Unexpected Productions Announces New Cast Members

Unexpected Productions has announced that it has cast several new cast members. They will join the current cast of improvisers as the company gets ready to celebrate its 40th year of bringing improv to the Puget Sound.

The audition, held in March, was the first ensemble audition since before the pandemic. "We were seeking experienced improvisers, actors, comedians, and other performers who would make a good fit in our talented, established ensemble," said Jill Farris, Unexpected productions Artistic/Education Director.

"We had over sixty people audition and saw so much talent. It got down to who would make a good fit, respect our artistic philosophy and bring their own magic and talent to our culture."

Unexpected Productions is located down Post Alley at 1st & Pike, in historic Pike Place Market, behind the world-famous Gum Wall! It's a 200-seat improv theater with a full bar. Unexpected Productions created the improv scene in Seattle. For 39 years, they have been providing impro performances, offering an extensive improv school, holding international festivals, and providing corporate training. Unexpected Productions has been producing a wide array of improvisational-based theater for Seattle audiences while developing a worldwide reputation for high-quality improvisation. Unexpected Productions...the heart of improv in Seattle.

"Our experienced ensemble of actors, working with little more than their wits and imaginations take suggestions from the audience, and turn them into well-crafted, thought-provoking stories," said Farris.

Every weekend, Unexpected Productions' presents its ongoing production of TheatreSports, the longest-running show in the city. Relying on years of experience, wicked-sharp wit and lightning-fast reflexes, two teams of veteran actors standoff against each other, in a fiercely competitive improv match.

In almost 39 years, Unexpected Productions has performed far more than 2,500 shows, both TheatreSports and a number of original long-form productions for almost 500,000 satisfied audience members. Unexpected Productions has established a year-round improv school, an annual International Festival, and Seattle's original annual High School Improv Tournament.

"Our new cast are now part of our legacy of creating intelligent improvised stories with our audience. Creating scenes that have never been seen before and will never be seen again," concluded Farris

Today, Unexpected Productions is 64 members strong, and the tightly woven ensemble uses audience suggestions, experiences, and sometimes even the audience themselves to create a show that is funny, unique, and always entertaining. Unexpected Productions is dedicated. They provide entertainment and education by illuminating, with integrity, the humor and truth in our world.

Alan Hawkins

Alan Hawkins is an improviser from Chicago and has been performing improv since 2004. He is a graduate of; The Second City Conservatory, The Second City Musical Conservatory, The iO West Program, The Chicago Comedysportz Training Center and The Annoyance program.

Andrew Stier

Andrew Stieris an improv, sketch, and stand-up comedian from Austin, TX. He has directed and performed in shows at the Hideout Theatre and is co-host of Rainbow Room, a podcast about gay representation in media. He loves creating content and once started a viral Mean Girls trend on TikTok which now has over 200 recreations.

Audrey Kohler

Audrey Kohler is a performer with deep roots in the Pacific Northwest. She began improvising through Unexpected Production's high-school outreach program and has since gone on to perform as Yvonne in Juneau Lyric Opera's "Here's Lookin' at You Casablanca", teach improv through Perseverance Theatre's "STAR" program, and serve on the ensemble of "As If" in Juneau, Alaska and "LA Connection" in Burbank, California.

Conor McLean

Conor's improv journey began when he signed up for an improv class with Unexpected Productions in 2015. He's performed in a variety of local shows across Seattle including with Jet City Improv and most recently as an ensemble member at CSz Seattle. He's a current cast member of The Reader at Bandit Theater and is thrilled to be joining the Ensemble at Unexpected Productions.

Dave Clapper

Dave Clapper made his Unexpected Productions debut in the 2011 production of "CIU: Criminal Improv Unit." Since then, he's appeared in ten other mainstage productions, directed "Script Tease," and coached two high schools' improv teams for UP's Hogan Cup tournament. He's appeared on stages for both improvised and scripted work throughout Seattle, as well as at festivals in Edinburgh (Scotland), Leicester (England), Honolulu, Austin, and Portland..

Erin Calfee

Erin Calfee improvised for her first audience in 2007 with 'Karin and the Improvs' at Brown University. She went on to perform long form and short form styles with Mayhem! and ComedySportz in Sacramento, California. Erin moved to Seattle in the fall 2021 and is excited to join the UP ensemble and local improv community.

Jason Marr

Jason began improvising in his youth to create monologues, scenes, and plays. He's been a professional actor for 20+ years and has been pursuing improv classes and performance more formally with UP since 2014. He performed as lead beat boxer (and occasional freestyle rapper) in multiple runs of Hip Hopera with UP. He's married to the lovely, extraordinary Jill Marr. In his spare time he enjoys providing unsolicited voiceover for their cats Indy and Mo.

Julia Susman Holloway

Julia has been a tenacious performer since she was a child, growing up in Philadelphia. She began her theatrical career acting in school plays and later and wrote for off-Broadway Theater. She has worked consistently in television, films and commercials, all while studying improv and clown work. Being cast as a member of Unexpected Productions feels like the culmination of her creative investment, and is a truly dream come true. She's also an acupuncturist, a wife, a mom, a sister, a daughter and a lover of spaghetti and meatballs.

Maleah Woodley

Maleah Woodley is a commercial actor and voice-over artist represented in the Pacific Northwest. She graduated from the Seattle Film Institute with her BA Degree in Acting for Film and was introduced to Unexpected Productions by cast member, Obadiah Freeman in October 2021. Maleah then jumped into Improv

100 with Jill Farris, auditioned for the company in March 2022, and the rest is history! She looks forward to finding herself hosting the SNL stage one day.

Richard Templeman

Richard Templeman started out as a young fan of Unexpected Productions in the late 90's and early 2000's. Inspired by what he saw, he ended up studying improv in College and ever since, has been delighted to perform on stages from East coast to West!

Zawdie Terry

Zawdie Terry was born and raised in Seattle WA. He was first introduced to the art improv when Unexpected Productions hosted a workshop at his middle school. He continued to engage in performance arts throughout high school and into college. Zawdie was reintroduced into performance art through Duos Improv Showcase at Unexpected Producitons..

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