Cupholders Group
Available Cupholders
Available Cupholders
AVAILABLE CUPHOLDERS (Austin, TX, and Los Angeles, CA) is a nearly two-decade old group of improv and comedy acting professionals. Their chemistry and charisma are unmatched in the world of improv and it shows in their incredible level of play on stage. Members of Available Cupholders have worked for Second City, Boom Chicago in Amsterdam, iO and Annoyance in Chicago, Improv Acadia in Maine, Impro Theatre in Los Angeles, and are the founders of the Out of Bounds Comedy Festival in their native Austin. They have played nearly every festival in the country and many abroad including the prestigious Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal. Through membership in NACA in the 2000s, they toured colleges and universities. Their members have also won numerous awards for improv and theatre including Best Actor/Actress in the Austin Chronicle “Best of Austin” edition. They exist to have as much fun as possible and spread the good word about improv far and wide.
The Cast
Kaci Beeler
Michael Joplin
Ace Manning
Bill Stern
Jeremy Sweetlamb
KACI BEELER is an artist, improviser, writer, and stage and film actor based out of Austin, TX. She has been performing improvisational theatre since 2003 and has toured to over 85 cities and 11 countries to perform and teach. Some career highlights include being named Best Actor/Actress in The Austin Chronicle "Best of Austin" Awards, studying with the PUNCHDRUNK theatre company in London, and improvising in character for HBO’s WESTWORLD experience. You can hear Kaci on national TV and radio daily as a brand voice for Domino’s.
MICHAEL JOPLIN lives in Los Angeles and performs at Impro Studio and UCB. He has also studied with The Groundlings and Pack Theater. Before moving to LA, he taught and performed in Austin, Texas, for 20 years at The Hideout, ColdTowne, and MerlinWorks. He studied theatre and dance at the University of Texas, and has been voted Austin’s Best Actor, but most importantly, he’s excited to be performing with his fellow Cupholders.
ACE MANNING has been performing improv for over 20 years. He has studied the craft in Jeremy Sweetlamb's living room, at iO and Annoyance in Chicago, and under many other fine teachers of improvisation and acting. He is back in Austin, Texas, after a lengthy stint as a mainstage player for Boom Chicago in Amsterdam. He regularly performs with The Knuckleball Now, in addition to his work with Available Cupholders.
BILL STERN competed in impromptu speaking competitions in high school, which led to doing improv in college with Available Cupholders, which led to moving to Chicago and doing improv and sketch at iO and Annoyance and Second City, which led to performing on a cruise ship. Somewhere in there, he moved into an apartment with some sketch comedy people called Cigarette Sandwich, which led to an award-winning streaming comedy show, which led to his current job producing edutainment content for a mobile app company in Berkeley, California.
More Festival Performances
Festival Workshops
Dive into your own spontaneity with Sarasota Improv Festival Workshops! Our offerings allow you to learn from the experts with intimate trainings led by Festival artists from across the country and around the world. Featuring workshops in a wide range of improvisational styles and techniques, there is something for improvisers of all experience levels at the 2023 Sarasota Improv Fest. All workshops take place Saturday, July 22.
