Craig Cackowski
Craig has been involved with Improv Olympic as a performer, coach, teacher, and director since 1992. He recently relocated to L.A. after 11 years in Chicago, where he also performed with Second City on their 2 resident stages, and with their National Touring Company.
Currently teaching ADVANCED SCENE WORK – Level 4
Shulie Cowen
SHULIE COWEN has taught improv to kids, senior citizens, and everyone in between. She is a graduate of Northwestern University, a former member of The Second City National Touring Company, and a member of the original cast of the long running musical Schoolhouse Rock Live!. Shulie studied improv in Chicago at The Second City Training Center, The Annoyance Theatre and at Improv Olympic with Del Close. Shulie currently directs and performs in Opening Night: The Improvised Musical! every Friday at IO West. Movie and television credits include Curb Your Enthusiasm, Factory, You Don’t Mess With The Zohan, How I Met Your Mother, and Reno 911!.
Currently teaching ENSEMBLE SCENE WORK – Level 3
Shows: Opening Night: The Improvised Musical!®
Matt Craig
Matthew Craig is a professional improvisor, actor, writer, and director. He is an alum of iO Chicago, where he played with the ensembles Tobacco Lobby and Mystery Machine, and The Second City in Chicago, having performed in their Resident Company for over three years on both their Mainstage and their ETC theaters. He spent several years traveling the world with their touring company and has worked for their corporate training division as a writer/performer/instructor/director for over twelve years. His career began at Washington University in St. Louis with the troupe Mama’s Pot Roast, and additional theater credits include UCB, the Annoyance, iOWest, Disney Cruise Lines, and Brave New Workshop. Most recently, he works for Norwegian Cruise Lines writing and directing sketch comedy that is performed all over the world, is a current faculty member of the Training Center of The Second City Los Angeles, and performs regularly in his two-man show FrankenMatt and the improv group Mr. Johnson in L.A. and beyond. Check your local listings. Some recent television credits include “The Office” and “According to Jim.” He lives in Studio City with his lovely wife Rebecca and his beautiful daughter Phoebe.
Currently teaches Beginning Scene Work – Level 1
Molly Erdman
Molly Erdman spent 11 years performing at iO in Chicago with groups including Genealogy, Valhalla, The Armando Diaz Experience, and the Lindbergh Babies (directed by Del Close). She was a member of Second City’s National Touring Company and created and performed in three Mainstage shows at the Second City Chicago. For 4 years she played the quietly suffering wife in the minivan in Sonic commercials. Molly moved to LA in 2007, and she currently performs at iO with Sweetness and various places about town (and elsewhere) with Catnip.
Teams: Sweetness
Shows: The Armando Show
James Grace
James Grace, the Artistic Director of the iOWest Theater, has performed, written, produced and directed comedy for the stage, web, television and film. Credits include SUPER TROOPERS, BEER FEST, REAL WORLD HOLLYWOOD, CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM, RENO 911, MR WRONG and many more.
He has performed and taught improvisational comedy for over two decades.
Artistic Director of iO West, currently teaching Work Out Classes
Shows: The Armando Show
Karen Graci
A proud native of Buffalo, NY, Karen is a veteran improvisational performer, writer and actor, having performed with The Second City for more than three years. While touring with The Second City National Touring Company, Karen performed in The Second City’s first-ever USO Tour, entertaining American troops in Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. She was also a resident cast member of the Second City Las Vegas cast for over a year. Karen’s one-woman show, “Feel Something”, was seen in both Chicago and LA, and she currently performs with IO West’s Baby Wants Candy. Karen has taught at IO West and the Second City Las Vegas Training Center, and happily coached veteran Chicago groups such as Lesbos of Providence and KOKO.
Teaches Level 2
Teams: King Ten
Shows: The iO Rep Presents, Karen, Darrin and Aaron
Megan Grano
Megan Grano is a 2008 alum of Second City Chicago. She toured with The Second City Nat’l Touring Company for three years and wrote/performed in original revues for the ETC stage and Girls Night Out. At iO Theater, she performed on various teams over the course of 9 years. Her two favorites were the all-female groups Virgin Daiquiri and Ragdolls. The Ragdolls’ sketch comedy show “Moist” was selected for the 2007 HBO Aspen Comedy Festival. Also in 2007, Megan won The Oxygen Network’s nationwide “Create A Series” Webisode Competition.
In addition to performing, Megan teaches, coaches and directs improv and sketch comedy. She has taught improv and sketch groups around the country, she taught improv at Columbia College in Chicago, she has taught corporate comedy workshops, and she designed the sketch writing program at The Annoyance Theater in Chicago.
Currently teaching Intermediate Scene Work – Level 2 and Ensemble Scene Work – Level 3
Teams: Spirit Cat
Anne Gregory
Anne Gregory is a writer and actress who has created online content for the Independent Comedy Network, Just for Laughs and Warner Bros. At Warner Bros., she worked at their Creative Lab developing and producing comedy content for the web, focusing on web series but also creating comedy shorts for their website. Working in a small creative community within the larger context of the WB, Anne worked in teams, writing, producing and editing web content. She’s ready to take her experience at Warner Bros. to the IO Community to get an online community for the amazing talent at IO. She’s also an actress whose recent credits include Parks and Recreation and a bunch of commercials, some including CGI’d mini wheats. In addition, Anne is an improviser and sketch comedienne, performing at IOWest with Operocka and at UCB with her Harold team Delicatessen and her Maude team Nice Kitchen.
Currently teaching Writing & Producing for the Web
Shows: Operocka: An Improvised Rock Opera
Dave Hill
Dave Hill is a Chicago native and veteran improvisational performer, writer and actor who has been performing at IO (Chicago and West) for several years. Trained at ImprovOlympic, the Annoyance Theater and the Second City, he was a member of the celebrated house team People of Earth at IO Chicago in addition to performing with numerous other wonderful ensembles including Atlantis and Jimmy Jimmy Do. Here at IO West he performs with King Ten and Cog as well as regularly appearing in the Armando show and the occasional sketch affair. He has done several commercials and TV and film work, but he does not think it germane to this biography.
Currently teaching BEGINNING SCENE WORK – Level 1
Teams: King Ten
Shows: The Armando Show, The iO Rep Presents, Hill Jones, Cog
John Hindman
John Hindman is the founder of the iO West Writing Program, now in its seventh year. He has written for both television and film. As a story consultant he has provided analysis for studios, producers, and of course his students. He is the writer/director of “The Answer Man”, starring Jeff Daniels and Lauren Graham which was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and will open in theaters on July 24th. John was recently included on Hollywood’s “Black List”, a year-end list of the best screenplays, and is currently working on the screenplay “Family Moon” for Walden Media.
Currently teaches Screenwriting Workshop
Eric Hunicutt
Eric Hunicutt has been performing and studying improv since he was 15. He has trained and performed with Comedy Sportz, The Second City, and Improv Olympic in Chicago, N.C., and Los Angeles, as well as performing in commercials, TV, films, sketch shows, and live theater. He is a member of the acclaimed Chicago ensemble The Reckoning and has toured nationwide to colleges, theatres, and festivals performing and teaching improv. Eric has taught at Cal State University’s Summer Arts Program, Cal State Long Beach, and is a faculty member at Steppenwolf Classes West, the L.A. branch of Chicago’s renowned Steppenwolf Theater. In addition to performing and teaching, Eric has directed shows at iO West, UCB (NY & LA), The Second City, and the Comedy Central Stage.
Currently teaches Improv Tune-Up & Diagnostic Workshop
Teams: Sweetness
Shows: The Armando Show, The iO Rep Presents
Bridget Kloss
Bridget began performing with IO in Chicago in 1997, when she was asked to join the house team Missing Fersons. She later performed with Prefontaine for several years, and was in the shows Two Slow, Epic Prattle, and Ask Charna. In 2000 she joined the cast of The Second City National touring company, and in 2004, became a member of The Second City Mainstage cast in Las Vegas. She has taught and coached improv for over 5 years, with IO, Second city and independently around the country.
Beginning Scene Work – Level 1 and Advanced Harold – Level 7
Teams: Sweetness
Aaron Krebs
Aaron Krebs, from Texas by way of Chicago, has been involved with improv for over twelve years. He is part of the National Improv Touring Company, Mission IMPROVable, where he performed in such noted comedy festivals as: Chicago Improv Festival, Memphis Comedy Fest, Orlando Fool s Festival, Great Lakes Comedy Fest, Big Stinkin Improv Festival, as well as others. After three seasons of touring the US, he is proud to find his home here with the Improv Olympic West.
Currently teaches Intermediate Scene Work – Level 2
Shows: Karen, Darrin and Aaron
Ed Lee
Ed Lee is a WGA member as well as an alumnus of the iO West Improv Training Center. He has served as a staff writer on over 80 episodes of produced television comedy spanning five seasons. He has also written numerous freelance episodes, served as a writers’ assistant for four seasons, and worked in punch-up rooms of several television pilots. His more prominent credits include Norm, The Drew Carey Show, and Class of 3000. In addition, he has lectured and taught seminars in film and screenwriting at Wesleyan University and Gettysburg College. Ed is currently developing an original animated series with Radical Axis Media.
Currently teaching Comedy Writers Room
Michael McCarthy
Michael McCarthy’s credits include writing for “Saturday Night Live,” “Sesame Street,” and “The Drew Carey Show,” along with many, many Comedy Central projects—not to mention creating a TV series for Channel Four in England called “Beyond The Pale,” a morning radio show in Chicago called “The Morning Fix,” and a comedy festival in Ireland called “The Cat Laughs.” Prior to most of that he opened five reviews at The Second City in Chicago, three on the mainstage with titles like “Economy Of Errors” (ha), “Winner Takes Oil” (ha, ha) and “Truth, Justice or The American Way” (ha, ha, ha). He loves The iO West and richly enjoys referring to himself in the third person.
Currently teaches Sitcom Writing, Talk Show Writing, Pilot Writing, and Saturday Night Live Portfolio Classes.
Shows: Comedy Lab Live
Susan Messing
Susan Messing has been a comedienne and improvisor for over twenty four years. Based in Chicago, she performs and teaches, and creates curriculum for iO, The Second City, and The Annoyance, where she is a founding member. Chicago Magazine named her “Funniest Woman in Chicago,” the Chicago Reader gave her a shout out for Best Improviser, and she is Chicago Improv Festival’s Improvisor of the Year 2010. Her critically acclaimed show, Messing with a Friend, just celebrated its fourth year anniversary at The Annoyance. This is the only class she will be teaching this year in Los Angeles.
Derek Miller
Derek hails from Chicago where he grew up watching improv and started IO in the summer of 1994. He is the co-founder of the Indiana University troupe FullFrontal Comedy, which is in it’s tenth year. He has performed improv in London with 100% Fiction and at Second City and Ultimate Improv in Westwood. His IO credits include Bitter Noah: The Improvised Movie, Squadron and Opening Night! The Improvised Musical, now in its seventh smash year at IO west. Derek has appeared on Scrubs, Mad TV, Crossballs and MTV’s Fear (he’s the one that cried like a little girl).
Currently teaches Beginning Scene Work – Level 1 and Intermediate Forms – Level 6
Shows: Opening Night: The Improvised Musical!®
Brian O'Connell
http://www.brianjamesoconnell.com/bio
Shows: Dr. God, EXTRA STRENGTH, The Armando Show, Top Story! Weekly, Top Twending Topics, Dr. God Revival with Special Guest, Tigerpants, The Wild, Those Who Oppose Us Will Stand Knee Deep in the Blood of Their Children
Marion Austin Oberle
Marion Oberle has been writing and performing for many a moon. After years of doing “straight” theatre she stumbled upon ImprovOlympic and has never gone back. In Chicago, she was lucky enough to perform with the house team Carl and The Passions every Wednesday night for 4 years. She is one of the founders of the critically acclaimed sketch group Brick that has performed over 9 original shows as well as headlined in the San Francisco Sketch Festival, The Chicago sketch festival, and the Chicago Improv Festival. Marion has also written two novels, a self-help book entitled “How Did My Ass Get So Big?” and a variety of articles in magazines you’ve never heard off. You can catch Marion on Comedy Central with the “B & D Squad”.
Currently teaches Intermediate Scene Work – Level 2 and Ensemble Scene Work – Level 3
Shows: The iO Rep Presents
David Razowsky
David Razowsky is the respected teacher and former artistic director of the Second City Los Angeles. As an actor, David has written and performed in ten Second City Chicago revues. He directed Second City Chicago Mainstage’s No, Seriously, We’re All Gonna Die, Second City LA’s, Encino Evil, The Second City Untitled Project, The Second City Detroit’s acclaimed 19th Nervous Breakdown, and The Second City National Touring Company. David also directed two of Amsterdam’s Boom Chicago productions, and is credited with creating Boom Chicago’s signature live on-stage video production. David has worked with animators at Dreamworks, and has taught for Steppenwolf Theatre. He regularly performs at iO with Carrie Clifford in Razowsky & Clifford.
Shows: The Armando Show
Scot Robinson
Scot can be seen every Saturday night as Hori Pismo in “The Lampshades” as well as other shows at ImprovOlympic West. From Chicago, Scot helped create over thirty original shows, including Chicago’s longest running musical Coed Prison Sluts, and The Real Live Brady Bunch as a performer, writer, teacher, and director at the nationally renowned Annoyance Theatre. After appearing in the independent film Fatty Drives the Bus, he moved to Los Angeles in 1997. Scot appears in King Pictures Treasure Island, and was featured in The Second City’s “The Untitled Second City Project” as well as a successful two year run of the original sketch comedy show The Dickie Bell Twist Dance Party, gracing the stages of the HBO Workspace, The Comedy Store, ImprovOlympic, Bang Theater, and New York’s Upright Citizens Brigade Theater.
Currently teaches Advanced Harold – Level 7
Shows: The Lampshades
Brandon J. Sornberger
Brandon J. Sornberger is originally from serene Upstate New York. He has performed and taught improv in New York City, Boston, Chicago, and now Los Angeles. While at iO Chicago, he performed with the iO Muscial Featuring The Deltones, Bullet Lounge, and Let Them Ho’s Fight. He is happily married and has an affinity for cowboy boots.
Currently teaches HAROLD – Level 5 and Intermediate Forms – Level 6
Teams: Powerhouse
Shows: The Armando Show, The iO Rep Presents, Bacon Donut, Open Mic Stand Up
Pam Thomas
Pamela Thomas has worked in the entertainment industry for over 20 years as a casting director(SNL),producer(Kids in the Hall),personal manager(Jamie Kennedy,Maya Rudolph) and development executive(Universal Studios,HBO) She has a wealth of information to share on marketing your talent,finding representation,putting together a professional portfolio and basically following your bliss in the field of comedy.
Jim Woods
Jim performed at IO in Chicago with the long standing house team, “Deep Schwa” before being hired and moving out to Amsterdam to perform with the famed comedy theater, Boom Chicago. He has taught, coached and directed at IO, Boom Chicago, UCB and Comedy Sportz. In LA, Jim performs with his Harold Teams “Sweetness” at IO West and “The Smokes” & “Last Day of School” at UCB. His television credits include “Reno 911”, “How I Met Your Mother” and “The Office”.
Currently teaches THE HAROLD – Level 5
Teams: Sweetness
Shows: Holiday Inn Express