(She/Her) Julia was first introduced to improv comedy via an Improv for Everyone workshop hosted by Bandit Theater, and was immediately drawn to the culture of inclusivity, psychological safety, and silliness that’s inherent to the Bandit community. Since then, she’s been an avid student and performer at Bandit, and is a cast member on The Reader. In her day job, Julia is a Finance Manager at a tech company where she has gained experience in navigating ambiguous business problems, and using data to inform decision-making. She is excited to partner her experience in data analysis and business strategy with her values of Community and Growth to expand Bandit’s outreach and impact in the Seattle area.

(They/Them) Hannah gets four scoops of food each day. They need to go outside first thing in the morning and they need a long walk or jog in the evening. They usually nap on the couch during the day but occasionally they get the zoomies. They’re very food motivated, so keep your snacks out of sight. They absolutely love the dog park and play nicely with others for the most part. They’re a very good girl. The only thing to look out for is that sometimes when they’re bored, they chew on furniture. Thanks again for watching Hannah!

(She/Her) Melissa was a goofy lil theatre kid who could not sing or be bothered to memorize lines, so naturally found her performance art destiny to be improv comedy. She was on the University of Central Florida’s (UCF) house team (shoutout Jorts Lopez), taught Level 2 at the UCF Improv Academy, helped create a Femprov workshop to teach inclusivity in comedy to college students, and eventually she ditched Florida for Seattle where she found her new home amongst the mountains and at Bandit Theater. These days she is beyond thrilled to be playing in Bandit’s tarot based show, The Reader.

(He/Him) John is a returning to improv after taking break to get his shit together. Before this version, John did longform improv shows with jet city improv, and a weekly improv podcast. Before that he wandered in the wilderness of service jobs, and in the distant mists of history he studied acting in college and tried to work as an actor in Chicago and los Angeles. I know he doesn’t seem that old? now He spends time being a best uncle to a brilliant niece and nephew, trying to do a maximum number of push-ups, zipping around on scooter, and working on a psychology degree. He is very grateful to be a part of the bandit company and this show!

(She/Her) Janelle is a born and raised Brookylnite, who is a recent transplant to the area. Prior to moving to Seattle, Janelle started her improv training five years ago at the Magnet Theater and UCB. This then led to her performing weekly on the Magnet Theater stage with her team, Sweetheart, and performing with her indie team, Fight Club Sandwich, at different improv festivals around the country. Once she moved to Seattle, she made connections in the improv community which allowed her to perform with Unexpected Productions. She performed in their two seasonal shows: Campfire and An Improvised Christmas Carol. Janelle is super excited to now have the ability to perform and mentor new improvisers at Bandit Theater.

(She/Her) Caroline is an ex-competitive figure skater, reality tv aficionado, and the nicest Masshole you’ll ever meet. She took her first improv class on her birthday in 2019 and it’s been the gift that keeps on giving. She recently moved to Seattle from Los Angeles and is thrilled to be a part of the Bandit community! You can catch her performing with The Reader and directing First Date.

(He/Him) Chris is an improviser, self-proclaimed DJ and backyard bar owner from Seattle. In 2020, Chris started taking classes through Jet City and has since taken an unsolicited blood oath to all things Bandit Theater. You can find him behind a computer as the editor of the Bandit Bulletin, performing in The Reader or vigorously taking notes as the assistant director for Swipe Right. He’s 5’9”.

(He/Him) Grant grew up in Georgia but decided to leave all that Southern Charm behind to do Comedy in the Pacific Northwest. Grant has been performing and directing for the last 12 years. Grant got a BFA in Acting and Directing but prefers to make things up as he goes. His Improv comedy is based on listening and honesty after all you need to know which way the world should be facing before you turn it all upside down! You can find Grant performing Comedy with Bandit Theatre in "The Reader", hosting a new show "The Couples Quiz", and if you're lucky at an Open Mic. Grant is pretty neat, you should see for yourself!

(She/Her) Jess has a terrible sense of direction but a fantastic sense of adventure. Originally from a rural farm in Iowa, she has impossibly high standards for corn and a low bar for just about everything else. She fell in love with improv when she joined her college's improv team Heywire. After moving to Seattle, she got back into improvising by meeting two strange men in a park for an improv meetup. She's thrilled to be performing with Bandit Theater now and not in parks with strangers.

(She/Her) Annie is the Founder and Artistic Director at Bandit. She has been performing improv and comedy since 2009. She is delighted to be performing on "Swipe Right" and "The Reader". She has taught all levels of improv at Bandit but currently is planting the Bandit improv seeds in Tacoma, Washington where she lives with her husband and cats Gilligan and Zizi.

(They/Them) Jaime initially fell in love with improv via podcast (With Special Guest Lauren Lapkus) and through this podcast obsession, signed up for their first improv class at Jet City Improv in 2018. They immediately knew that improv was now going to be a part of their life. Jaime started taking classes with Bandit Theater in 2019, and was cast on The Reader in 2020. They started teaching with Bandit in 2022, accompanying others on their journey of discovering how much fun it is to make stuff up. They are so much better at eye contact and listening and confidence and attention and imperfection thanks to improv.

(She/Her) Laura's grandmother calls her Laura Bean, which is a shortened version of her childhood nickname "Laura Jeanne the Jumping Bean". Laura's best friend calls her Loo, because Laura is not easily turned into a 1 syllable name. One of Laura's students once called her "Ms. Pumpkin Patch Lady" because of a sweater she wore to school that made her "look like an English teacher" even though she isn't. Laura often introduces herself as "Laura?" because she's a little shy when meeting new people! No matter what you call her (just don't call her late to dinner, am I right?), Laura loves improv and has the time of her life performing with Swipe Right.

(He/Him) Meet Jonny Riecke, a seasoned improviser with a passion for comedy that's as big as Texas. Jonny began his improv journey at the Dallas Comedy House in 2017 and has been a part of Bandit Theater since its inception in 2018. Known for his unwavering support of his fellow performers, Jonny also shares his wisdom by teaching and directing improv. With a heart as big as his humor, Jonny brings laughter and camaraderie to the stage with every performance.

(He/Him) Zak has been kicking around the Seattle comedy scene since 2009, and often brings an earnest sense of absurdity to any scene he's in. Born and raised in Seattle, Zak performs sketch comedy with Drop the Root Beer and Run in addition to being a part of the Swipe Right cast. He also is an obsessive soccer fan, lover of pies, and dislikes sweet pickles. If pressed, he would make a really gross juice.

(She/Her) Amanda was an actor, director, and teacher in the theatre community in Portland, Oregon for years and has a BS in Theatre Arts from Portland State University. Since becoming a pediatric nurse and moving to Seattle in 2011, she gets her theatre fix through improv. She is a member of the improv troupe, Captain, where she enjoys sharing the stage with other hilarious women. She is a Bandit long-form improv student and member of Swipe Right. She has never online dated because she is very old.

(He/Him) Mack has been doing improv for 10 years, but didn't take any formal improv classes until he enrolled in Bandit's training program in 2019. Mack currently performs in the cast of Swipe Right, and has performed in Seattle with indie teams Lowbrow, Mean Streak, Recovering Catholics, and KEITH.

(He/Him) Originally from Connecticut, Matthew has been doing improv comedy for 10 years. While getting his BFA in Acting at Central Connecticut State University he joined the school’s improv team on a trip to New York City for a workshop with UCB. After discovering he never had to learn another line, Matthew was immediately hooked. He did most of his training at the UCB in NYC where he learned long-form game-based improv. In 2018, he got involved with Bandit Theater and is currently on the cast of Swipe Right, and is involved in all video, photo, and technical aspects of Bandit. He also plays around town with his indie team The Bad Boys of Ballard. He is the singer/guitarist with the rock band Bad Honey and works full-time in Film Production.

(He/Him) Paul Curry is a gay Seattle comedy boy who looks like he’s 13 or 30. Paul has been doing stand up comedy for five years and has recently started improvisational comedy. Self-described "champion", Paul performed in Bumbershoot 2019’s local comic’s showcase and was recently a finalist at the Tacoma Super Funny Comedy Club Funniest Mother F’er competition. Paul is also Dungeon Master in the sensational Seattle/Tacoma show Dungeons and Drag Queens.

(She/Her) Erica’s improv comedy style is grounded in terrorizing all of her teammates on stage in the most supportive of ways. Her comedy roots began as an alumni of Seattle University’s D1 Improv team where she peaked. She is a current member of Captain, Yeah Okay, and any opportunity that will involve wearing a fun wig. Erica’s other passions include singing to Justin Beiber in spin classes, pumpkin spice lattes (specifically 16-oz iced, almond milk & 2 pumps), the TV show Hoarders, and a hearty wellness routine of a daily nap.

(He/Him) Mike Kroner started performing improv comedy by accident in 2004 at Oberlin College, when he auditioned for an improv group as an acting class assignment. He loved it and hasn’t acted since. Mike performed in improv groups around Ohio, including at the Nest Theater in Columbus and Something Dada in Cleveland, before moving to Seattle and joining the Bandit Theater. One time, he couldn’t make it to a rehearsal for his Columbus indie group because of a family thing—when he got back they told him no scenes got edited and they didn't realize he was the only one doing that.

(She/Her) Ellie started doing improv in 2014 at the Washington Improv Theater in DC and has committed herself to socializing with people that make her laugh and tell her yes ever since.

(He/Him) John Michael is a therapist by day and an improviser by night. They grew up in the swamplands of Florida, and moved to Seattle in 2015 for grad school and to see what these "mountain" things were all about. They attended their first Bandit workshop in 2019 and it was love at first sight. Since then, John Michael has coached Tumbleweeds teams, taught the Improv for Healing workshop, and currently performs as part of Bandit's mainstage cast. They hope to continue to develop ways of using improv to foster mental health and self expression.

(She/Her) Jenn saw her first improv show when a high school team came and performed for her middle school drama class. Ever since then, she’s been a sucker for a good button. Jenn has been active in the Seattle improv community since 2017, is the co-founder and managing director of Fancy Cafeteria Musical Improv, and her love language is croissants. Jenn is delighted to join the show formerly known as Gram Worthy and race her team members on stage to play “Sentient Kale” or “Dead Body.”

(She/Her) Coonoor has been performing and teaching improv comedy for 10 years, first starting at the Washington Improv Theater (WIT) in Washington DC, where she was a member of a Harold team, house ensemble, and was also a long-time teacher. She also completed the curriculum at Upright Citizens Brigade Theater (NYC) and was accepted to their Advanced Study Improv Program. She was a founding member of Bombay Vindaloo, which created and performed an improvised Bollywood movie format. She has performed in numerous improv comedy festivals around the country. She currently plays with the Seattle teams Captain, Bitches, IMNDC, and Bandit's The Awkward Show and Gram Worthy.

(He/Him) Looking for a creative outlet and a way to make friends, Tim started taking improv classes in 2018, and has since then dove head first into the improv world. Tim first joined Bandit Theater in 2020 as a member of the audio-only "The Awkward Show", before performing as a member of "Gram Worthy", and now finally as a cast member of "The Couples Quiz". Tim is currently engaged in a one-sided rivalry with the edge of the stage, after having broken his foot falling off. He is still planning his revenge.

(She/Her) Cailey has been doing sketch and improv around the Seattle area since 2014. She makes up one half of the improv/sketch comedienne duo Bathwater, and is an ensemble member at Jet City Improv where she has been in productions such as The Bechdel Test and GLIMMER. Her Bandit shows include Bring Back the 90s, Channel Surfers and now, Gram Worthy. She is thrilled to be a part of this ensemble and grateful for the ability to do make em ups from home.

(She/Her) Sara is a comedian and actor based in LA. Sara's characters have been featured at The Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival, Montreal Sketchfest (Top 10 Best of the Fest), She Makes Me Laugh NYC, and Bumbershoot. You can catch Sara performing with sketch team Public Breakup and on TikTok @saracrylie.

(He/Him) Casey Mills is an improvisor and comedian from the Seattle area. He also has a very short bio.

(She/Her) Kristine Antonsen, she/her, is a rare Seattle native. She has studied improv at Jet City Improv and Bandit Theater, and is always coming up with new scenes in her head. When not yes anding her scene partners, you can find her rooting on the Seattle Mariners, Seattle Seahawks, Washington Huskies, Seattle Kraken, Seattle Storm, and the San Antonio Spurs.

(They/Them) In middle school, MP could be found wearing purple Converse, too many skinny jeans, and a rotating selection of super cool punny Delia*s graphic tees. It was there in that terribly awkward stage of life they were first introduced to improv which allowed them to further embrace their weird, silly, and creative self. Over a decade later, MP is a graduate of Bandit's long-form improv training program and a former castmate of Mad Science. Since moving to New York, MP has been unbelievably grateful to stay connected with Bandit as a member of the hilarious show The Awkward Show!

(She/Her) Winnie is an improviser and comedian based in Seattle. Born 10lbs and 12 oz in a Hong Kong hospital, Winnie was described by a nurse as "too large." As a child, Winnie often got stuck in elevators and that...kind of became her thing. In her formative years, Winnie was involved in something called the Junior Model UN. Winnie has no idea why she'd be cast on the Awkward show. Winnie has studied improv and sketch comedy at Bandit Theater, Jet City Improv, Second City and UCB. When she's not doing improv, Winnie spends time waving at people that she thought were waving at her.

(She/Her) Sam has been performing improv and sketch comedy, starting in Chicago in 2016 where she learned from the best at Second City Chicago and CSz Chicago. During the pandemic Sam "quit" comedy, until she moved to Seattle in 2021 and discovered the welcoming and warm improv community that exists today! Sam is a writer and performer in the Seattle-based sketch comedy group Good Crash! She describes her comedy style as “super specific, but you’ll get it”.

(He/Him) Matt is from Southern California and has called Seattle home since Spring of 2022. An entertainer for most of his life, Matt has accomplished a lot on his bucket list. He finished the Second City Hollywood Improv Program and Conservatory, acted commercially in Los Angeles, and even won his high school man pageant. Matt’s experience also reaches behind the camera, working professionally in video and set production, aspiring toward Assistant Director. Through his blossoming career, Matt echoes a specific belief in leadership: in order to lead one must learn to serve. As Show Runner, Instructor and Main Stage Player, Matt works hard to serve the Bandit community. His ultimate hope, to save lives with laughs.

(She/Her) Mia currently performs in Old AF, a show that pokes fun at pop culture, and Bandit's First Date. She's a fan of audience members who clap between scenes and bare-bones performer bios.

(He/Him) Eggs×2; Onion 135g, diced; Rice 470g, pre-cooked, chilled; Scallion 15g, diced; Quorn vegan ChiQin pieces 100g, thawed; Kimchi 70g; Gochujang 20g; Beat the eggs, cook to 50% done, set aside; Turn on high heat; Add oil generously to the pan; Caramelize the onion; Add ChiQin pieces & cook for 60s; Add rice and Gochujang-water mixture; Stir fry until the color looks uniform. Add half-cooked egg and Scallion; Stir fry for 30s; Salt to taste.

(She/Her) Pamela relocated to Seattle from the East Coast in 2021. Looking to try new things and meet new people, Pamela thought she would take her very first improv class. With the coaching and support of her Bandit teachers and fellow performers, Pamela has grown to love the challenge of spontaneous comedy. Now she’s a full-time corporate warrior with a secret alter ego as an improv comedian. Check out Pamela finding humor in the everyday chaos and her very first main stage show, First Date, with Bandit Theater.(She/Her)

(She/Her) Sonia is excited to return to the stage after more than 20 years. You may recognize her from her breakout role as Little Lizzie in Little Women or her strong support as an ensemble orphan in Annie, both produced by Creekland Middle School. Her love of jazz hands remains strong.

(He/Him) Riley is new to the improv scene, first starting classes with Bandit in 2023 after having his dating profile roasted during their Swipe Right show. Riley has graduated from Bandit's 4 levels of classes and has performed on two of Bandit's Tumbleweeds teams, and is now part of their new show First Date. In college Riley wrote, acted, and produced for Pacific Lutheran University's student-run late-night style TV show Late Knight, which was nominated twice for a Northwest Emmy award.

(She/Her) By day, Ilana works in marketing and data analytics. By night, she is sleeping. She got her improv start 10 years ago with the ComedySportz High School League and continued throughout college doing both short and long form performances with Improv Revolution. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Ilana recently left the life of air conditioning and traffic behind and moved to Seattle to experience real seasons. A recovering TikToker, Ilana now lives a more peaceful life tending to her cows in Stardew Valley. Ilana is also an actor, musician, and stand-up comic and is so thankful to Bandit Theater for her first stand-up and improv opportunities in Seattle!

(She/Her) Chrysta loves making things worse and going in strange and unusual directions—even better if it leads the audience to think about something differently. She cut her teeth in women-led sketch and improv groups in Seattle before joining Bandit. She graduated Bandit’s long-form improv program in 2019 and is currently performing in Bandit’s Swipe Right show. In addition to performing, she has also worn several hats to help build up the theater while sitting on the Board of Directors.

(He/Him) Kevin is an improviser and educator with over a decade of experience on stage and in the classroom. Prior to Bandit Theater, Kevin was a teacher at the University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science where his experiential curriculum design applied the practice of improv to STEM and won numerous departmental awards. Today, Kevin performs on the cast of Mad Science with Bandit Theater and co-produces the comedy mashup Ten Percent Luck with his indie team Yeah Okay. Kevin believes that everyone has a unique voice in improv and delights in supporting new improvisers as they find theirs.

(He/Him) Purnam enjoys performing and teaching improv comedy. He performs with Bandit Theater's Mad Science and has a terrific time with it!

(He/Him) Stephen has been performing and teaching longform improv for over 20 years. He's made Bandit Theater his improv home because he loves its inclusive community, supportive environment, excellent staff, and comedy philosophy. When not performing improv, raising his newborn son, or taking his dog to parks, he's working in his laugh-a-minute job handling corporate communications for a tech company.

(He/Him) Bjorn's improv journey began in Minneapolis, 2017 and he's learned to love the art of improv more than he could have ever imagined. It's a consistent source of joy, presence, weirdness, growth, and community. CUT TO: now Bjorn's an improv teacher in Tacoma with Go Before You're Ready Improv and Bandit Theater. He also regularly performs with his troupe, Boy Smooches Improv (@boysmoochesimprov on ig), and with the Tacoma Bandits! He truly believes in the healing and connecting elements of improv, and is honored to be a part of our growing improv community! XOXO!

(He/Him) Sam has recently been described as “trying his best”, “legally an adult”, and “a registered voter” by close loved ones. After seeing one improv show on vacation, Sam decided to try improv classes and has been in love with the art ever since. He can be found walking around his Kirkland neighborhood thinking about the best fish and chips, key lime pie and root beer Seattle has to offer.

(He/Him) Jeff’s improv journey began with him twerking on stage as the subject of Swipe Right and he’s been hooked ever since. A pediatric nurse by day, Jeff recently completed Bandit's training program and is grateful for the community he's built through improv and for having a regular creative outlet outside of work. Jeff enjoys using the entirety of his 6’ 3” frame to explore the "big feelings" and physicality of his characters and expressing himself in ways once forbidden as a closeted youth. Off stage, Jeff can be found supporting his favorite local drag queens, sitting outside reading a book or writing his latest poem/chapter of his memoir and relishing in his role as “everyone’s favorite Guncle”.

(She/Her) Annie is an ex-theater kid who rediscovered her love of the performing arts through Bandit's longform improv program in 2020. As a trauma nurse at Harborview, Annie fully admits to using improv as therapy to balance out the serious with the silly. When she's not saving lives or splitting sides, Annie enjoys singing made-up songs to her pets and spending time in the woods.

(She/Her) Nathalie is a freelance journalist who writes about a lot of things, but most enjoys writing her “Play Date” column in The Stranger about subcultures and hobbies (please don’t tell the other newspapers about this favoritism). Nathalie started improv in fall 2022 and was pretty good at it, it turns out! Thanks, quick wit. Other than that? Hm. Well, she loves costume parties and hates dentists. That’s about it.

(He/Him) Wikipedia donor and sharp cheddar enthusiast, Drew made his way to Seattle in 2022. A few months later, he started his improv journey with Bandit. Drew loves Bandit’s profoundly funny, inclusive and supportive community. Today, Drew performs on the cast of Bandit’s Permanent show. Drew believes in creating scenes that profoundly entertain and appropriately provoke his lovely audiences.

(She/Her) Lana first tried improv back in NYC when her job paid for an Improv for Presentation Skills class. Years later she would re-discover improv by enrolling in and completing Bandit's program in Seattle. Having to use comedy to gain attention at an early age due to being the quiet, weird and short friend in her group, Lana is happy to report that now she's just the funny short friend in the group. Offstage Lana does UX design for a living, and for fun likes to do Acro Yoga. She's hoping to apply some of those Acro skills to enhance (or distract from) her improv!

(He/Him) Derek dove into the world of improv in 2022, initially drawn in by the performances of his partner and a good friend in Bandit shows Swipe Right and Mad Science. He finally took his first improv class with Bandit and has since graduated from Bandit's improv training program, performed on Tumbleweeds and is now a cast member in Bandit’s show Permanent. Offstage, he can be found fingerboarding (don't you dare call it a "teck-deck") because he is too old and injury prone to ride a real skateboard, and frolicking around in nature either climbing rocks or walking uphill.

(She/Her) Ginger has been improvising since 2005, beginning with her high school Comedysportz team and later training with Upright Citizens Brigade and several other LA theaters. After a four year detour in Santa Cruz, she moved to Seattle in 2022 on a gut feeling. Though probably not the best way to make major life decisions, she was pleasantly surprised to find a rich improv community in Seattle and immediately got involved. She currently performs with CSz Seattle, Crooked Street Theater, and Bandit.“

(He/Him) Robbie has been performing Improv, Sketch, and Stand-up comedy since 2012, with a few detours along the way. He was trained in comedy at The Groundlings LA, Second City Chicago, iO Chicago, and Bandit Theater. His credits include acting in & writing dozens of scripted and unscripted shows over the years, as well as bravely daring the world of TikTok (@Robbie_Lite). On stage, Robbie loves a good callback, making his teammates look good, performing physical comedy, and delivering accents and impressions. He joined Bandit Theater in 2023 and is currently performing on "Mad Science".

(She/Her) Zhi Bo started her improv journey in DC a few years ago, where she performed on a Harold team at Washington Improv Theater. She is proud to share an alma mater with Tina Fey, one of her original comedy inspirations. Her previous performance experiences were in ballet, classical piano recitals, and being an extra in school plays, so she's found improv to be a good format for expressing herself through words. She found her way to Seattle in 2023 and is excited to be back in the improv scene as a member of Mad Science. As the daughter of a scientist and the sole liberal arts representative in her family, she's thrilled to unite STEM, the arts and comedy through improv.

(She/Her) Tami found her way to Seattle in 2020 while pursuing a Ph.D. at the University of Washington. She kickstarted her improv journey back in 2013, graduating from the Conservatory in Improv and Comedy at Lospleimovil Theater in Santiago, Chile. Before landing in the U.S., Tami traversed the improv scenes of Chile, Peru, Argentina, and Brazil, but her thirst for spontaneous laughter couldn't be contained by countries or language barriers. While fighting the English language, she couldn't resist the appeal of long-form improv, leading her to join the Bandit crew in early 2022. Since then, she's become a mainstage performer in Bandit Theater's Mad Science and co-directed for the Tumbleweeds program. Tami loves how improv forces her to be present and how it seems like nothing else matters when you are on stage having fun with your teammates.

(She/Her) Eloise's improv career began in 2021 (though she earned a Business Marketing degree in 2019, so who's to say when it really began) after taking classes in Seattle, where she eventually found her way to Bandit Theater. After playing in Bandit's first Tumbleweeds program, she joined the Mad Science cast. When she is not improvising, Eloise is a writer and performer for the sketch comedy group Good Crash! and a Quizmaster where she hosts trivia in bars across Seattle.

(He/Him) Chris Carter lives in Sammamish with his wife, daughter, son, and dog. He came to comedy late in life, but has been writing since his parents divorced when he was 7. He studied creative writing at Middlebury College, got a screenwriting MFA from UCLA, and then eventually, finally, studied Improv, Sketch, and Character at UCB in L.A. Chris has written for the animated series “Hello Ninja,” “LEGO City Adventures,” and "Shezow," as well as the forthcoming “Scooby Doo & the Mystery Pups.” He hosts Bandit Theater's podcast, The Awkward Show, and has a blast playing with the rest of the cast of Mad Science!