Kevin Allen is a writer, videographer, content creator and actor. He moved to Sarasota from Chicago, where he studied and performed improvisation at iO and The Second City. He earned theatre and English degrees from the University of Missouri-Columbia, where he was a member of the legendary Comedy Wars ensemble. Kevin is also a writer and performer in the FST sketch group and was a contributing writer for the 2022 FST Cabaret production, Laughing Matters.

Kaci Beeler (she/they) is a visual artist, improviser, writer, and stage/film/voice actor based out of Austin, TX. Kaci 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. Kaci is a writer and actor on the new TV sketch comedy pilot LAWN PARTY, currently in production in Austin. You can hear Kaci on national TV and radio daily as the chief brand voice for Domino’s.

Michael Brunlieb is a performer and teaching artist in Chicago. He improvises with the ensembles 'Sand', 'Real Angels', and '3 Actors Living in a Cave', most often performing at the wonderful Logan Square Improv theater. Mike has received multiple awards during his eighteen years of performing and teaching improvisation, including being recognized three years in a row as one of Chicago's top improvisers by the iO theater. He studied at the Paul Sills Theater Game Center (and beyond) with Aretha Sills and Carol Sills, and at iO Chicago with TJ Jagodowski and Dave Pasquesi. He has performed and taught improvisation internationally in Europe, Asia, and Canada. Mike has also performed in a handful of TV and film projects, including "Southside" (HBO), "Joe Pera Talks with You" (Adult Swim), and "Trial of the Chicago Seven" (Netflix). The core of Mike's teaching and performance is rooted in the work of Viola Spolin.

Tara DeFrancisco believes in the power of connection & collaboration of comedic work on a cellular level. Globally, she is celebrated for her hilarious and encouraging work on platforms like Instagram (200k) and TikTok (80k), with multiple viral messages shared to millions around the world. As an improviser and comedic performer, she is primarily known as a veteran performer of 8000+ shows on multiple world-renowned stages, including iO Chicago (defrancisCo, Armando, HERE, Chaos Theory, The DelTones), Second City (TourCo, Dysfunctional Holiday Revue, understudy of Mainstage/etc), and ComedySportz (Chicago + CBus). As a comedic instructor, Tara is honored to be brought all over the world for her bohemian-yet professional approach to scenework - leading things like sketch revue creation, duoprov, musical work, organic Harolds, stand-up clinics, and more. Most notably, her greatest love is “HERE: The (Improvised) Musical” – a two person improvisational show called “Nothing Short of Genius” by NPR and rated 4 stars by the Chicago Tribune, Critics Choice by Sun Times, Not to Miss by Chicago Reader; HERE been brought as a headliner to 24 countries and 88 cities worldwide to date. One of the best things she’s ever made with her friends is The Improv Retreat, an event gathering hundreds of US/international artists each year for a sleepaway conference with teachers from multiple cities to celebrate their craft, brainstormed and founded in 2012. Additionally – She is the Co-Founder, Artistic Director, instructor & mainstage performer for beloved The Nest Theatre (CBus, OH), a leading performance & educational community in Ohio, producing 40+ original mainstage shows and teams year-round, a space with active COE & "nopaperwork" scholarships for those underamplified in the arts (LGBTIQ+, BIPOC, persons with disabilities, vets, and those over 65). She is an esteemed educator who has created curriculum for theatres all over the world, including all mentioned above as well as scholastic systems, and also a liaison on Ethics implementation in artistic homes. She has been a Guest Professor to the Ohio University School of Performance (Athens), as well as an Adjunct Professor of Acting for Animation at Columbus College of Art & Design. You may also hear her in jingles/voiceovers (Sirius, Rocky Rococo, Crocs, 7 Little Johnstons), a podcast (Debatables), see her in commercials or industrials (Sheetz, Dish TV, Vegas.com, US Cellular, Sears, OH Lotto, SunTrust), in movies (The Life + Times of An Unhappily Married Man), an internet game show (One Hot Dollar), or here and there in television (ABC Family, LOGO TV). As a speaker, she keynotes regarding the importance of play + presence, active listening, and connection potential for organizations seeking breakthroughs and innovation. She believes in that the tenets of improvisation & vulnerability of comedy are transformational and lifechanging, and hopes she gets to share the joy it has brought her with you.

Thomas Kelly received a degree in theater from Rhodes College and attended a two year Jacques Lecoq inspired physical theater and devising course at the London International School for the Performing Arts. In his eighteen years in Chicago, he’s studied and performed with iO, the Annoyance, Second City, and the Neofuturists. He can be seen performing live in the Holy F*ck Comedy Hour in Chicago and around the world with the award winning improv ensemble, Sand. He can be seen on TV on shows like Showtime’s Work In Progress, NBC’s Chicago Med, NBC’s Shrink, Monuments, and in the stop motion short, Sleepy Steve. He is represented by Paonessa Talent LLC.

James Quesada is the co-creator, producer and host of Sounds Funny. You might think of him as a mad scientist of improv, cooking up ideas that range from stupendous to just plain stupid. James has been featured at Improv Festivals all over the country and he's also the host of the educational channel Improv FAQ.

Kihresha is an actor, improviser, producer, and human based in NYC where she performs and teaches at The Second City Brooklyn and beyond. She’s a proud cast member of The Sounds Funny Radio podcast and a proud alum of the Florida Studio Theatre and the Sarasota Improv community!

Ali Reed, an actor, improviser, and producer, dreams of bringing improvised musical theater to Broadway. She has toured globally with productions like Baby Wants Candy, Shamilton, and Thrones! The Musical Parody, and performed Off-Broadway in Once Upon A Mattress and Blank! The Musical. Reed has regional credits nationwide and has played on house teams at The Upright Citizens Brigade and The Magnet Theater. A co-creator of Shitzprobe, she showcases Broadway stars in improvised musicals. Reed facilitates musical improv as an artist-in-residence at Carnegie Hall Ensemble Connect, Princeton University, and more. Currently, she performs in NYC with Baby Wants Candy, Shitzprobe, and Your Love Our Musical. Follow @alisreed.

Rance Rizzutto has been professionally improvising since 1999 on stages all around the world. Starting in Portland, OR with ComedySportz, Rance soon found his calling as a mainstage performer after a big move to Chicago to work professionally in improvisation. He sustained multiple tours with Second City Theatricals aboard Norweigian Cruise Lines, heading to Hawaii, the Caribbean, and multiple countries throughout Europe. In Chicago, he most connected with iO Theatre where he became an adored mainstage performer and host featured on such beloved teams Chaos Theory, The Deltones, Armando – and later, lauded two-person touring duo, “HERE: The (Improvised) Musical” which tours globally as invited headliners at festivals, schools, and performing arts centers. Incredible host, teammate, and curriculum designer, his improv and prior work experience have enabled him to help businesses grow utilizing improvisation principles for their communication and team unity needs. He is the Co-Founder, Training Center Director, instructor & mainstage performer at revered The Nest Theatre in CBus, OH. He is a mainstay at The Improv Retreat, a summit running annually for hundreds each year to invite adults to reinvigorate their joy for the arts. In addition to his hosting hundreds of live industrials, you can catch him on an internet game show (One Hot Dollar), and you may have seen Rance in television commercials for Hewlitt Packard or Sears or hear his voice in animated commercials for Sears as well (as a bear, in case you’re wondering). He is pleased to be a Guest Professor to the Ohio University School of Performance (Athens), as well as an Adjunct Professor of Acting for Animation at Columbus College of Art & Design. His life has completely transformed due to enrichment from improvisation, and finds great passion in the potential energy and fun in the comedic arts he is fortunate to have as a career.

Maged Roushdi has been improvising in the Atlanta area since 2001 and has been with Dad’s Garage Theatre Company since 2016. As an ensemble member there he has worked on performing, teaching, and developing shows both at the theater and around the Atlanta Improv community. Currently he is the Education Director at Dad’s Garage. He has had the opportunity to perform with a great deal of talented individuals including Colin Mochrie, Phil Lamarr, Amber Nash, Scott Adsit, Mark Meer, Joe Bill, and more.

Mel Rubin is a hip hop improv performer, instructor and beatboxer based out of New York City. She studied long-form improv and musical improv comedy at the Magnet Theater (NYC), and is a performer on the hip hop improv team North Coast, who has been featured in The New York Times and Time Out New York. Mel is also an active performer, workshop facilitator and public speaking coach with freestyle+. If you ever catch Mel around Brooklyn with her tiny dog Milo, be sure to say hi to her (after you say hi to Milo, of course).

Jeremy Sweetlamb is a lifelong student, director, actor, teacher, promoter, producer, and defender of improvised theatre. For over 20 years he has lived and trained in Chicago, LA, and New York before returning to his native Austin, TX. He has recorded a comedy album: Beardedlamb Sings Along to the Urban Cowboy Motion Picture Soundtrack. He has performed with Bill Hader and Bob Odenkirk at the Just for Laughs festival in Montreal. He started one of the biggest comedy festivals in the country in Out of Bounds. He continues to embrace failure gracefully by teaching middle school theatre and trying to be a good partner and Dad to two lil bitties.