The Curious Players
– CAST BIOS & HEADSHOTS — to contact our performers please send an email to info@curiouscomedy.org
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Katie Behrens – Katie Behrens is a local improviser and performer in Portland. She studied theater at Messiah College and quickly discovered her love for comedy. After moving to Oregon in 2008, she trained and became a main stage performer at Curious Comedy Theater. She also enjoys singing karaoke on a bi-weekly basis. Some call it an addiction, she calls it Tuesday and Wednesday nights.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Amanda Bishop — Amanda Bishop thinks that time spent onstage with the Curious Comedy Main Stage Players is by far the most fun ever. When not in class or performing she can be found studying yoga, reading/writing short fiction, and honing her acting/improv skills as a waiter for one of Portland’s most delicious restaurants.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Gabe Dinger — has been performing stand up comedy since 2005. He won the Portland Amateur Comedy Contest in 2006 showcasing his razor sharp wit and unmatched timing, and in 2007 won the CBS Radio Laff Off. Gabe has performed at clubs such as Harvey’s (Portland, OR), Helium (Portland, OR), as well as being a part of the Bridgetown Comedy Festival in Portland, OR since it’s inception in 2008. Gabe is an instructor and regular performer at Curious Comedy Theater.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Jay Flewelling – Jay Flewelling is a Portland native who loves to laugh. He performs stand-up around town, has performed in Mortified, and every year is on staff with the Bridgetown Comedy Festival. Besides comedy, it turns out that Jay is a gentleman and a scholar. He is an artist, an athlete, a traveler, and a lover of games. In the last year Jay has put on 3 photography exhibitions, showcasing his travels and distinct portraits. Jay’s car is his bicycle and often refers to it as a friend. He has an ongoing yoga practice, plays on a soccer team, and is a part of a secret basketball club. For employment, Jay runs
recess at a Portland Public School; where he plays games every day!
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Alex Gavlick — is a senior at Vancouver School for Arts and Academics. He is an up and coming stand-up and improv comedian. When he is not performing he can be found doing his homework.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Stacey Hallal – Stacey has been performing, teaching, and directing improv and sketch comedy in Portland and Chicago over the past ten years and has appeared and taught at over 25 comedy festivals across the United States and Canada. While in Chicago, Stacey complete the iO Chicago, Annoyance, and Second City training centers. She went on to complete the prestigious Directing Program at Second City where she also taught improv and writing to adults and kids as a member of the Second City Training Faculty. Stacey assistant directed the smash hit Second City mainstage production, Between Barack and A Hard Place. In Portland, Stacey was a member of the critically acclaimed comedy duo All Jane No Dick and debuted her one-woman show, The Humperdink Family Reunion, to rave reviews. Stacey uses improv to help corporations better understand and tell their brand stories with Character, LLC, a Portland-based company she helped start up in 2001.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Laura James – began her acting career at age 5 in a McDonald’s commercial. After earning her BFA in Acting at Southern Oregon University she moved to LA. She performed with the LA based group the “Comic Ozzies” for 5 years and began teaching improv in 1996. Laura is an award winning short documentary producer and continues to perform, direct and produce film and theater in Portland. You can find her teaching and performing at Curious Comedy Theater, Oregon Children’s Theater and other independent projects around town.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Bob Ladewig – Director, Teacher, Performer, Man about Town. Bob Ladewig has made comedy a big part of his life since 1997, when he took his first improv class with Joe Bill at Chicago’s Annoyance Theater. Since then he has been a part of many teams at iO Chicago (Space Mountain and the Washington Generals to name two), played with ComedySportz Chicago from 2000 to 2006, performed and directed shows at the Second City Skybox theater and so much more. In late 2007 Bob made the cross country move from Chicago to Portland to co-found the Curious Comedy Theater with the lovely and talented Stacey Hallal. He has been a part of every mainstage production at the theater and has been teaching improv and sketch writing classes there since we were ready to offer them. You can google his name if you don’t believe this bio. The internet doesn’t lie.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Nathan Loveless – Nathan is a Portland native who began his comedy career performing “Who’s on First” for the cutthroat audiences of the annual Beaumont Middle School Eighth Grade Talent Show. Since then Nathan has performed throughout the Northwest with groups such as Absolute Improv, Five Days Shy, Nate and Nathan, ComedySportz and the Brody Theater. A frequent participant in Curious Comedy Theater since its inception, Nathan also serves on the Curious Board of Directors. Bottom line: Nathan likes to have good times and to make people laugh. Hooray for good times and laughing people.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Annie Rimmer – Annie spent most of her early childhood hiding under a coffee table perfecting her dyslexia. In time her mother grew worried and enrolled her in a drama class. Now Annie loves to perform comedy but remembers fondly her simpler bays of dackward adanbon. She received her B.A. in Theatre from Willamette University and can been seen around town desperately trying to make people laugh.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Janet Rivera – spent her formative years openly mocking family members before moving on to teachers, classmates and eventually co-workers during a fifteen year career as an HR professional. Let’s just say that everyone didn’t appreciate her brand of “honesty”. She was thrilled to find Curious Comedy theater right around the corner where others find the behavior of humans to be absurd and worthy of being made fun of at least three nights a week.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Nate Smith– Nate has been performing improvised comedy since 1999. He got his start at ComedySportz in St. Louis. Since then, he has performed with City Improv, ComedySportz in Portland, and the Brody Theater. From 2000-2003, Nate wrote, directed and performed in the Lazy Zipper sketch comedy show. In 2003, Nate picked up stand up comedy and has performed in big comedy clubs like the Funny Bone in St Louis and Harvey’s in Portland – as well as little truck stops like Mollie’s in Klamath. Nate has also taught improv and comedy at the Northwest Children’s Theater as well as various camps and colleges. He has taught comedy to children as young as eight and to college students who act like they are eight. To learn more about Nate go to www.natesmithcomedy.com.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
