PODCASTING

Tanya is an actor, improv performer, writer, host and theater instructor. Tanya performs regularly with her improv teams Daddy Issues and the NCrowd. Tanya is also 1/4th member of the sketch comedy team The Rhubarbs. Tanya currently performs with Not Yet Rated: An Improvised Movie at Crossroads Comedy Theater.

Jolie Darrow is a comedy writer, performer and actor living in Brooklyn, NY by way of Philadelphia, PA.

She is part of the Philly-and-Brooklyn-based sketch group Barbara Bush, and is one half of the creative force behind TOWN, a metaphysical horror comedy modeled after Thornton WIlder’s classic “Our Town.” Jolie costars as Ixy Avy in the upcoming Web series, Welcome to Anhedonia, which premiered at Dragon Con September 2018. You can catch her performing regularly around NYC and at the Brooklyn Comedy Collective.

Jessica Ross has been writing and performing comedy for over 10 years. Most recently, she was a cast member at CollegeHumor and a writer for the Maude Team, Bombardier. She also wrote and acted in several Dropout.TV series, including Kingpin Katie and Ultramechatron Team Go! You can catch her in the latest season of Dimension 20: Tiny Heist, as well as check out her podcast Erotic Book Club with Rekha Shankar.

Andrew is an improviser, actor, writer, and current borrower of a 2008 Hyundai Elantra.

Whitney Rumble is a performer and jewelry designer based in Philadelphia.

Andrew is the technical director for Not Yet Rated: An Improvised Movie.

Randie Welles is a performer and writer from West Philly. Randie currently performs with the Crossroads Comedy Theater show, Extree! Extree! Comedy Inspired By the news. She has performed with all-POC improv and sketch group NYTEShift, and is a member of short-form improv group The N Crowd. She has been a storyteller at First Person Arts StorySlams, Tell Me A Story, The Moth Philadelphia and hosted her own short-run storytelling show Human Nature.

Joe began taking improv classes in 2014. He was a longtime performer at the Philly Improv Theater where he was a member of several teams including Channel 77, Neighborhood Watch, Untitled and Dutch. Currently you can catch Joe in the Crossroads Comedy Theater show Extree! Extree! Comedy Inspired By the News. He also hosts the improv podcast Fair Deal: An Improvised Mediation.

Karen (she/her/hers) is a Philadelphia area artist and performer originally from the Hudson Valley. She has studied both art and improv comedy extensively in New York and Philadelphia and proudly holds an illustration degree from Parsons the New School for Design. She is also the Artistic Director of Philly’s long running short-form improv show, the N Crowd.

Marcely Jean-Pierre is a Philly-based comedian, improviser, writer, and performer from Willingboro, New Jersey. He is a head writer and performer for sketch and improv troupe NYTEShift and regularly performs improv with The N Crowd and Study Hall. A former improv instructor at Philly Improv Theater, Marcely also co-produced and directed sketch comedy shows and has coached and directed improv teams at PHIT.

Among his many comedic inspirations are Eddie Murphy, Dave Chappelle, Key and Peele, Steve Carell, In Living Color, SNL, Martin Lawrence, and kids as well… Marcely also sometimes rhymes things unintentionally and has a background in writing and performing spoken word poetry. He is also social worker by day and occasionally sleeps at night.

Jabari is a Philadelphia based comedian, writer, & music producer. He was trained at the Philly Improv Theater and has performed with house teams Fan Club and Whiplash. Jabari currently performs with the Crossroads Comedy Theater show Extree! Extree! Comedy Inspired By the News and co-hosts the Free Improv Jam at the Crossroads. Jabari is also a member of ComedySportz Philadelphia and is the creator of the comic strip Failures in Parenting.

Mike Marbach (he/him) is a Philly native and the founder / Executive Director of Crossroads Comedy Theater. Mike has been studying, performing, and teaching improv since 2005. He has taken classes with iO Chicago, The Annoyance Theater, and the UCB Theater in NY as well as numerous workshops from improv instructors from across the country. Mike worked with Philly Improv Theater (PHIT) from 2009 until it’s closing in 2020 due to COVID-19. In those years Mike served as Education Director and Artistic Director as well as director, performer, and instructor. During the pandemic, Mike moved to Indianapolis to be with family and started Crossroads Comedy Theater. Though he is currently living in Indianapolis, Mike oversees Crossroads shows and classes in Philly and travels back and forth when the stars align. Mike is the director / creator of long running Crossroads shows including Study Hall: Comedy Inspired By Lectures and Not Yet Rated: An Improvised Movie and the host of various podcasts for the Crossroads Podcast Network. When not doing Crossroads things Mike likes to watch tv / movies, go bowling, or work on a new celebrity impression.

Rob Alesiani has been performing improv in the Philadelphia area, and nationally, for over a decade. He is a proud member of Thank You, Places: An Improvised Musical, a show which creates an entire musical right on the spot. Rob is a regular voice on the Wooder Cooler Podcast Network of shows. He also creates small batch hot sauces with his company Trust The Sauces.

Rob O’Neill is an actor, writer and improv performer based out of Philadelphia. He has been a member of the improv teams The Future, Not Yet Rated, Study Hall, Double Play, and Outside Voices, as well as the sketch comedy team Tiny Arson. He has appeared in numerous shows around Philadelphia including ‘SorkinCorp,’ ‘Shark Tank: The Final Episode,’ ‘Town’ and the House of Solitude shows ‘McNickel’ and ‘A Galaxy Uncherished.’

Geoff Jackson is a comedian, host, podcaster and storyteller. He was born on the shores of the Red Sea and as a child he was ranked among the top ten skiers in the United States. He is a decorated haiku champion. He has told jokes and stories in coffee shops, bookstores, nightclubs, tiki bars, and punk-rock basements across the US, UK, and Canada. He has worked with and for WHYY, First Person Arts and SyFy and appeared in 2019’s horror-comedy “A Nightmare on Jawn Street”. Geoff Jackson is now the host of Extree! Extreme! at Crossroads Comedy Theater.

Frank performs, writes, and teaches comedy in Philadelphia. Since 2009, he’s studied with some of the best improv teachers from Philly, New York, and Chicago, and gotten to work on tons of exciting and silly projects over the years.

Gab is a writer, performer, and Big Anxious Hottie based in LA. She studied improv at PHIT (Philly) and UCB (LA), and placed as a finalist in the Sundance Institute’s Episodic Writing Lab, and the Sundance/YouTube New Voices Lab for her comedy pilots. For every new follow she gets on Twitter by MIDNIGHT, Mike Marbach will personally send you $245: @gabbottoni

Matt Garren has been performing improv for five years and was a member of former Philly Improv Theater house teams Guillotine, Dunk Tank/Dream Tank, and PG-13, as well as the indie team Kid Handsome.

Corin Wells is an actor, comedian, and writer based in New York City. She was a regular on stage at UCB in Characters Welcome and various teams including Rumpleteaser. After the pandemic closed down UCB, Corin and a group of awesome friends founded Squirrel Comedy Theater in NYC. Squirrel, currently online only with plans to move to stage when allowed to do so, is also a home for Corin to perform and teach comedy. Corin was recently added to the writing staff of the hilarious Amber Ruffin show on Peacock. If you are interested in booking Corin, her information is below. If you just want to chat suggested topics are Sailor Moon, 90’s R&B, and Astrology.

REPRESENTATION
Finer Entertainment
Manager– Abby Finer​
abbyfiner@gmail.com

Tia Kemp is a performer based in Philly. In addition to improv and sketch performance, Tia also works as a teacher and consultant, using elements of improvisation to develop team-building. She is a part of the all POC comedy troupe, NYTEShift, and performs regularly with Study Hall. Tia is also the creator and host of “No Diggity,” an improv and trivia show inspired by old school hip hop and R&B.

Chris Newcomer is the host of the Prime Subjective: A Star Trek Podcast for Crossroads Comedy theater.has been devoted to Astor Trek ever since he taped the entire final season of TNG on VHS. He also wrote a spin-off called Star Trek Tempis Fugit about, you guessed it, time travel. Chris is a musical theatre performer who has performed all of the world and currently he performs in Philly with his beloved Musical Improv team “Thank You, Places”.

Michael is a Temple University (’06) grad and former co-host of the You’ve Got Geek On You podcast. He has written for the News of Delaware County and Mania.com. He currently serves as a resident movie reviewer and as an interviewer for WooderCooler.com. His passions include movies, comedy, and attending improv shows headlined by his extraordinarily talented cohosts. He lives in Philadelphia, PA.

Wilfredo is an improviser, writer, and sketch comedian from New Jersey. He is currently based in New York.

Caitlin Corkery has been performing with Study Hall since its inception. She currently performs with the indie team Bat Stevens and former PHIT house team, The Future. She was also a member of the PHIT house team Asteroid! and the sketch teams Mani Pedi and House of Solitude. She taught improv at the Philly Improv Theater for six years and previously hosted the local Moth Story Slam.

Michael Yudell, the steady lecturer of Study Hall, is the Chair of the Department of Community Health and Prevention at the Dornsife School of Public Health at Drexel University. Yudell is a researcher in the fields of ethics, genomics and the history of public health. His work focuses on the history, risk communication and ethics of autism spectrum disorders, as well as the history of the race concept in biology.

Tabitha Parker is alum of Chicago’s The Second City, iO, & other comedy schools. Tab began writing when she was a kid and when she was 10 she won an award for an embarrassing poem about dolphins. Tab is the co-host of the MCU Explained YouTube Channel.

Fred is a performer, composer, teacher, and facilitator based in Ithaca, NY. He has worked as a solo performer as well as with various theater companies in Philadelphia and New York City to help create original theatrical works. As a facilitator, he uses the principles of improvisation and theatrical collaboration to help individuals become more effective leaders and to help high-performing teams work together more productively. He currently teaches improv through Ithaca Improv. Before moving to NY, Fred studied, performed, and directed improv at the Philly Improv Theater. Before that, he was a Latin and Ancient Greek teacher, holding a degree in Classical Philology from Harvard University.

Rachel Semigran is an improviser, director, producer, and educator with 15+ years of experience ranging from the London stage and Edinburgh Fringe to Philadelphia black boxes and universities. She earned her MA in Applied Theatre from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and is a proud Jack Kent Cooke Foundation scholar. By day, Rachel is a marketing and communications professional in higher education. At all other times, she’s at the beck and call of her cat Millie. Rachel currently performs with the Crossroads Comedy Theater show Extree! Extree! Comedy Inspired By the News and co-hosts the Free Improv Jam at the Crossroads with fellow Extree cast member, Jabari Dortch.

Kelly Conrad (she/her) is a Philadelphia based actor, comedian, and teaching artist. Kelly currently performs with Crossroads comedy theater’s Not Yet Rated: An Improvised Movie and is on the podcasts Evesdropping and The Beacons Are Lit. Kelly can also be seen performing with NYTEShift – an all POC comedy troupe. Kelly has performed with sketch team The Decoy and improv house team Hooch at Philly Improv Theater, as well as Theater Unspeakable’s American Revolution, Anti Gravity Performance Project’s Deary Diary LOL, and most recently in WHYY’s Albie’s Elevator.

Erin Pitts is an improviser living in Philly. She has been performing with Study Hall since 2019 and has performed with retired Philly Improv Theater house teams Zao Gao, Outside Voices, and Hooch. Erin served as director for PHIT house team Metropolis. Erin is a photographer and if you are interested in her services click the camera below.

James Knight (he/him) is a Philadelphia based stand-up comic and writer. James is regular performer in the Crossroads Comedy Theater shows Study Hall: Comedy Inspired by Lectures and Not Yet Rated: An Improvised Movie, a member of Philly’s award winning short-form improv group The N Crowd, and is the head video producer and writer with Philadelphia’s premier all-POC sketch & improv group, NYTEShift.

James is also a contributor to the satire website Flexx Magazine. James has performed at and has had his sketches performed at the Black and Funny Festival (MN), Philadelphia Fringe Festival (PA), Cinder Block Comedy Festival (NY), Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival (Canada), Chicago Sketch Fest, We The People Improv Festival (PA), The Black Friday Comedy Marathon (PA), Good Good Comedy Theater (two sold-out nights), and Philadelphia Public Access TV station PhillyCam. James directed and was a writer on Crossroads Comedy Theater’s Halloween sketch show, A Nightmare On Jawn Street: Liberty Hell and was head writer for the production in 2019.

Currently, he is the host of the Critical James Theory Podcast and co-host of Crossroads’ Lockin’ Up: A Black Pro-Wrestling Podcast. Should you encounter one in the wild, suggested talking points are new sneakers, hip-hop from the years 1985 – present day, and pro wrestling.

Aaron Unice is an improviser and engineer living in Philly. Aaron has been performing with Study Hall from the start when it was created by Philly improv Theater House Team “Asteroid!” for the 2013 Philly Fringe Festival.

Victor Tran is a Philly based improviser. When he’s not performing, he’s busy not doing physics. Watch your blood pressure, people.

Jon Plester is a writer, filmmaker, and comedian based in Chicago. His work has appeared on Paste, McSweeney’s, CollegeHumor, and Funny or Die, among others.

Samantha Russell is a sketch comedian, vintage clothing enthusiast, and cat ambassador. She is a member of long running sketch troupe Secret Pants and the comedy duo Russell & Craig. Additionally, Samantha was the director of Goat Rodeo and a member of Youth Large. Samantha can be heard on the podcasts “Breaking Goodman” & “Canned Peaches” and seen on Instagram in pictures with her cat.

Melinda Messina has been a member of the PHIT community since 2014 when she was first cast on Study Hall. You can also see Melinda on the PHIT stage performing with her house team, Overlook. In addition to improvising with PHIT, she is a performer and instructor at ComedySportz Philadelphia. Melinda also co-produces The Friday Night Chim Cham – a monthly showcase in South Philly with her indie team, The Teens.

Sarah is a teacher, writer, musician and performer. She is part of the long running improv show the N Crowd. She is half of the musical comedy duo Kathryn and Sarah. Sarah has written two musical comedies: “Only In Your Dreams” and “Becoming Vegan”.

Molly is an improviser and writer currently based in Chicago. She studied improv for eight years in Philadelphia and New York, and she has performed in festivals across North America with the team, The Future. She loved her time in Philly, and especially her time as a member of Study Hall. She is now studying and performing at the Annoyance Theater in Chicago. And when she’s not doing that, she’s probably trying to get her dog, Turkey, to cuddle.

Dan Corkery is an improviser and sketch comedian from Philadelphia. He also performs with the improv team Bat Stevens and is one half of the sketch comedy duo House of Solitude.

Brendan has been improvising in Philadelphia since 2013, performing in teams such as Sabotage, 1816, Overlook, Skeletons Etc, Stay Dead the Improvised Horror Comedy and Not Yet Rated: An Improvised Movie. He is the proud owner of four cats and 250ish composting worms, none of whom pay him any mind.

Daralyse is an author, an actor, and an activist. When she’s not crying, she’s laughing. For more about her work, check out daralyselyons.com.

Keane Cobb (he/him) is an actor, improviser, standup comedian and writer from Philly. Keane has hosted at the Albany Funny Bone, Helium and Punchline Comedy Clubs. Keane performs with the Crossroads Comedy Theater show Study Hall: Comedy Inspired By Lectures as well as the podcasts In My Opinion: The Good Fight Podcast and Lockin’ Up: A Black Pro-Wrestling Podcast. Keane is also a member of the all POC comedy troupe NYTEShift and the comedic trio known as Black History Monthly, as well as a co-host of the podcast Alt-Black.

Ann re-entered the world of performance after a long run as full-time mom to three sons. She has now returned to the joys of her youth – backyard plays and high school musicals. Ann studied voice and psychology at Muhlenberg College and improv and acting at the Walnut Street Theater, Philadelphia Improv Theater (PHIT), and the Second City Chicago. Along with opportunities in film, TV, and commercials, Ann is a member of the PHIT house teams Wavelength and High Fashion and the indie team Time Bandits. Ann currently performs with the Crossroads Comedy Theater show Extree! Extree! Comedy Inspired By the News.

David is currently a member of Mess Hall team Perm and Inner Sanctum show F*** This Week at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in LA. Before that, he was a member of Mess Hall team Bordeaux. Originally from Philadelphia, David has been affiliated with the Philly Improv Theater since 2013, where he served as the Diversity Coordinator, taught classes, and performed with house team, The Future, PHIT’s longest running house team, as well as Study Hall. David is also a frequent voice on the Wooder Cooler Podcast Network of shows. When not doing live comedy, David can be found watching basketball, begging people to let him come on their podcasts, and trying out new recipes in his pressure cooker. His three sisters are a constant source of strength.

Stacie Lyons is a comedian based in Philadelphia. She performs with Study Hall: Improv Inspired by College Lectures and Not Yet Rated: An Improvised Movie, and is a podcast co-host of We Need to Talk About This Movie.

Jacob Todd has been performing with Study Hall since 2014. He also performs with retired Philly Improv Theater house team Hoffman and current team Fan Club.

Joe Moore is a performer living in New Jersey. He likes pizza.