George Washington. Neil Armstrong. Jackie Robinson. The Real World.
All pioneers, all American heroes, all the first of their kind to do what they did. And while onesixtyone has yet to birth a nation, walk on a moon, integrate a sport or ruin television, they do have the distinction of being WIT's original performance troupe. For now, that will do nicely. Until they can figure out how to do the rest of that stuff.
"A reputation for imagination, quick wit and irreverence."
-TimeOut New York
"I can't recommend this troupe enough."
- Washington Post's Going Out Gurus
 | Michael Bass got his start in improv and sketch comedy with The Big Honkin' at James Madison University. A member of WIT since 2003, he is honored to find himself in such awesome company and has enjoyed the countless WIT projects he's been involved with. In the real world, Mike is a video producer/editor, but has enjoyed appearing in various commercials, shorts, and as "the blue guy" in The Defenders of Stan web series. He is also currently performing with Dr. Fantastic, Superbest, and 2008 F.I.S.T. Champions Polygamy. He and his wife Stefanie live in Fairfax. | |
 | Topher Bellavia happily stumbled upon the love, truth and beauty that is improv at Wesleyan University and has been performing, directing and teaching improv for over a decade. He founded WIT’s Improv Training Program, expanding it from offering 2 to 40 classes per year. His college graduation speech was excerpted in the New York Times and on NBC Nightly News. Improv has saved his life—no joke. It can save yours too, just ask how. | |
 | Mark Chalfant With WIT since its 1997 refounding, Mark has served as the company’s artistic and executive director since 2003, and as a lead instructor in the company’s training program since its inception. Mark’s improv training includes work with Bay Area Theatresports, Improv Olympic, Annoyance Theatre, Second City, Burn Manhattan, Centralia, Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, Brody Theatre, and HotHouse STC. Mark has directed numerous productions under WIT's banner, including the ensembles Jackie and JINX. | |
 | Brian Coleman received his introduction to improv with GWU's comedy group, Recess. An eminently useful degree in Theatre led him to join the Marine Corps in 2000. In 2002 he had a platoon sergeant that coerced his Marines into buying his daughter's Girl Scout cookies; this led Brian back to comedy and the warm, sticky embrace of WIT. He is in equal parts a fan of hockey, beer, European history, fluffy puppies, fuzzy kittens, and violent video games. He and his wife Marjorie live in a condo owned by their two cats, Ripley and Hudson. | |
 | Catherine Deadman was spawned by the WIT training program. She's thrilled to be performing with 161. At the University of Virginia where she was an Anthropology and Spanish major, she had absolutely nothing to do with improv. Her Spanthropology degree has had absolutely nothing to do with anything she's done since. She's an alumni of the Studio Theatre Acting Conservatory, and she's been called "one of the most impressive talents to hit Washington's stages in the last ten years" by her boyfriend. | |
 | David Johnson has been improvising to entertain others for about as far back as he remembers. While earning his MFA in Acting at Ohio University, he was a member of both comic and dramatic improv groups. He performed with NimprovYC, an improv group in NYC, doing short form and long-form improv structures, of which his favorite was an improvised Shakespearean play. In addition to performing and teaching with WIT, he is a professional actor who performs on stage and in film. | |
 | Tyler Korba's humble improv beginnings began with Denison University's Burpee's Seedy Theatrical Company. Fast forward to now, and we find that Tyler has been teaching and performing with WIT all over the country since 1997. A proud member of festival favorites Biscuitville, Dr. Fantastic and Superbest, he is also the director and cameraman for DC's Neutrino Video Project, and has helmed WIT Films' nine award-winning 48 Hour Film Projects. Tyler has appeared in several plays, a few commercials and one television pilot. On Tap magazine recently called him "trim" and "affable". | |
 | Colin Murchie first came into improv in 1998 with Cornell University’s Whistling Shrimp. It’s about the only thing he’s stuck with this long, and it generally remains the high point of nearly every week, and the source of all his lasting friends– sad or spectacular? I see you’ve already decided. In his simultaneous, parallel, other lives, he’s a lobbyist on Capitol Hill, and an EMT in Prince George’s County. | |
