The CCT Performance Ensemble
As a training center, all of our current staff and ensemble have come through our classes to earn their way on stage. After completing several levels of classes, instructors select the students that are ready for stage and have them sit in with our experienced cast. Eventually, those who have the right stuff, become a cast member. It's takes more than just talent to become a CCT Ensemble/cast member, it takes committment, drive, dependablity and flexibility as well as fitting in to our family of fun. Our current cast ranges in experience from 16 years to newer students getting their first stage experience. Many of our performers have prior experience in improv, stand up, and theater, but some of our best had no experience before joining our classes! We are an island of misfit toys that love to make ourselves and others laugh. If you are interested in performing with the CCT, please check out our class information and join in on the fun!
Resident EnsembleKeli Semelsberger
Director, lead instructor and performer. Keli studied and performed in Chicago for years prior to moving back home to the carolinas and founding the CCT. Her detailed bio is on our class page. She just wants everyone to have a good time and someone to buy her a jet pack that is safe to fly while smoking.
Drea Leonetti
Instructor, host and performer, Drea has been a driving force in the theater for over 7 years. She can also be found performing her version of "We build this city" after a beer or two. She's so cute you wanna pinch her, but don't, she'll flatten ya.
Jason Spooner
Jason, seen here giving the tumbs up, has been with CCT for 7 years and no one gives a thumbs up like Jason. He's Irish and it shows. Don't leave your drinks on the table, that's all I'm saying.
Derek Voorhees
Being from a small town in Indiana, Derek has missed out on many of life's lessons. For example, when a stranger offers you candy to get in their car, odds are they don't have any candy at all. Which is quite disappointing. He pushed a bride out of the way to get this photo. Derek is an improviser and budding stand up comedian. He is also very nieve which provides limitless fun to the rest of the cast and our audiences. Under this suit,....sweatbands.
Cora Polsgrove
Cora started with CCT in 2010 and is basically a giant 9yr old with bad habits. She can be found doing improv and stand up or hiding up in a tree with cookies and milk while cursing our current economic state. She is also always looking up, it's genetic, don't stare.
Jen Altizer
A Charlotte newb, Jen has been studying improv for somewhere between 2 and 40 years. She began her training at The People’s Improv Theater in NYC and is excited to make things up in a place that has those green things (She is told they are called ‘trees’). In her free time, she enjoys yelling at the Redskins and pretending to be on an episode of “Chopped.” Brian Briscoe
Performer and host. Briscoe has been with CCT for over 6 years and is currently focusing on a stand up career. He is our king of physicality, accents and rodeos. He also takes wrestling seriously.
Eric McCrickard
A Charlotte native, Eric spends his day marketing for "the man" and his nights partying like a rock star. On a quest to find a unicorn, discovered improv comedy in early 2010 and recently started doing stand up. Heavy metal, unicorn obsessing, roller derby and Olivia Newton John fills any of Eric's time not consumed by living life as the love child of Chelsea Handler and Nikki Sixx.
Ryan Welsh
"Ryan started improvising with Duke University Improv (DUI) as an undergraduate. He has enjoyed training at Dirty South Improv, iO South, iO Chicago, and now Charlotte Comedy Theater. He is excessively excited to have a new improv home at CCT."
Colby Davis
Long time cast member (9 of our 10 years) and Mitosis legend. Colby has been with CCT since he was still in high school. Colby can be seen acting in plays around the city and delighting and confusing audiences at the CCT and with our other long term cast member, James Walker, in Mitosis Productions.
Gary Leake (center)
Host and performer, Gary has been slapping cast members around for over 6 years. He has his own workout and diet system that obviously works now that he's off the "juice", (also in photo Keli S. and Colby Davis)
PJ Kelly
Our longest surviving cast member besides Keli. PJ is a Host and performer who has been with CCT for most of a decade and still does not know how to snap.
| Resident EnsembleWill Spann
Born in Columbia, SC, Will started doing improv in 2009 and has been doing stand up for several years. Will is a stellar comedian when he can actually show up by the time the show starts. Self proclaimed dork, you can catch him on stage referrancing things that will keep him from ever getting laid again.
John Cochran
Don't let the mild mannered appearance fool you John C is anything but mild or mannered. John has been performing for CCT for over 4 years and also hosts, plays the guitar, dorks out, and does stand up. John can also do about any accent, but sadly this talent is only accessable when his studen loan officer calls.
Cale Evans
Cale Evans, a husband, father and representitive of what can happen if you work in retail too long. Don't ask about the hampster. It still causes some friction in the cast. Oh, Cale's funny, realy f-in funny! Rachel Lock
By day she is a super hero, by night she a crafty comic! Originally from Upstate New York, Rachel approaches life with an "I think I'll give that a try..." attitude. In Rachel's secret identity she can be found making masterpieces through painting parties with MyArtEvent.com, making Tote Bags (AKA: "Murses"), and making people laugh as part of the Charlotte Comedy Theater.
Matt Martinez
Matt, seen here punching Jason in the head in front of children, well, that says it all. We saw Matt's incredible talent and inappropriate head punching and had to have him. He's a great addition to the cast, we all think so, except Jason.
Nathan Hanks
Nate is the newest addition to our cast, seen wearing stripes here & showing the class where he believes ladies breasts to be located. He is not related to Tom Hanks, but he is a great actor, nice guy and loves to talk to balls. Maybe they are related.
Noah Lemmons
Noah started doing improv and sketch early in 2010 and has amazed everyone by being funny and smart, we love him. He's got a hell of a career ahead of him. He also sells batteries ladies and does not smoke the ganj as this photo may imply, the person playing his arms made him do it. (Noah on righ)
Brian Zarbock
Brain is a host and performer for CCT and can be seen on stages around Charlotte doing improv, stand up and murder mysteries. Though a talented comedian, he has been prohibited from dancing in 7 states. He has only been in 7 states. What does that tell you?
Karla Dingle
A UGA theater alum, Karla is a mother, a retail manager and a nomad who took time away from the stage to discover her other addictions (The Twilight Saga, moving to new states, Scrabble, her IPOD, Cruise Ships and Audio Books) before joining CCT in Feb 2009. A novice playwright in her spare time, Karla continues to argue one of Shakespeare’s famous quotes, “Can one desire too much of a good thing?” She thinks not.
Liz Doten
Liz is originally from Boston but speaks like a normal person. She writes and produces TV commercials while drinking margaritas in fuzzy socks.
James Walker
Improv, stand up comedian and musician (Snack meat & Crackers) He is also part of the Mitosis Duo with Colby Davis. James has been with us for 8 years and balances his time between comedy, music and bizarre comic book fantacies. James knows where your missing socks, pens and lighters are. Don't ask.
Dave Wilson
(left ) Dave has been with CCT for over 8 years, Hosts, teaches and performs. Beneath that long hair is an IT professor, no really, he's a professor! He also has an accent that is his and his alone, part Illinois and part Irish. (Kevin Shimko on rt.)
Tom Balassy
Instructor, host and performer. Tom is originally from cleveland, ohio. he has been studying and performing improv for over 10 years. tom studied improv at the second city training center and was a founding member of the off the wall improv troupe in cleveland. upon moving to charlotte in may 2007, Tom got involved with Charlotte Comedy Theater. he has studied, instructed and performed at CCT ever since. remember, there is no “i” in improv.
|
