We are proud to have some of the best professional performers and instructors as part of our faculty. All of our instructors come from a strong background in improvisational theatre.

Instructors Jacqueline Arend Jacqueline Arend a Michigan native took the summer intensive at IO Chicago in 2005. After returning to Phoenix she immediately joined The Originals under the direction of Matt Rosin. During that time she performed in a week long run of The Apple Pie Hubbub, an improvised film noir at the Herberger's Lunch Time Series. In May 2006 she helped found the Light Rail Pirates, in September 2006 she joined The Phoenix Neutrino Project and in October 2006 she became an original member of Mail Order Bride. Bill Binder Bill Binder is a Michigan native whose start in improv began with The Troupe. From 2002-2004, Bill trained at The ImprovOlympic West Conservatory in Hollywood, CA. He is the director of the Phoenix Improv Festival and the Phoenix Youth Improv Festival and has performed and taught at festivals in Denver, New Orleans, Chicago, Los Angeles and Toronto. Currently, Bill is a performer with Apollo 12, Galapagos, The Remainders and The Phoenix Neutrino Project and directs the youth Troupe All Rights Reserved. Mack Duncan Mack Duncan has been a Phoenix Improvisor since 1999, and has been a professional educator since 2001. He has a degree in Directing from Arizona State University. At ASU he wrote and performed with The Farce Side and Barren Mind improv. He was a member of the Phoenix ComedySportz team from 99-2002, directing the troupe from 01-02. He has been teaching Theatre Arts at Cortez High School since 2003 and is currently performing with Apollo 12, The Remainders, The Phoenix Neutrino Project, and The Elastic Theatre Company. Ken Ferguson Ken Ferguson brings Johnstone and Spolin inspired improvisation from Spokane, Washington's Blue Door Theatre to Arizona. After several years with local Arizona improv comedy troupes The Jester'Z and The Originals, he left to pursue an interest in musical improv and work with The Remainders. Living in Casa Grande, Arizona, he is the Artistic Director for The Historic Paramount Theatre where he teaches improv classes, performs, directs and is constantly working to build an improv community in the town. Bob Fisher Bob Fisher has spent over twenty years in improvisation, as a member of the Cardiff Giant Theatre Company, The Annoyance Theatre, Bang Bang Spontaneous Theatre, and the National Touring Company of The Second City. He is the co-author of plays developed through improvisation including LBJFKKK, Co-Ed Prison Sluts, Rancho Obscuro, Aftertaste, and Dreamy. He is the regular emcee for the Space 55 show "7 Minutes in Heaven." His resume of speaking film appearances does not include, but rather consists entirely of, his role as Bunny Suit Person in "The Big Tease." José Gonzalez José Gonzalez is a Phoenix native who received his start in acting & performance under bree williams (lower-case letters intentional). In addition to being the co-director of Galapagos, José occasionally partakes in solo performances and has a couple of other improvisational projects in the works. José helped develop & produce the Barrow Gang's Scattershot Tour & Hovercraft, a musical improv duo, and is an Associate Producer of the Phoenix Improv Festival. José performs with Galapagos, The Remainders and the musical duo Dangerville. Mark Jordan Mark Jordan is a Phoenix native and has been doing Improv in the valley since 1996 with Barren Mind and Farce Side at Arizona State University. He Graduated from ASU in 1999 with a degree in Theatre Education and has been teaching theatre ever since at Mesquite High School in Gilbert, Arizona. Mark is also an alumnus of the training program at ImprovOlympic in Chicago. After returning from Chicago he joined The Barrow Gang and became a founding member of Galapagos. Mark also is the Director of The Phoenix Neutrino Project, which he brought to the valley from New York and Chicago. Stacey Reed Stacey Reed studied, directed and performed improvisational comedy in New York City, where she studied with The Upright Citizens Brigade, Armando Diaz and Gary Austin. She was the co-founder of Late Night Ritalin, wrote for and appeared in Saturday Night Rewritten, and was a performer in Juvie Hall's Character Dog Run. Stacey also performed in the Stan O improvisational tournament, the Big Apple Improv Festival and the Del Close Marathon. Currently, she is a co-director of Valley Youth Theatre's youth improv troupe, The HaHa’s and performs with The Light Rail Pirates, Mail Order Bride, and The Phoenix Neutrino Project. Tom Schaeffer Tom Schaeffer graduated from Lehigh University in his home state of Pennsylvania with a degree in Theatrical Production & Design (and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering) in 1995. Soon thereafter, he moved to Arizona where he began his improv career performing with The Jester'Z and in 2004 he became a founding member of The Originals. Tom supplements his improv work with frequent short film and commercial projects and performs regularly with The Phoenix Neutrino Project and The Remainders. Shane Shannon Shane Shannon, an Arizona native, began improvising in 1996 with the Mesa Arts Center's youth improv troupe Impromptu. He is a co-founding member and director of the short form troupe FLD and has performed with The OxymoronZ and The Originals. Shane has performed at The Chicago Improv Festival and Del Close Marathon in New York and has worked training Tucson's StreetProv Theatre Collective. He is an original member of Galapagos, the valley's longest running long form show, and currently performs with both Galapagos and The Phoenix Neutrino Project.