The Cast

Patrick Brennan
Patrick Brennan spent many happy years with his former ensemble, SHEILA, and just finished "Postmortem", with his new friends at WNEP. He can currently be seen in "Crosscurrents" at this theatre. Thank you for coming.

Laurel Coppock
Laurel is too busy doing improv to write a bio.

Dina Facklis
Dina loves to improvise and wants to do it forever.

Fuzzy Gerdes
Fuzzy has been improvising since 1990. This one goes out to all the ladies.

Shaun Himmerick
Shaun Himmerick has been performing and teaching improvised theatre since 1993. In the past he has performed with National Velveeta, Crazy Monkeys, and Denver TheatreSports. Shaun has done scripted theatre and a sketch comedy TV show. He enjoyed training at the Annoyance theater, ImprovOlympic and the Second City. He currently does training for corporations around the country with Chicago Comedy Company. Shaun hopes to be involved when Improv takes over the world.

Elizabeth McNaughton
Elizabeth likes to take long walks by the beach, eating Häagen Daz German Chocolate ice cream, paint, and...getting caught in the rain. She can be seen around town performing at the Playground, simply shopping for groceries, or at the intersection of Kedzie & Belmont staring at the latest car she's totaled. As for her improv credits she has been on a handful of teams at ImprovOlympic , performed with Latent Image, was Buffy in: Buffy The Vampire Slayer Meets Scooby-Doo. Elizabeth has recently been cast for two other shows which open this Spring, Bedlum and Real World Improv. Elizabeth feels fortunate to have worked with and learned from Armando Diaz; she is excited to perform with this wonderful cast of not only good improvisers but also great people. She would like to thank God, her family, her out of town friends and loyal local attendees Whitney and Mathew. All of these people are constant source of support and inspiration.

Phillip Mottaz
Phillip Mottaz is an accomplished writer and actor. After graduating from Knox College in Galesburg, IL, he moved to Chicago in 1999 with his wife Rachel, and has since joined several improv groups and classes. Aside from being an original member of the Mr. Fancypants, Phillip performs at ImprovOlympic and the Playground theater, and makes up one half of the sketch group, Super Punk.

Rob Smith
Rob doesn't believe in bios.

Nancy Howland Walker
Nancy Howland Walker has been performing, teaching, and directing improv professionally since 1989. She was the Artistic Director of ImprovBoston (New England's longest running comedy troupe), The Next ImprovBoston, Picture This!, and TheatreSports of Massachusetts. In Chicago, she has performed with The Free Associates in the critically acclaimed improv shows Cast on a Hot Tin Roof, As We Like It, Pick-a-Dick, BS, Divamatic, and The Greatest Story Never Told. Nancy was head of the Free Associates improv school, and currently teaches at Players Workshop of the Second City, each year at the Chicago Improv Festival and Funny Woman Fest, and to groups around the country. She created, produces, directs, and performs in MUSICAL!the musical - a completely improvised, two-act, modern Broadway style musical, which has enjoyed critical raves, and runs in Chicago, Boston, and Nashville. Nancy also writes, performs, and teaches all over the United States with Chicago Comedy Company. She was one of six Americans sent to France for the last World Cup playoffs of the international Improvisational Theatre League, and one of two improvisers chosen from Chicago for the 2000 Montreal Just For Laughs improv competition. Nancy recently spent a winter performing and teaching improvisation for Mickey Mouse and his little company.

Zach Ward
Zach Ward was supposed to visit his parents in Maryland for Christmas. Instead he rehearsed with 10 new friends and THE Armando Diaz, only to find himself eating Cracker Jacks(TM) and surfing the web December 25th. But it was worth it! You can find Zach performing with the Harold Team Local 914 and with DUAL EXHAUST, a two-person improvised show, both at Improv Olympic. Just over a year ago a dark-haired boy with a degree in Performance Studies and a knack for MadLibs(TM) from Chapel Hill, NC came to Chicago... [and that's where this bio ends].

Julia Wolfe
Julia Wolfe has performed long-form improv at ImprovOlympic and the Playground, and with the show Dinner for Six. She has also worked with Redmoon Theatre and the Actors Gymnasium. She is very happy to be working with such a cool bunch.

The Director

Armando Diaz
Director Armando Diaz, formerly of Chicago, is a comedy/improv director, writer, and instructor. His work has been seen in Chicago at the Annoyance Theater, Second City, and includes the long running The Armando Diaz Experience at the ImprovOlympic. Diaz spent two seasons writing for the sketch comedy show The Upright Citizens Brigade for Comedy Central. He has directed numerous stage shows in New York, including the hugely popular Marooned, Two Irish Jerks and the cult-hit Perverts. He currently resides in New York where he teaches improv and sketch comedy and is a founding member of Leché Magica, a guerilla comedy video movement.

The Assistant Director

Greg Inda
Greg has very good luck. He has been a part of so many great projects including Free Mason Jar and The Eulogist. He is grateful for all the opportunities he has been blessed with and feels so special that so many can put trust into a little high school dropout from the burbs. He would like to thank his Family, The Annoyance, T.J. Jagodowski, Shaun and Fuzzy, Armando, and the whole cast for all their love and support.