We interview accomplished and renowned special guests about the most humiliating, embarrassing, and all around most awkward moments in their lives. Then Bandit’s players create fully improvised scenes turning their stories into cathartic comedy gold! It’s the most awkward time of their life, again.
Chris started performing improv in high school and kept at it through Columbia College Chicago, where he started the school’s first lasting improv team. He competed in pH Productions’ Survivor-style improv shows, pHrenzy and pHrenzy: The Musical. After moving to Los Angeles, he spent two years performing at iO West with his team, Value Menu, and co-hosted and produced "The Painting Show," a psychedelic animated talk show. Every streamer in town passed on it, and Corey Feldman called him “a Satanist sent by God to destroy him,” a title Chris tries to live up to every day.
Jameson learned comedy by watching blazing saddles and airplane with his dad and roasting his older sister. His journey of learning improv is informed by the skills he learned in his “day job” as a professional jazz drummer: learning by doing, being present, and focusing on community. When he’s not filming a YouTube video or swing dancing, you can catch him at the zoo trying to make his 2-year old niece laugh. He’s excited to join the Bandit community to make fun art with cool people.
(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.
Kristine (she/her) joined the Awkward Show while coincidentally visiting Los Angeles, a fitting locale for the casting offer. She trained as an improviser at Jet City Improv, Bandit Theater, and Second City Hollywood, plus she studied acting at Freehold Theatre and the Rekindle School. Kristine loves sports, Americanos, and witty banter.
(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) 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) Jess Lampe has taught and performed improv on three different continents. At USC he performed on Commedus Interruptus for four years. In Australia he performed with ImproMafia and Sherbet Underground and produced the Australian Theatresports Grand Championships. In Seattle Jess was a regular on Quest at CSz and hosted Dubious Advice. Jess now lives in Chicago.
(She/Her) Geena Pietromonaco is an on-camera and voice actor, writer, and sometimes director based in Seattle. She’s super jazzed to be a part of Bandit’s community and is tickled that she’s finally getting over her fear of improv. She also loves to garden and rollerblade and boogie and sing! Is this a date!!!
(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.
(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!
