OUR TEAM
Improv Utopia Staff & Board
Nick Armstrong
Founder and Executive Director
nick@improvutopia.com
Nick is an Actor, Improvisor and Writer living in Los Angeles, CA. Onstage Nick has trained at The Groundlings and iO West. He is a Sunday Company alum at The Groundlings and is the former Artistic Director of Mi's Westside Comedy Theater. He is also the co-owner of Voodoo Comedy in Denver, Colorado. You can catch him on LA’s critically acclaimed Harold team King Ten and County Line at M.I.'s Westside Comedy Theater.
On TV, Nick has been on the Emmy-Award winning shows The Office and Grey’s Anatomy. He has also made appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Stan Against Evil, Raising Hope, New Girl and Parks and Recreation. Nick has been improvising and teaching for over 20 years and has taught and performed at many festivals in the U.S. and around the World including: The Phoenix Improv Festival, San Francisco Improv Festival, Improv Fest Ireland, Seattle Improv Festival, Red Rocks Improv Festival in Utah, Out of Bounds in Austin, TX and many more. He is also Co-Founder of the The Improv Network. Feel free to following him @nickarmstrong on Twitter and @mrenergy on Instagram
Jacque Arend
Managing Director
jacque@improvutopia.com
Jacque Arend found improv in 2005 through iO Chicago's summer intensive. After that experience Jacque joined with other improvisors in Phoenix, Arizona to found The Torch Theatre in 2007. Jacque was a Board Member, Senior Instructor, Administrator, Operations & Theater Manager, building infrastructure, managing students, producing shows, managing volunteers, updating the website and handling ticketing services until 2018. Jacque joined the Phoenix Improv Festival team in 2006 and shortly became the Hospitality Manager and then the Managing Director of the Festival until 2017.
Jacque is now an Associate Artistic Director, Improv Instructor & Operations Manager/Admin for Arizona Actors Academy & has been with Improv Utopia on staff since 2015. She is also a freelance artist & coach offering applied improvisation as part of her diversified portfolio.
Anita Nicholson
Interim Diversity Advisor
Anita Nicholson has trained at Philly Improv Theater and the Magnet. Regionally, she performed with Bright Invention Improv, ComedySportz's LongForm Team, Darkwood, and Liberty City Radio. Her M.A. from Cornell and undergraduate degree at the University of Pennsylvania surround representations of the Other in Western Culture. At Booz Allen, she served on the board for the company's Workforce Leadership Council which partnered with the company's Women's Organization, Environmental Group, and Community Partnerships. She is currently on the board for Gamma Phi Delta's Trenton branch, a group focused on supporting diverse Women of Color in Business. She currently covers diversity in theater with Broad Street Review.
Jessica Young
Activities Director and Board Member
info@improvutopia.com
Jessica is an improviser/actress/stand up comedian in Los Angeles who performs weekly at I.O. West since 2003. Her first group was the infamous Nite Terrors along side Nick Armstrong and John Abbott. Jessica has been an original cast member of the Kind Strangers for the last 5 years. They have traveled to Improv Festivals across the country bringing their unique style of genreprov, their signature form being improvised Tennessee Williams. Jessica’s latest endeavor is stand up comedy which you can see live, on YouTube, or if you’re lucky, on the back porch of Mozzi’s Saloon during Improv Utopia. She loves the outdoors and attended her first sleep away camp at age 8. Jessica can’t wait to bring the “Arts to the Crafts” at camp this summer.
Brandon Hensgen
Lead Designer
Brandon Hensgens has been performing improv since 2011. He is a teacher and performer at Finest City Improv in San Diego, CA. Brandon started his improv journey by auditioning for his first group, Roar. Since then, he has been non-stop. He has trained at iO West, Pack Theater, Dosage Improv, and Roar Theatre. You can catch him perform with his indie teams, Roar, Greg Hess’ Hair, and Craft Beer Festival. He is also the director and producer of the Harry Potter improv show, Dungeons and Dementors. Since 2013, Brandon has worked as an actor in the cast of Dinner Detective.
Outside of improv, Brandon is a graphic designer for a local news affiliate. When he isn’t working or performing, Brandon is traveling for the sole purpose to eat more food, watching Great British Bake-Off, sitting in the front row of a Robot Teammate show.
Wendy Penrod
Board Member
info@improvutopia.com
Wendy is a founding member of OTC Comedy and the current Artistic Director. She has been studying and performing improvisational theatre for over 15 years. She is also a member of Pawn Takes Queen and has performed internationally. Wendy co-founded both the Red Rocks Improv Festival and Ye Olde Improv Competition. She is currently one of OTC Comedy's instructors and has taught improv to people of all ages for over 10 years.
Alrinthea Carter
Board Member
info@improvutopia.com
Brian James O’ Connell
Board Member
Brian James O’Connell is an actor, writer, director, filmmaker and improviser in Los Angeles. Brian is a graduate of the North Carolina School of the Arts and moved to Los Angeles in 2000 to follow his dreams of a career in filmmaking. Brian has been with the iOWest Theater since March of 2003. With his internationally touring improv duo Billyhawk and iOWest’s legendary improv group Dr. God, Brian has performed in festivals in Denver, Phoenix, Toronto, Philadelphia, Austin, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Chapel Hill, NC. Brian can be seen performing at iOWest currently with Dr. God, EXTRA STRENGTH, garguilO’connell, and Tigerpants. His first feature film as writer/director, KILLER VIEW, will be released theatrically in the Fall of 2010 by Fabrication Films/Grindstone Entertainment.
Chris Moody
Board Member
chris@improvutopia.com
Chris performs regularly at the Pointless Brewery and Theatre (pointlessbrew.com) in Ann Arbor, Michigan with the League of Pointless Improvisers and at festivals around North America with Consolation Fries and Holiday Road. He is one of the founders of the Detroit Improv Festival and the Detroit Improv Collective, Inc. and he volunteers and teaches improv workshops regularly at Gilda's Club Metro Detroit. He spends his weekdays as the Show Operations Manager with SME and travels regularly for work to improv cities around North America. He is also the husband of Improv Utopia East's Arts & Crafts instructor Beverly Moody and the owner of Giuseppe the Camp Dog.
Craig Cackowski
Advisor and Consultant
info@improvutopia.com
Craig Cackowski has been performing, teaching, directing and coaching improvisation for the iO and iO West theaters since 1992. While in Chicago, he was part of such groundbreaking productions as Frank Booth In The Blue Velvet Lounge, Close Quarters and JTS Brown. He also worked as a performer and director for The Second City, acting in and co-writing five revues on the Mainstage and ETC, including the Jeff Award-nominated The Revelation Will Not Be Televised. Since moving to Los Angeles, he has performed extensively at the iO West, UCB and Second City theaters, and is the three-time Del Close Award winner for iO West Teacher of the Year. Along with Bob Dassie and Rich Talarico, he has performed all over the country with Dasariski (check out their website at dasariski.com) and their short film Jakarta Boom Boom played at HBO’s Aspen and Las Vegas Comedy Festivals.
Other festival appearances include the Chicago Improv Festival, Del Close Marathon, SF Sketchfest, Out Of Bounds Austin, Just For Laughs Montreal, Phoenix Improv Festival, Denver Improv Festival, Telluride Comedy Festival, and Dallas Comedy Festival. As an actor, he may be seen in his recurring role as “Officer Cackowski” on the acclaimed NBC sitcom Community, as well as TV appearances on How I Met Your Mother, Workaholics, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Arrested Development, and in the film Year Of The Dog, directed by Mike White. He is also a original member of the Workjuice Players, the cast of the popular live radio show (and podcast!) The Thrilling Adventure Show. Subscribe at iTunes or on Nerdist.com.
Neil Curran
Camp Director International
info@lowerthetone.com
Neil has been teaching and performing improv both in Ireland and abroad for many years. Aside from running improv courses for people from beginner to advanced level, Neil also runs bespoke courses. Outside of Ireland, Neil has taught in London, Brussels, Shanghai, San Francisco, Barcelona, Krakow and San Jose.
Neil has taught at the Slapdash Festival London, Barcelona Improv Festival, Improfest Krakow and San Jose Improv Festival.
Neil has also provided key training solutions and workshops to many well known organisations both in Ireland, UK and the US including Google, Facebook, IMI, Smurfit Business School, Dropbox, AdRoll, AIB and UCD, to name but a few. He is a certified Personal & Executive Coach. Neil is currently in the middle of a Masters in Training & Education.
Ashley Knaysi
Camp Nurse
info@improvutopia.com
Ashley Knaysi graduated from Wesleyan University with a degree in Theater and Film Studies. It was there that she first started studying and performing improv comedy, and it has remained a major guiding force in her life ever since. While living in New York, she studied at UCB as well as performing theater and improv with Backhouse Productions, a theater company created with former classmates and fellow improvisers from college. From there she moved to Los Angeles to work and study with IO West, performing with multiple teams over the course of ten years. When a return to nursing school brought her to Richmond VA for several years, she continued performing regularly and teaching long form improv with the group West Side Comedy. For the last five years since returning to LA she has been a part of the Team Big Yellow Taxi, graduated from USC and become a family nurse practitioner, and has been given the distinct honor of the position of official Camp Nurse of Camp Improv Utopia!
Camp Utopia East 2022
Jacque Arend
Camp Director
jacque@improvutopia.com
Jacque Arend found improv in 2005 through iO Chicago's summer intensive. After that experience Jacque joined with other improvisors in Phoenix, Arizona to found The Torch Theatre in 2007. Jacque was a Board Member, Senior Instructor, Administrator, Operations & Theater Manager, building infrastructure, managing students, producing shows, managing volunteers, updating the website and handling ticketing services until 2018. Jacque joined the Phoenix Improv Festival team in 2006 and shortly became the Hospitality Manager and then the Managing Director of the Festival until 2017.
Jacque is now an Associate Artistic Director, Improv Instructor & Operations Manager/Admin for Arizona Actors Academy & has been with Improv Utopia on staff since 2015. She is also a freelance artist & coach offering applied improvisation as part of her diversified portfolio.
Chris Moody
Assistant Camp Director
chris@improvutopia.com
Chris performs regularly at the Pointless Brewery and Theatre (pointlessbrew.com) in Ann Arbor, Michigan with the League of Pointless Improvisers and at festivals around North America with Consolation Fries and Holiday Road. He is one of the founders of the Detroit Improv Festival and the Detroit Improv Collective, Inc. and he volunteers and teaches improv workshops regularly at Gilda's Club Metro Detroit. He spends his weekdays as the Show Operations Manager with SME and travels regularly for work to improv cities around North America. He is also the husband of Improv Utopia East's Arts & Crafts instructor Beverly Moody and the owner of Giuseppe the Camp Dog.
Anita Nicholson
Diversity Advisor
Anita Nicholson has trained at Philly Improv Theater and the Magnet. Regionally, she performed with Bright Invention Improv, ComedySportz's LongForm Team, Darkwood, and Liberty City Radio. Her M.A. from Cornell and undergraduate degree at the University of Pennsylvania surround representations of the Other in Western Culture. At Booz Allen, she served on the board for the company's Workforce Leadership Council which partnered with the company's Women's Organization, Environmental Group, and Community Partnerships. She is currently on the board for Gamma Phi Delta's Trenton branch, a group focused on supporting diverse Women of Color in Business. She currently covers diversity in theater with Broad Street Review.
Ashley Knaysi
Camp Nurse
Ashley Knaysi graduated from Wesleyan University with a degree in Theater and Film Studies. It was there that she first started studying and performing improv comedy, and it has remained a major guiding force in her life ever since. While living in New York, she studied at UCB as well as performing theater and improv with Backhouse Productions, a theater company created with former classmates and fellow improvisers from college. From there she moved to Los Angeles to work and study with IO West, performing with multiple teams over the course of ten years. When a return to nursing school brought her to Richmond VA for several years, she continued performing regularly and teaching long form improv with the group West Side Comedy. For the last five years since returning to LA she has been a part of the Team Big Yellow Taxi, graduated from USC and become a family nurse practitioner, and has been given the distinct honor of the position of official Camp Nurse of Camp Improv Utopia!
Michelle Giorlando
Co-Head Counselor
Michelle has been improvising since 2008 and is part of both the shortform and longform resident companies at Go Comedy Improv Theater in Ferndale, Michigan. She has taught many semesters of intro to improv classes and was the director of volunteers at the Detroit Improv Festival for seven years. Michelle is also part of She Knows, She Knows, an all-female Harold troupe, and The Infirmary Players, an improvised Tennessee Williams troupe comprised of members from around the country and formed at CIU Yosemite 2017. CIU East 2022 marks her 15th Camp Improv Utopia!When not improvising, Michelle can be found working on her freelance copywriting/UX writing business, gardening while talking to birds, and discussing Schitt’s Creek with anyone who will listen.
Katie Perzanowski
Co-Head Counselor
Katie Perzanowski has been improvising since 2005. She founded the improv program at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT while earning her Bachelor of Science in both Math and Media Studies. She can be found performing with KnucklePuck at Sea Tea Comedy Theater in Hartford, CT where they perform their signature format- The KnucklePuck. She is a three time Connecticut Improv Cage Match Champion and has performed at numerous festivals with various groups, including with her two-prov partner, Richard, in ImprovFest Ireland. Katie is a huge fan of CAAAAMP!!! and can't wait to welcome all campers to CIU East 2022! Feel free to ask her about dogs, sea turtles, seals, beluga whales, and swing dancing.
Kristen Schier
Dining Manager
Kristen Schier has extensive improv teaching, directing, and performing experience. She holds a BFA in Performing Arts from the University of the Arts where she taught Acting for Non-Majors, Improvisation for the Actor, and first-year Acting Studio. She has toured all over the country teaching and performing at various festivals such as the Seattle Festival of Improvised Theater, Chicago Improv Festival, Vancouver International Improv Festival, Boom Chicago Comedy Festival in Amsterdam, and more. Kristen is the former Co-Artistic Director of Curious Comedy in Portland Oregon and former Improv Producer at the Philly Improv Theater. She has studied improv at Second City, Magnet Theater, and Annoyance. Kristen has also studied Physical Theater, clown, extensively with Pig Iron Theater company and Movement Theater Studio.
Deborah Lohse
Merchandise Manager
DEBORAH LOHSE (comedian, dancer and choreographer) Select performances include DANCENOW, American Dance Festival, Chicago Contemporary Circus Festival, United Solo Theater Festival and The Stonewall Inn. Select commissions include Women In Motion, Mantra Percussion and SUNY Purchase and residencies from The Yard, Marble House Project, Djerassi Resident Artist Program, Acadia Summer Arts Program and SILO. As a performer, Lohse has worked with theater director Anne Kau man, visual artist Suzanne Bocanegra and choreographers Monica Bill Barnes, Doug Elkins and dance comedy crew LMnO3, Ballez, The Bang Group and currently performs with Bindlesti Family Cirkus and as her alter ego indefatigable cabaret persona TruDee.
Jessica Young
Arts & Crafts
info@improvutopia.com
Jessica is an improviser/actress/stand up comedian in Los Angeles who performs weekly at I.O. West since 2003. Her first group was the infamous Nite Terrors along side Nick Armstrong and John Abbott. Jessica has been an original cast member of the Kind Strangers for the last 5 years. They have traveled to Improv Festivals across the country bringing their unique style of genreprov, their signature form being improvised Tennessee Williams. Jessica’s latest endeavor is stand up comedy which you can see live, on YouTube, or if you’re lucky, on the back porch of Mozzi’s Saloon during Improv Utopia. She loves the outdoors and attended her first sleep away camp at age 8. Jessica can’t wait to bring the “Arts to the Crafts” at camp this summer.
Michael J. Astrauskas
Free Time Activities Manager & Tiny Festival Producer
Michael J. Astrauskas is an improvisor, photographer, and producer living in the San Francisco Bay Area. After getting a taste of improv in high school, Michael has trained and performed in the Bay Area as well as at many festivals and workshops around the world, including in Utah, Pennsylvania, and Ireland. In San Francisco, Michael has trained, performed, taught, and produced at Endgames improv; plus helps produce the San Francisco Improv Festival and independent comedy show SFBarprov. His improv background includes Shakespeare, masks, Viewpoints, and various other forms. He can be seen capturing moments at Bay Area festivals and shadows, and is staff photographer for Leela Improv. Michael is part of trio Leaves of Three, duo Charmers Duo, Vintage Improv Festival house team Team Merritt, and InterCity Improv house team Unicorn Kingdom. Outside of SF, he is a producer for the Improv in Action Network and InterCity Improv. Festival credits include the Red Rocks Improv Festival, Countdown Improv Festival, San Jose Improv Festival, and Wasatch Improv Festival. Making friends is what got Michael into improv, and the community is the number one reason he’s stuck around.
Nick Armstrong
Support Staff
nick@improvutopia.com
Nick is an Actor, Improvisor and Writer living in Los Angeles, CA. Onstage Nick has trained at The Groundlings and iO West. He is a Sunday Company alum at The Groundlings and is the former Artistic Director of Mi's Westside Comedy Theater. He is also the co-owner of Voodoo Comedy in Denver, Colorado. You can catch him on LA’s critically acclaimed Harold team King Ten and County Line at M.I.'s Westside Comedy Theater.
On TV, Nick has been on the Emmy-Award winning shows The Office and Grey’s Anatomy. He has also made appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Stan Against Evil, Raising Hope, New Girl and Parks and Recreation. Nick has been improvising and teaching for over 20 years and has taught and performed at many festivals in the U.S. and around the World including: The Phoenix Improv Festival, San Francisco Improv Festival, Improv Fest Ireland, Seattle Improv Festival, Red Rocks Improv Festival in Utah, Out of Bounds in Austin, TX and many more. He is also Co-Founder of the The Improv Network. Feel free to following him @nickarmstrong on Twitter and @mrenergy on Instagram
Camp Utopia Yosemite 2022
Jacque Arend
Camp Director
jacque@improvutopia.com
Jacque Arend found improv in 2005 through iO Chicago's summer intensive. After that experience Jacque joined with other improvisors in Phoenix, Arizona to found The Torch Theatre in 2007. Jacque was a Board Member, Senior Instructor, Administrator, Operations & Theater Manager, building infrastructure, managing students, producing shows, managing volunteers, updating the website and handling ticketing services until 2018. Jacque joined the Phoenix Improv Festival team in 2006 and shortly became the Hospitality Manager and then the Managing Director of the Festival until 2017.
Jacque is now an Associate Artistic Director, Improv Instructor & Operations Manager/Admin for Arizona Actors Academy & has been with Improv Utopia on staff since 2015. She is also a freelance artist & coach offering applied improvisation as part of her diversified portfolio.
Camp Utopia West 2022
Wendy Penrod
Camp Director
info@improvutopia.com
Wendy is a founding member of OTC Comedy and the current Artistic Director. She has been studying and performing improvisational theatre for over 15 years. She is also a member of Pawn Takes Queen and has performed internationally. Wendy co-founded both the Red Rocks Improv Festival and Ye Olde Improv Competition. She is currently one of OTC Comedy's instructors and has taught improv to people of all ages for over 10 years.
Jacque Arend
Assistant Camp Director
jacque@improvutopia.com
Jacque Arend found improv in 2005 through iO Chicago's summer intensive. After that experience Jacque joined with other improvisors in Phoenix, Arizona to found The Torch Theatre in 2007. Jacque was a Board Member, Senior Instructor, Administrator, Operations & Theater Manager, building infrastructure, managing students, producing shows, managing volunteers, updating the website and handling ticketing services until 2018. Jacque joined the Phoenix Improv Festival team in 2006 and shortly became the Hospitality Manager and then the Managing Director of the Festival until 2017.
Jacque is now an Associate Artistic Director, Improv Instructor & Operations Manager/Admin for Arizona Actors Academy & has been with Improv Utopia on staff since 2015. She is also a freelance artist & coach offering applied improvisation as part of her diversified portfolio.
Sean Geary
Head Counselor
Brian James O’ Connell
Dining Manager
Brian James O’Connell is an actor, writer, director, filmmaker and improviser in Los Angeles. Brian is a graduate of the North Carolina School of the Arts and moved to Los Angeles in 2000 to follow his dreams of a career in filmmaking. Brian has been with the iOWest Theater since March of 2003. With his internationally touring improv duo Billyhawk and iOWest’s legendary improv group Dr. God, Brian has performed in festivals in Denver, Phoenix, Toronto, Philadelphia, Austin, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Chapel Hill, NC. Brian can be seen performing at iOWest currently with Dr. God, EXTRA STRENGTH, garguilO’connell, and Tigerpants. His first feature film as writer/director, KILLER VIEW, will be released theatrically in the Fall of 2010 by Fabrication Films/Grindstone Entertainment.
Jessica Young
Arts & Crafts
info@improvutopia.com
Jessica is an improviser/actress/stand up comedian in Los Angeles who performs weekly at I.O. West since 2003. Her first group was the infamous Nite Terrors along side Nick Armstrong and John Abbott. Jessica has been an original cast member of the Kind Strangers for the last 5 years. They have traveled to Improv Festivals across the country bringing their unique style of genreprov, their signature form being improvised Tennessee Williams. Jessica’s latest endeavor is stand up comedy which you can see live, on YouTube, or if you’re lucky, on the back porch of Mozzi’s Saloon during Improv Utopia. She loves the outdoors and attended her first sleep away camp at age 8. Jessica can’t wait to bring the “Arts to the Crafts” at camp this summer.
TJ Penrod
Merchandise Manager
Michael J. Astrauskas
Free Time Activities Manager & Tiny Fest Producer
Michael J. Astrauskas is an improvisor, photographer, and producer living in the San Francisco Bay Area. After getting a taste of improv in high school, Michael has trained and performed in the Bay Area as well as at many festivals and workshops around the world, including in Utah, Pennsylvania, and Ireland. In San Francisco, Michael has trained, performed, taught, and produced at Endgames improv; plus helps produce the San Francisco Improv Festival and independent comedy show SFBarprov. His improv background includes Shakespeare, masks, Viewpoints, and various other forms. He can be seen capturing moments at Bay Area festivals and shadows, and is staff photographer for Leela Improv. Michael is part of trio Leaves of Three, duo Charmers Duo, Vintage Improv Festival house team Team Merritt, and InterCity Improv house team Unicorn Kingdom. Outside of SF, he is a producer for the Improv in Action Network and InterCity Improv. Festival credits include the Red Rocks Improv Festival, Countdown Improv Festival, San Jose Improv Festival, and Wasatch Improv Festival. Making friends is what got Michael into improv, and the community is the number one reason he’s stuck around.
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