WIT Faculty
.png) | Tom Achilles is a comedian based in Washington DC and a graduate of the WIT Conservatory Program. He was a member of the FIST teams Three Dudes and Two Beards and a Bald, DC indie group Hot & Sweaty, and WIT Harold Team Ouroboros. Achilles currently performs Tuesday nights with WIT Harold Team King Bee and performs around the city with indie groups Dr. Girlfriend and Teenage Hand Models. He has workshopped with members of the Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB), Second City, iO Chicago, and Philly Improv Theatre and has performed in the Del Close Marathon and the Boston Comedy Arts Festival. He was a semifinalist in the 2009 Philly’s Phunniest Comedian Contest and was a finalist in the 2012 DC’s Funniest College Student Contest.
"Very easy going and supportive. We could do no wrong, and his comments were always constructive. He also modeled a lot for us, which really helped. It was so easy to feel comfortable."
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 | Lisa Austin was first introduced to improv at Georgetown University where she found it to be impressive, intimidating and way out of her league. Happily, she discovered the classes program at Washington Improv Theater in 2007 and learned that it is every bit as impressive as she thought it was, but much less intimidating. Lisa was a founding member of the now-defunct Croissant Pony, performed at the DC Improv as a member of longform group Bitter Sweet, and battled it out against some of WIT's finest as a member of FIST team The Revengers. She has studied under various WIT teachers and Asaf Ronen. She would like to help you show the world what you can do with some teamwork and imagination.
"From day one she was energetic, supportive, gave helpful notes and delivered all critique positively, and generated an environment comfortable for a wide range of ages, occupations and performance levels. Lisa is FANTASTIC!"
"The atmosphere created by Lisa's support and encouragement coupled with my classmates' willingness to learn and to embarrass themselves highly made for a fun time had by all." | |
 | Pete Bergen has been entertaining audiences for years as both a stand up and an actor. He has been through the improv curriculum at the DC Improv, The Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in New York, and here at WIT. Pete believes that playing and reacting honestly, listening, and teamwork are essential to good improv. He also loves that the listening and teamwork skills that a good improvisor must employ, are applicable in any field. He was a founding member of the amazing longform group Bright Young Things and is also an original member of The Score. He also produces, casts, and performs in the wildly successful Chinese Menu comedy shows. He wants people to come in, have fun, and be ready to be challenged. DO IT!
"Pete is amazing and took my interest in improv to a whole other level. His passion for the craft is so infectious, and he put a lot of effort into teaching and providing examples of the concepts at work."
"Pete was a great instructor. He was supportive and invested in our development as a class. He pushed us to try new things, but also held us accountable to things we'd learned the week before." | |
 | Just like Judy Garland, Prince, and Target, Jamie Bingner is one of the many wonderful things to come out of Minnesota. Jamie discovered improv through high school mime classes but enjoyed the WIT curriculum because she was allowed to talk. Jamie has taught with WIT for the last few years. She has been a proud member of various Harold Teams since their inception.
"Jamie was an excellent teacher! She was terrific at following up with us personally throughout the semester making sure to give us feedback and advice to continue progressing."
"Very fun and passionate instructor... I felt touched by her level of caring and attention." | |
 | Caroline Blair Pettit has been involved with the DC improv scene since 2009 when her coworker convinced her to take an intro class at the DC Improv. Since then, she's been involved with the DC Improv Comedy School Cast, ComedySportz, Hot & Sweaty, Spirit Bear, Dr. Girlfriend, and Commonwealth. She's performed in FIST, Seasonal Disorder and Improvapalooza shows and as a part of the 2012 POTUS Among Us ensemble. | |
 | JC Calcerano graduated from Georgetown with a Bachelor's Degree in Theater and Performance Studies. He has performed with Improv troupes at Colgate University and Georgetown University, as well as teaching mask improv comedy at the Lawrenceville School in New Jersey. Currently, he is a member of the DC area sketch comedy group Brick Penguin. As a young sprout, JC was a child model and appeared on the cover of a Babysitter's Club book. He focuses on the importance of traditional acting and character creation as ways to develop improv and sketch writing skills.
"JC was absolutely amazing! He was hysterical and informative all in one. He was always clear about what our goals for the class were and how each exercise would benefit us in the long run. He was an excellent, excellent teacher!"
"JC is great at constructive feedback. He's also good at drawing the answers from the class to reinforce the lessons." | |
 | WIT's artistic/executive director, Mark Chalfant has taught every level in the company's curriculum. He has been a lead instructor in WIT's training program since 1999. He shares improv training through WIT's corporate training arm, WITCorps, in addition to having directed several WIT ensembles (JINX, Jackie, onesixtyone) and performances (Seasonal Disorder 2009, POTUS Among Us). He has studied improv nationwide (in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Portland) and has pursued theater training all over DC (Studio Theatre, Woolly Mammoth, Shakespeare Theatre, Theatre Lab).
"Mark's ability to tailor coaching to a performance and a player is stunning; you know he's been there, he's made the same choices you did and is coaching from experience." "Mark was very attentive, provided constructive criticsim and was very supportive. I always left class feeling like I had learned something, whether through constructive decisions or through screw-ups. Mark's note-taking and attentiveness were great." "Out of every acting class I have ever taken I think I learned the most from Mark." | |
 | Jon Chesebro hails from the suburbs of Boston by way of rural Minnesota. He has been studying and performing improv in Washington DC since the winter of 2010. He has completed the WIT curriculum and also studied at DC Improv, ComedySportz and the San Francisco Comedy College. He currently performs with WIT Harold Team King Bee and indie group Press Play. Jon has performed at many venues in the DC area and in festivals such as the Del Close Marathon in New York City, the Boston Comedy Arts Festival and the Harrisburg Improv Comedy Throwdown. When not doing improv, he has been seen jogging in the Columbia Heights area and is known to attempt stand-up comedy. Jon believes improv is a way of life and is excited to share his love of improv with others. | |
 | Mike Colucciello studied improv in Chicago and graduated from the Second City, IO, and Annoyance Theater training programs. He performed with the IO teams, Luxury, Nels Diebel, Bob from Accounting, and Blaine Community Players. After returning to Maryland, Mike took classes at WIT and has been on six Harold Teams including one of the original Harold teams,Uncle DiGiorno. Mike's favorite animal is the Fennec Fox. He has never been invited to participate in the NFL Combine, but will go if invited. Mike would like to thank Frank Zamboni and the Zamboni family for their contributions to smooth ice throughout North America. Mike is thrilled to be part of Gone Baby Gone. | |
 | Kevin Gauthier began his improv career as a thoroughly entertained audience member. Then after moving into the city, he was convinced to take a class at WIT, which lead to total immersion into a life surrounded by improv. He is a co-founding member of the indie troupe Good Touch Bad Touch, as well as a member of the WIT Harold teams (formerly) The Chets, and (currently) Safavi. He is a native Washingtonian, lover of the Redskins, and enjoys seeing obscure indie bands at small venues. Kevin sees teaching improv as his opportunity to give back to a community that has given him so much.
"Kevin was great! Always lots of good ideas and helpful comments."
"Kevin said enough to get us thinking about what we were doing and be better performers, but not so much that we were inside our head and not able to be in the moment." | |
 | Dave Johnson has been performing with various improv groups since 1998. He holds a BA in Drama from Washington College, an MFA in Acting from Ohio University and has performed as a company member of WIT's Mainstage troupe (now onesixtyone) since April 2003. He has taught both Acting and Voice and Speech to undergraduate students at Ohio University, and with WIT has taught levels 1 & 2, workshops with WIT University, and assistant taught several classes. Dave has been working as a professional actor since 1996 and has performed at local venues such as The Kennedy Center, The H Street Playhouse, The Source Theater, Theater J, and Center Stage in Baltimore.
“Dave has all the qualities that I look for in an excellent teacher. He is patient, kind, sets expectations, pushes students to challenge themselves, loves his work and craft, is well prepared, takes the class seriously (despites the comedic nature), and is very supportive to first time participants and non-actors (like me!). I learned a ton about teaching from Dave.” “Dave is awesome, both as a teacher and as an improviser. He really pays attention to the group and makes sure everyone is involved and taking the most out of it.” | |
 | Mikael Johnson's love for comedy threw him into the study of writing, acting and most of all improvisation. As a member of both the Maryland Ensemble Theater Company and WIT's Jackie, Johnson believes that you can not be a good actor without core improvisational skills and you can not be a good improviser without solid acting skills. He has used both in his work with the longform group Season Six and in WIT productions Best Friends, Neighborhood Town and Full Count. Johnson, who takes great pride in his character work in the theater, has studied comedic acting extensively through Woolly Mammoth Theater Company, MET and at various improv festival workshops across the country.
"Mikael Johnson is amazing as a teacher. He had such good insights and I had plenty of a-ha moments."
"I thought Mikael's insight's were awesome." | |
 | Lisa Kays was first introduced to improv when WIT’s Managing Director convinced her to do it by promising she wouldn’t be the worst in the class. She was delighted to find that no one is the worst in the class, because there is no wrong in the happy land of improv. Lisa has completed the WIT curriculum and is a founding member of the now defunct Joysey Girls, who helped solve the world’s women’s problems with men. She currently performs with the Flying Manatees and Fuego. Lisa is fascinated by how the lessons of improv apply to real life and finds that improv is pretty much one of the best ways to stay sane in a crazy world.
"Lisa is exceptional. She was so supportive of our class members, she was complimentary, and she was knowledgeable about the material."
“I could not have asked for a better instructor. By the end of the first class a group of complete strangers completely let their walls down and became one unit. She was open to our many ideas, no matter how crazy and offered to help enhance our improv abilities when needed. Very encouraging and because of her, I’ll be taking Level 1B!”
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 | Karen Lange has been active in the DC improv scene for 7 years, performing with Washington Improv Theater in over 100 performances of iMusical: The Improvised Musical. Other favorite improv performances include POTUS Among Us, Seasonal Disorder, and Improvised Lives. In addition to teaching improvisation and musical improvisation classes at WIT, Karen runs the organization's corporate training program. Karen also enjoys scripted acting on both stage and screen. Recent stage roles include Olivia in Be Here Now and Judith in Freakshow both with Pinky Swear Productions. Favorite film roles include Festivale (a fully improvised feature length film) and The Bad News Bearer, the 2007 Best Film winner in the DC 48-Hour Film Festival. She trained at WIT and Studio Theatre. Karen thinks life is the ultimate improvisational experience.
"Karen is wonderfully bubbly and enthusiastic." "A great teacher; always well prepared, supportive, and fun." | |
 | Emlyn Morinelli McFarland is an experienced actor and improviser with a BFA in performing arts and musical theater from Emerso College. She has been living in New York City for the past 12 years and is happy to now be a part of the Washington Community. She has studied and performed with The Second City, Upright Citizens Brigade, Magnet Theater, Theater Sports NY and Comedy Sportz NY. She was a teaching assistant for Armando Diaz as well as studied coaching directly under him. Emlyn was a cast member of Freestyle Repertory Theater New York touring the East Coast with workshops and shows. She also has a successful career as a voiceover artist and has worked on cartoons such as Pokemon and The Wonder Pets as well as Internet, television and radio ads for products such as Hanes, Dunkin' Donuts, Nintendo and Trip Advisor to name a few. She is now currently a member of the improv group "The Score" and is coaching and teaching improv all around the DC area. | |
 | Murphy McHugh showed up to his first improv audition in college as a wannabe standup comedian, somehow got cast, and then realized he didn’t have a clue what he was doing. Since then he has completed the core training programs of The Upright Citizens Brigade Theater and the People’s Improv Theater in New York, run a few practice groups, coached/directed several improv troupes, performed in numerous shows, troupes, and festivals, and currently performs with Season Six. Additionally, he has directed WIT ensemble Caveat, Harold Teams The Chets and Safavi, and independent group Vagabond. Murphy views life as improv, improv as art, and art as life, and loves all three with all his heart. “Yes, and” yourself and take a class.
"Murphy is one of the finest teachers I know. His energy level and perceptiveness is incredible. He battled through a lot of 'quietitude' and 'hang-backedness' on my part and the part of some classmate to help us discover the improviser within. He also carries a deep theoretical knowledge of the craft."
"Murphy is a great instructor and is constantly pushing the craft with new ideas. I found it very rewarding when my scene work would produce a sincere laugh from Murphy and his compliments for work that was well done was particularly meaningful coming from such a talented and creative individual."
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 | Dan Miller took his first improv class during the winter of 2010 and only regrets that he didn't start sooner. After completing the WIT curriculum, he helped launch the indie troupes Sistine Robot and Vicinity. He's also a WIT Harold team player, having performed with Telenovela and Scorched Earth. Dan's FIST team But Wait, There's More won third place in the 2011 tournament. Off stage, Dan is a freelance arts journalist and consumer of fine cheeses, whiskey and human interest stories about interspecies animal friendships. | |
 | Jordana Mishory's improv journey began in 2011 when she said “yes, and” to signing up for a WIT class. Since then, she’s completed WIT’s training program, helped start indie troupe Rule 34, competed in FIST with Something About R. Kelly and performed in Improvapalooza and Seasonal Disorder shows, tackling such weighty issues as time travel, the Sweet Valley Twins and the meaning of Hanukkah. Jordana sees improv as a great way to unlock the fun inside and can’t wait to help you fall in love with it, too! | |
 | Aaron Mosby began his theatrical and improvisational education as a teenager at the world renowned Children’s Theater Company in Minneapolis, MN. He picked up his improv training ten-ish years later at WIT in the summer of 2009. In 2010, Aaron joined the WIT facility as a TA and in 2011 he began his teaching career. Aaron has competed in the Fighting Improv Smackdown Tournament (FIST), was selected as a cast member for the 2012 run of POTUS Among Us and is a founding member of Nox. | |
 | Xavier Padin is an actor at heart and an improviser at mind. From the first time he laid his ears and eyes on WIT he knew he was in love. In the summer of 2010, Xavier spent a majority of his free time volunteering with WIT sponsored shows and taking classes. Going through WIT's curriculum for the past 2 years has been one of the greatest learning experiences of Xavier's life. He whole-heartedly believes that there are few communities as fun, as smart, and as creative as the Washington Improv Theater's community of improvisers. Xavier is a former member of the longform troupe Hot & Sweaty. Currently you can see Xavier perform with the secret society and improv troupe known only as The Lodge. Xavier encourages everyone he meets to take a dive into improv; take a chance and see what happens! | |
 | Travis Charles Ploeger (Musical Improv 2+) is the creator/director of the popular and critically-acclaimed WIT production of iMusical: The Improvised Musical and has also written and performed music for other WIT projects including many of their 48-Hour Film Festival entries. A New Yorker for over a decade, he was the music director and pianist for Chicago City Limits (both resident and national touring companies) from 1998 until 2006. He was also a founding member of I Eat Pandas, with Eliza Skinner and Glennis (McMurray) McCarthy, and is a veteran of the stages of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater and the People's Improv Theater. He is a graduate of the Hartt School of Music, a season ticket holder of the Minnesota Vikings, a passionate Washington Nationals fan... and has either accompanied or music directed in excess of 1,500 performances of improvised musicals... and counting. @TravisPloeger
“His enthusiasm and energy are very contagious!” “Travis made what’s rather hard and potentially embarrassing, (singing in public) easy and fun.” | |
 | Jaci Pulice started improvising her freshmen year of college when she joined American University’s Mission Improv-Able. After graduating and spending a year as the troupe’s ‘Alumni Advisor’ she realized she’d have to move on and stop being the creepy post-grad who can’t let go. So she made the move to New York and started taking classes at Upright Citizen’s Brigade Training Center. She took class there for three years, participated in various practice groups and performed around NYC with indie team Betsy Ross. Jaci credits much of her love for improv to the coaches, classes, teachers, peers and shows she learned from at UCB. | |
 | Justin Purvis got started doing improv at UMD-College Park with Erasable Inc back in 2001. Justin has trained under Mick Napier, Susan Messing, Joe Bill, as well as members of the Upright Citizens Brigade. Justin is a founding member of WIT's longform troupe Caveat, as well as being in Season Six and WIT's onesixtyone. Justin also moonlights as WIT's class registrar, so you may have received an email from him once or twice. Justin laughs the hardest when he does improv, and he wants you to laugh, too. Go ahead, give him a try, you'll be glad you did.
"Justin is fantastic! Super smart, funny and really good at making students feel comfortable. I would definitely take more of his classes!" "I found Justin to be an excellent teacher. I appreciated the quick feedback, both positive and negative, during exercises. I was able to incorporate lessons learned immediately." | |
 | Jarad Schofer made his entry into the improv world in 2010 by taking Level 1A at WIT on a complete whim when a friend suggested that he give it a try. Shortly thereafter he fell in love with improv. Since then, he has completed the WIT curriculum, and he performs regularly with the indie troupe The Carmichaels. When he’s not doing improv, Jarad enjoys doing extreme things like climbing Kilimanjaro, running marathons, and going shark-cage diving or gorilla trekking. Jarad believes improv is a great metaphor for life because we never truly know what’s coming next, and he feels he can identify well with people who are new to improv since he was a beginner just a few years ago. He encourages everyone to take a class and come be a part of this amazing community. | |
 | Charles St. Charles is delighted to be immersed in DC’s improv community – he believes improv makes life better. He is a member of WIT’s Harold team Spirit Bear and independent troupes Press Play and Charles & Joe. Besides completing WIT's curriculum, he graduated from the Honors Conservatory at The Theater Lab School of the Dramatic Arts and has studied improv and comedic acting in programs at the Shakespeare Theatre Company, Woolly Mammoth Theater, Studio Theatre, DC Improv, and UCB (NYC). He loves sharing the magic of improv.
"Charles gave amazing guidance and support."
"Great motivator! Great insights to rules of thumb, tricks of the trade, etc." | |
 | Tim Swales is an improviser from the great state of Colorado. He has performed improv for over 5 years. He was a founding member of the group Left Right Tim in Boulder, Colorado, and has performed across the country, and in Europe, at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and in Switzerland. After a brief stint of living in Saudi Arabia, where he started the short lived but well named group Strange Time to Fix an Uven, he moved to Chicago to learn from the best. In Chicago he took classes at the iO and Annoyance theaters. Currently he can be seen on WIT’s Harold Team Spirit Bear. If you want to talk about improv, Tim wants to talk about improv. | |
 | Kate Symes took her first improv class because she gave a toast at a wedding and people laughed, and she liked that feeling and wanted to feel it some more. Now she gets to feel that feeling every week when she performs as part of WIT's Harold Team, King Bee. She also performs with indie troupes Sistine Robot and Dr. Girlfriend. Kate has studied improv and sketch-writing at Washington Improv Theater, Second City, and DC Improv, and acting at Studio Theatre.
"Kate is a star! Hilarious and confident." | |
 | Anna Trester discovered the joy of improv when she moved to DC in 2002. What began as a creative outlet from graduate studies has now turned into the subject of her graduate studies, but hey, that’s what happens when you open yourself up to yes-and. She is a member of the all-female troupe The Shower and she loves to teach so much that she wants to be a professor when she grows up. She is especially excited to be a part of WIT’s training program to be able help you discover your own hidden creative genius, and remind you that there are no such things as “mistakes.” With this realization, the possibilities are endless.
“The thing I liked best about her class was how much she cares about improv, how supportive she was and how professionally she ran the class.” “It was easy to trust her judgment and rely on her. She is impressive and fills you with confidence.” | |
 | Joe Uchno happened upon improv by signing up for a class at the UCB Theatre in New York. While there, he was able to study with and be inspired by some really great teachers. Discovering WIT was the best part of his move to DC in 2005. Through taking classes at WIT, he was able to study with and be inspired by some really great teachers. Joe performs with the house team JINX, and the ensemble Jackie. He has found that when he is not doing something improv-related, he misses it tremendously. Teaching improv, Joe has discovered, is way more fun than he thought it might be.
"Joe was great. I really appreciated his casual style, and how he gave us great feedback that was to the point. He was really good at balancing the fun and teaching." “He is a committed teacher and gives solid criticisms to scenework and always provides helpful suggestions to demonstrate how the scene could have been better.” | |
 | Laura Baehre Westman is an actor and improviser from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. A former member of indie troupe Subsidized Corn, she is a founding member of the Harold team Spirit Bear, 2012's almost-FIST-champion team Talkative Babies, and indie troupes Sadie Hawkins and, most recently, Dr. Girlfriend. She performs often with Dr. Girlfriend, whose comedic style has been described as "funny" and "embarrassing." She has trained with WIT and DSI Comedy Theater in Carrboro, North Carolina. In addition to occasionally producing improv shows, Laura works as a life coach, working with people to apply improv principles everywhere in their lives. (Yes, it's that powerful.) She currently teaches Level 1B: Foundations of Scenework and performs weekly with Spirit Bear at WIT's Harold Night.
"Laura was open, enthusiastic, creative and seemed genuinely pleased with every revelation we had."
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 | John Windmueller loves improv. Loves it! Being present in the moment, supporting and being supported, laughing and having fun... what's not to love? He has a longer explanation for why he was drawn to improv that weaves together a background with auto-cross racing, Zen, and his day gig as a college professor teaching conflict resolution. But, really, at the heart of it, he just loves improv and helping students find their own joy in playing and performing. His training includes WIT, iO Chicago, and UCB New York. John currently performs in two DC-area longform improv troupes: The Lodge and Just Moxie, is a former member of Fuego, and performs with Baltimore Improv Group's house troupe: Population 6.
"John Windmueller is an excellent improv teacher Aside from his teaching talent, his enthusiasm for improv is infectious, and I really felt like he cared about the class."
"John Windmueller is an outstanding instructor. He quickly assessed the level of the class and tailored the syllabus to address our weaknesses while improving our strengths." | |
