The Second City Cast & Crew

Please silence all devices and refrain from taking photos during the performance.

All Actors and Stage Managers are members of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional Actors and Stage Managers.

RICH ALFONSO (Ensemble, he/him) is excited to be a part of the Touring Company along with these amazing people! He was a recipient of the 2016 NBC/Universal Bob Curry Fellowship and has worked as a cast member for The Second City’s Black History Month Show, touring aboard Norwegian Cruise Line and as an understudy for the ETC Resident Stage. Other credits include being a featured performer in the 2019 NBC Break Out Comedy Festival, his two man team Spic & Tan and his solo show at the Annoyance, I.C.E. Box which was featured on WBEZ Radio and NPR. He is represented by BMG Talent. Follow Rich on Twitter/Instagram/TikTok @rich_alfonso

Kennedy Baldwin

KENNEDY BALDWIN (Ensemble) is an improviser, writer and actress born and raised in Chicago. She attended Western Illinois University where she studied music business. She started taking improv classes at The Second City at the beginning of 2016 and has been in love with it ever since! In 2019, she completed the Severn Darden Graduate Program and in 2020 she was a recipient of the Bob Curry Fellowship at Second City. She now produces the smallprov show at Logan Square Improv. 

ANNA BORTNICK (Ensemble, she/her) is an actor and improviser originally from Boston, Massachusetts. She received her B.F.A. from Boston University and has trained at the Eugene O’Neill National Theater Institute. Anna also performs with the musical improv company, BABY WANTS CANDY and SHAMILTON (Edinburgh Fringe, The Second City) and is a current resident company member at iO Theater. www.annabortnick.com

KARL BRADLEY (Ensemble) is a writer and philosopher-clown living in Chicago. Karl has performed at the Annoyance and IO theaters, and is a happy patron of Logan Square Improv. In the fall of 2020, Karl attempted to buy Second City but never received a response.

CLAIRE FAVRET (Ensemble) writes and performs all around Chicago, but most often at Second City, iO theater, CIC theater, and The Annoyance. She has contributed headlines for Clickhole and co-wrote an episodic comedy podcast/radio play called A Winkle In Time. It’s about the Winklevoss brothers traveling through time to patent inventions and fight their nemesis, Mark Zuckerberg. It’s on iTunes and all the other podcast places!

ROSS TAYLOR (Ensemble) is originally from St. James, Missouri and studied theater at Mizzou. Favorite Second City credits include: National Touring Company, performing at the Kennedy Center and Lyric Opera and understudying the e.t.c. Ross teaches improv at the Second City and Annoyance Theater, and performs weekly at the Annoyance with Missed Call and Tuesday Musical Improv. I love Jen! @rosstaylornyc

ANNE LIBERA (Director) is an Associate Professor and coordinates the degree in Comedy Writing and Performance at Columbia College Chicago. She is an Artistic Consultant and Director of Comedy Studies for The Second City. She served as Director of Pedagogy for The Second Science Project in partnership with the Center for Decision Research at the University of Chicago. Her directing credits include: The Madness of Curious GeorgeComputer Chips and SalsaThe Second City Goes to WarAre You There God? It’s Me, Katniss Everdeen, and Second City touring productions all over the world.

 Anne has presented on topics in improvisation and comedy for Aspen Ideas Festival, Code Conference, Chicago Ideas Week, Twitter, and guest lectured at the Stanford Business School and Northwestern University. Her book Funnier: A Theory of Comedy with Practical Applications will be published by Northwestern University Press.

Twitter:@AnneLibera1

BREE BARTMAN (Stage Manager) is the Stage Manager for this production! For the past 10 years, she’s been hiding in the shadows at several theaters around Chicago, including The Second City and the long running show, Bye Bye Liver. When she’s not at Second City, you can find her slinging sass at Ed Debevic’s! Please enjoy the show!!!

TONY BELSITO (Music Director) is the one behind the piano. Hello!

Understudies

JILLIAN EBANKS (Under(pronouns: She/Her/Hers) is thrilled to be a member of The Second City National Touring Company. An artist originally from New Jersey, she was awarded the 2018 NBC Bob Curry Fellowship.  Past shows include America; It’s Complicated! at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and The Black History Month Show.  She is the co-creator and co-producer of B.A.P.S Comedy. With a degree in sociology she refuses to use, Ebanks hopes all her hard work pays off one day when Ben & Jerry’s asks her to create her very own ice cream flavor. Also, like, an invitation to the Met Gala would be cool. Follow her at @Curlyhairnocare for pictures with hella filters. She is currently represented by Grossman & Jack Talent.

BRYSON HOWARD (Understudy) is a Chicago transplant from South Carolina by way of Nashville, TN, and Paris, France. After four and a half years of performing improv and scripted comedy around Chicago, the city thankfully has not yet rejected the transplant. He has been fortunate enough to perform in several shows at The Annoyance Theatre; he was part of the cast of The Queer Eye: The Musical Parody at the Playground Theater; he is an ensemble member of Baby Wants Candy, and he can be found performing improv at various venues in Chicago with his comedy partner Cassidy Russell. Bryson loves to run, watch 30 Rock, eat cheese, wear sweaters, and experience generalized anxiety. Twitter: @BrysonHoward. Instagram: @BrysonDallasHoward. 

KRISTEN AVILES  (Understudy) is from the beautiful sunshine place of Staten Island, NY. After moving to Chicago in 2017 she is now a Chicago based comedian, improviser and beautiful singer. You can currently catch her sometimes in Clued-in (Second City), Shamilton (Second City), The Mermaids (Annoyance) or as an understudy for Alex Bellisle in Great Altercations right here in the e.t.c! If you want to follow along and see where she will be next, you can follow her on everything @kris10aviles

TYLER DeLOATCH (Understudy) (he/theyis an actor, improviser, and singer based in Chicago. Chicago credits include Assassins (Theo Ubique), The Threepenny Opera (Theo Ubique), Rock of Ages (one night replacement) (Mercury Theatre), Sweeney Todd (Kokandy Productions, Jeff winner; Best Musical Production), The Virginian (City Lit Theatre), Rent (Possibilities Theatre)and Laughterreise (in association with Fourth Coast Ensemble)Tyler is a member of musical improv teams Baby Wants Candy, Shamilton (Second City Skybox), and Riff (iO). Tyler is a graduate of the Second City Conservatory and of Coker University with a degree in Music with an emphasis in Musical Theatre. Represented by Lily’s Talent.

LAURA MAYNARD (Understudy) was born and raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee before moving to Chicago in 2015. She studied Comedy Writing and Performance at Columbia College Chicago, graduating in 2019. She can be seen improvising all over town with the iO Harold team Slice and independent team Cool Aunt. She wouldn’t be here without her parents, so John and Laura if you’re reading this – I love you! You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram @mrsdennisquaid

AUDREY SCHIFFHAUER (Understudy) is originally from Buffalo, NY, and has performed improv and sketch comedy in Chicago for seven years, including Second City, iO Theater, The Annoyance and CIC. She is excited to be performing with her friends again after missing comedy so much in the last year, although her cat Lily is not thrilled that she seems to be leaving the house more often.

TRAVIS STUEBING (Understudy) is an actor, writer and comedian originally hailing from Texas. While having performed with many regional theaters, locally he is a graduate of iO and The Annoyance’s Improv programs, Second City’s Conservatory, and is also an alum of Second City’s Severn Darden Graduate Program. He’s also contributed voice work to the anime One Piece and The Onion’s podcast The Topical. He couldn’t be more proud to be apart of The National Touring Company as an understudy. He’d like to thank his family for all of their support, and Katie, for being the best partner to run lines with. You can find him on Twitter: travis_stuebing & Instagram: travis.stuebing

NICK WILSON (Understudy, he/him) is an actor, improviser, and musician from the south suburbs of Chicago, Il. He’s a graduate of DePaul University, as well as Second City’s Conservatory program and the iO training center. He’s performed all over the city, mostly at iO, CIC and Second City, since 2016. His web series, Hammersmith: Hurdle of Dreams, for which he won Best Actor at the Chicago 48 Hour Film Project, went on to win at Filmapalooza in Paris and screen at the Cannes Film Festival.

DARYN ROBINSON (she/her) is a writer and performer originally from Washington, D.C. She is thrilled to understudy for The Second City Touring Company! She also performs in other shows around Chicago, including Shamilton! The Improvised Hip-Hop Musical (Second City), Improvised Jane Austen (iO Theatre), My Best Friend is Black (Lincoln Lodge), and more. Daryn holds an MFA from Northwestern University (‘23) and her writing has been published in The Onion. Many thanks to her beloved co-producers, Mom and Dad! You can follow her on Instagram @daryn_2dream.

LEO (Understudy Stage Manager, they/them) has been in the theater game for most of their life, and is thrilled to be spending time stage managing, producing, and directing this year. This has been especially true since starring their own production company, Destined For Chaos Productions, which will be putting up two original reviews this year. You will find Leo stage managing various things throughout the building, including the long-running shows, “Baby Wants Candy” and “RIFF”. You can also see Leo performing around town, often doing music improv, which they have enjoyed since graduating Second City’s Music Improv Conservatory last year. Leo is happy any time they are doing something in a theater and is thrilled to be a part of this show! Check out their productions @destined_for_chaos