season with Improv Acadia! After receiving a degree in theatre from Western Michigan University, he toured with the NEA-funded educational theatre, The MadHatters, for three years. Since moving to Chicago he has performed with About Face Theatre, ComedySportz, The Bailiwick Theatre, Chicago Comedy Company, The Free Associates, and the Bohemian Theatre Ensemble. Vincent is an original member of the long-running, improvised play, Cast on a Hot Tin Roof, and has performed in its many incarnations since conception seventeen years ago. Vincent is an artistic associate for GayCo and currently teaches and performs for The Comedy Shrine in Naperville, IL. Vincent readily accepts gifts of lobster rolls and blueberry basil sorbet.
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WES HANEY is very happy to be joining the cast of ImprovAcadia this season. Currently, he performs at iO Chicago with improv team Mrs. Dad and the improvised sitcom, Guy Friends. A regular at The Annoyance Theater, he has been seen in Scientology! The (Unauthorized) Musical, Niagara Follies, Splatter Theatre, An Aerosmith Christmas, Triple Feature and Untied. Other credits include improv/sketch group Feverberry Mountain and weekly sketch madhouse TV Show at iO. Wes also writes/directs/performs in short internet videos. If you'd like, you can look him up on Youtube! He would like to thank his family, friends and Gina for all the support.
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AARON CAPONIGRO is a native Chicagoan who has been acting, writing and improvising since the turn of the century. Aaron is pleased and proud to be performing at ImprovAcadia and would like to thank Jen and Larrance for this opportunity. Aaron currently improvises with Hogwash at iO Theater and with The RIOT!, and Jesus and the Money Changers at The Playground Theater, where he also performs weekly at The Thursday Happy Hour, a solo sketch showcase. Recent projects include the play Throwing Heat at the Athenaeum Theatre, and the films Legal Ease, and Stalled. Aaron's favorite thing to do is perform with his 11-year-old son, Jacob, as the sketch comedy duo, UnRelated: (www.unrelatedcomedy.com), which was recently featured in the festival bound short film An Abandoned Werewolf Novel. Offstage, Aaron enjoys indulging his penchants for wry hyperbole and onomatopoeia, quack, ding, ka-ching!