Centralia are a bold, 4-man (and a musician) Manhattan-based improv group, who blow the doors off of what's “legal” in spontaneous performance. They're also musical and fun for the whole family.

Centralia (then Burn Manhattan) were born in 1996 out of an election-related sketch show from the group's 2nd City improv roots.  The group morphed into Centralia in 2004.  Centralia have sold-out shows at all the hippest underground NYC improv, theater and comedy joints: The Kitchen, Nada, Westbeth Theatre Center, Soho Rep, Gotham, Present Company, the People's Improv Theater. They've also delighted and stunned audiences at clubs and colleges around the country.  Every member is an improv teacher and they've taught with Second City, at Fordham University, Yale, Hampshire College, Brooklyn College, for Fortune 500 companies and at the People's Improv Theatre.

Matt Higgins, (founding member) an Andy Kaufman Award finalist and avid improviser, is an original member of Burn Manhattan along with Kate Walsh, Todd Stashwick, Jay Rhoderick, Kevin Scott, John Theis, Mark Levinson, and Shira Piven.

The song “Holy Shit” from “Generica”, a musical co-written by Matt and other members of Centralia Spontaneous Theater, has been licensed by Showtime to promote “Weeds” and “Californiation”.Matt helped kick off Human Giant’s 24-hour take-over of MTV.  His stand-up has been featured on Comedy Central. Film credits include supporting roles in “Girl Missing” (Amy Poehler, Kate Walsh, Adam Mc Kay and Will Arnett), “Approaching Union Square” (IFC), and “Shadowboxer” a Lee Daniel’s film (Cuba Gooding Jr., Monique, Macy Gray, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Helen Mirren). Matt studied improvisation with Ralph Buckley and Paul Sills. He received a BA in theater from Allentown College and did his graduate theater work at Villanova University.

Jay Rhoderick, (founding member) studied acting at the William Esper Studio and with Deena Levy. He is a proud uncle and loves to work with kids.  He has taught theatre and community-building programs in NYC public schools for 13 years.  Acting credits include Odysseus in the acclaimed Pig Iron Theatre's production of "Odyssey", the original production of "Urinetown" as Lockstock, "Ghosts" at the Pearl Theatre, numerous industrials, and in the regional world-premiere of The Flying Carpet Theatre Co.'s "The Medicine Showdown," an adaptation of Ibsen's "An Enemy of the People".

Kevin Scott, (founding member) a multi-discipline artist, has been working in New York City for a decade in addition to improvising with Centralia. He has directed The Royal We (www.theroyalwe.org), Minimum Wage (www.miniwage.com), Massholia (www.theatreflective.com) and numerous short films. He has also has done print and motion design for various productions in New York including Waterwell (www.waterwell.org) and Marc Maron (www.marcmaron.com). In Chicago, Kevin trained with the Second City and formed his own theater company, Bang Bang, which included at one time or another, Tracey Letts, Greg Kotis, Michael Shannon, Paul Dillon, Amy Pietz and a host of other Chicago theater luminaries.

Dion Flynn (part-time new guy) is an improvisor, acting teacher, actor, meditation teacher and life coach who holds an MFA  in acting from New York University '99. Dion has appeared in feature film, on VH1, television sketch comedy, in national commercials and with Shakespeare in the Park. Dion was a founding member of the NYC improv group 'The Prince Albert Players' and performed for 2 years in a two-man NYC sketch-prov show with People's Improv Theater founder (and Del Close disciple) Ali Farahnakian. Dion has led workshops around the country for Fortune 500 companies and colleges and been on the faculty of the People's Improv Theater. Dion has developed his own improv teaching method (The Tao Of Improv/ www.TheTaoOfImprov.com) He currently performs with Centralia, and in a two-man improv show entitled 'Shackled' with Nate Starkey.