IMPROV SHOWS FRI and SAT at 8 PM!
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Meet The Performers
Winnie has been doing theater since they were 3 years old, and stumbled upon MopCo when a friend invited them to a Jam. Since then, Winnie has known that improv is something special, and is thrilled to join the crew here at MopCo. Winnie has a history in dance, singing, oboe, acting, and various other arts and crafts, but earns their keep by being a forester! Though Winnie is new to improv, they have a long history of performing, and an even longer habit of playing pretend. Improv is a kind, supportive, and stimulating creative environment, and Winnie is excited to keep playing with this crew.
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Maria Ayoob is a silly goose who wasted several decades of her life not doing improv. She played Sam (the right-hand man) in the 1989 production of The Pirates of Penzance at Rombout Junior High. In her spare time she has a job.
You want a biography in one hundred words or less? How can a human being with any respectable life experience fit their major accomplishments and life events into a meaningful format that comes in under one hundred words? You are really asking a lot, but I will do the best job that I can under the circumstances. This really is not easy, I can tell you! I guess the main thing to do is step back and look at the big picture of my life, so that is what I am going to do.
Maria Ayoob
Walt Batycki
You want a biography in one hundred words or less? How can a human being with any respectable life experience fit their major accomplishments and life events into a meaningful format that comes in under one hundred words? You are really asking a lot, but I will do the best job that I can under the circumstances. This really is not easy, I can tell you! I guess the main thing to do is step back and look at the big picture of my life, so that is what I am going to do.
Winnie Ashby
Ali discovered improv in 2019 and has been hooked ever since. She volunteers with refugees and the Friends of the Pine Bush Community. She enjoys nature walks, dancing, and reading. In between her hobbies and volunteering, she works in the public sector.
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Jason started his improv career in 1995 as part of the mainstage cast at ComedySportz San Jose, performing in their home theater and at events such as the SoFA Street Fair and the 1997 NHL All Star Fan Experience. In 2013, he was a founding member of ComedySportz Boston, bringing fast-paced, competitive improv to an entirely new audience. He has also taught numerous applied improvisation and team building workshops at colleges, high schools, and major corporations including Intel, AMD, and Hewlett Packard. He’s excited to be a part of MopCo, and to bring his comedic voice to New York’s capital region.
Jason Burke
You want a biography in one hundred words or less? How can a human being with any respectable life experience fit their major accomplishments and life events into a meaningful format that comes in under one hundred words? You are really asking a lot, but I will do the best job that I can under the circumstances. This really is not easy, I can tell you! I guess the main thing to do is step back and look at the big picture of my life, so that is what I am going to do.
Sam Gorenstein
Sam Gorenstein is a writer, comedian, and journalist from the Albany, New York area. He graduated from SUNY Albany in 2013 with a B.A. in English, minoring in Theater and Journalism. Prior to MopCo, he was a member of the UAlbany Sketchy Characters, serving as writing chair from 2011-2012, and improv chair from 2012-2013. In the Summer of 2013, he studied at the Upright Citizens Brigade Training Center, and is a two time participant in the Del Close Marathon. You can often catch him doing stand-up comedy around the Capital Region, or trying to shoehorn self-referential endings into otherwise straightforward bios.
Alison Baxter
My biography
Takes the form of a haiku
Isn’t that so clev—
Jen Lavenhar
Sarah Maloney
Tom Mueller
Charlie Owens (he/him) is thrilled to return to the MopCo Stage! After an ever so brief stint on the MopCo house team, he joined the infamous Regicides of New Haven, CT (house team of A Broken Umbrella Theatre). Off-stage Charlie continues his passion for building community through art as an arts administrator working with Capital Repertory Theatre, Barrington Stage, Long Wharf Theatre, Proctors Theatre, Saratoga Arts and this list goes on. @cwowens, not on tiktok.
Alex Rabinowitz
Alex Rabinowitz has been studying, performing, and teaching improv for 7 years — and is thrilled to be joining MopCo! Most recently, Alex was a house team member and instructor at AdLib Theater in Orlando, FL. As a former mainstay at the Harrisburg Improv Theater in PA, Alex helped create new formats, taught classes, and performed in musical and long-form shows. Alex has also been featured as a guest performer on improv stages in NYC (Del Close Marathon), Asheville, and Berlin. Alex is a social media director by day and has a marginally useful degree in film from Syracuse University.
Coming soon!
Krisanna Scheiter
Charlie Owens
Charlie Owens (he/him) is thrilled to return to the MopCo Stage! After an ever so brief stint on the MopCo house team, he joined the infamous Regicides of New Haven, CT (house team of A Broken Umbrella Theatre). Off-stage Charlie continues his passion for building community through art as an arts administrator working with Capital Repertory Theatre, Barrington Stage, Long Wharf Theatre, Proctors Theatre, Saratoga Arts and this list goes on. @cwowens, not on tiktok.
Co
Michael Burns started the Mop & Bucket Co. in 1995. With his partner Kat Koppett, he purchased an old firehouse in 2016 and converted it into a theatre.
. Even after the pandemic lockdown, the place is still here, so maybe it was a good idea. Michael is married to his mentor, best friend, harshest critic, strongest advocate, and very favorite scene partner, the amazing Kat Koppett.
Kat Koppett (Co- Director) is a 25-year improv veteran, including stints with Theatresports companies in New York City (Freestyle Repertory Theatre) and San Francisco (BATS Improv). In 1995, TheaterWeek Magazine named Kat one of the year’s “Unsung Heroes” for her creation of the improvisational theater format, Spontaneous Broadway, which is now performed regularly all over the world.
Her acting credits include the title role in The Diary of Anne Frank both Off-Broadway and in the Soviet Union; Rosalind in As You Like It with the Manhattan Stage Company and Fiddler on the Roof with Theodore Bikel. She has been seen in television ads for Pillsbury, Quaker Oats, and Dr. Pepper (she was a Pepper!). In 1998, her short play, Don’t Get Around Much Anymore, was a winner in Playground’s Emerging Playwrights Festival in San Francisco. Kat holds a B.F.A. in Drama from NYU/Circle in the Square and an M.A. in Organizational Psychology.
In addition to performing, Kat is the founder of Koppett + Co., a consulting and training company specializing in the use of improvisation and storytelling to enhance workplace effectiveness. Her book Training to Imagine: Practical Improvisational Theatre Techniques to Enhance Creativity, Teamwork, Leadership and Learning was published in 2001 by Stylus Publishing, Inc.
Kat’s favorite improvisational endeavors involve her daughter, Lia.
Kat Koppett
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The Mop & Bucket Co.
Finding Inspiration in Every Turn
Our main stage company recently celebrated 25 years as a working performance group. Prior to opening the Mopco, the group was in residence at Proctors in Schenectady for ten years; before that, they performed all around the Capital Region, wherever they could find a stage. Critically acclaimed, The Mop & Bucket Co. improvisers prove that, naysayers notwithstanding, there are literally hundreds of dollars to be made as an improv professional! Inquire about performances: hey@mopco.org