Kayce Alltop (Performer) got her first taste of improvisation working as a "test family" for an organ donation company while studying Radio/TV Broadcasting in college. After that she changed her major to Theatre and graduated from Lewis University in 2000. Since moving to Chicago she has performed here and there, including the original run of Chairs. Most recently Kayce was in Oracle Theatre's production of Line and at I.O. with the group "Quincy". You can check out here voice over demo at www.kaycealltop.com. And then hire her. Thanks.

Dan Carr (Performer) has been a member of Chairs since its inception and is thrilled to be part of this run at Victory Gardens. He is a member of the improv group "Cougars", who are enjoying their 3rd year of "best new team" status at I.O., and has just joined "Uncle Elaine", the Playground's most sensual guest team. Dan has been in Chicago for four stellar years and has raised his siblings, Jen, Neal and Elizabeth, completely on his own. Dan is also the front man for "Scattered Maize", a folk-rock band that will put sugar in your coffee.

Melissa Cathcart (Performer) is originally from Texas where she performed with ComedySportz and at the Big Stinkin' International Improv Festival 3 & 4. Upon relocating to Chicago, she studied improvisation at the Second City Training Center and is a graduate of the Conservatory Program. While at the training center she performed in several shows and was featured in the A&E special, Laugh Track. Melissa is an original cast member of Chairs and has had the pleasure of performing with the cast to sold out houses at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the Chicago Improv Festival, the Del Close Marathon in New York City, the Seattle Festival of Improvised Theatre, the Tim Sims Playhouse in Toronto and at the Dublin Fringe Festival. Melissa does customized corporate entertainment and training across the country with Chicago Comedy Company and performs regularly at their new theatre in The Streets of Woodfield in Schaumburg. Melissa can be seen around town performing with her husband as the sketch comedy duo, "Cathcart & Olson". Other Chicago credits include: Stray Dogs - Vicki (TV Pilot); Cooking with Lard - Addie (Jack Benny Performing Arts Center); Off-Book (Donny's Skybox); The Wizard of U.S. (Lakeshore Theatre) and Men of God (Chicago Improv Festival). Melissa would like to thank Jay and her family for their continuing support.

Alex Dickson (Performer), a native of Connecticut, has been performing in Chicago since 2003. Aside from playing with her fellow funny and talented CarniKids, she also performs regularly with the triad Biggs Darklighter, the all-female Sirens and one of Second City's first House Ensembles, The Lordosis Effect. You may have seen her in scripted roles with Brown Coach Theatre Co., Women's Theatre Alliance, SpringLoaded Theatre Co. and the Second City Training Center. Alex is a graduate of the Second City Conservatory Program and various classes at Victory Gardens. Currently, she studies at Profiles Theatre and I.O. Chicago. Alex pays for all of her classes by writing grants for a super nice nonprofit in the Loop. She would like to thank CarniKid for being the best dysfunctional family ever.

Colleen Doyle (Performer) is thrilled and honored to be a member of the CarniKid family. Originally from Cleveland, she finds Chicago delightful and is lucky enough to perform here with "Little Room" at I.O. and Show Pony all over the place. Look for her one-woman show, Broad, at an underpass or truck stop rest area near you. Colleen will always thank Mom, Jen, Chrissy, and Dana for their eerily omnipresent love and support.

Alex Eilhauer (Performer) is thrilled to be performing with the talented cast of Chairs. Alex is a graduate of the I.O. training program and currently performs there with the team "Cougars". He also performs weekly with Whirled News Tonight, an improvised satirical take on the news, and is a writer and performer with The Late Night Late Show, a live late night talk show. Other credits include the sketch show Single Entendre and the improvised form Double Vision. Alex is a graduate of Harvard University where he performed with the "Immediate Gratification Players" and served as an editor of The Harvard Lampoon, the world's oldest continually published comedy magazine.

Sarah Haskins (Performer, Producer) began improvising, writing and performing comedy six years ago. During college she performed with The Immediate Gratification Players, on the mainstage with Boston's Improv Asylum and co-wrote the book and lyrics for the 153rd production of the Hasty Pudding Theatricals. In 2001, she relocated to Chicago, IL where she studied improvisation and sketch writing at the Second City Conservatory, the ImprovOlympic and the Annoyance. She has freestyle rapped in the improvised show The Beatbox, portrayed a very explicit gym teacher in the sketch show Segue, and continues to perform long-form improvisation with the ensembles Sandbox Democracy and American Dream. Sarah is a graduate of Harvard University where she studied History and Literature in order to write a very boring thesis. Sarah can currently be seen in Whirled News at ImprovOlympic. Sarah is also a member of The Second City's National Touring Company.

Jeff Hedges (Performer) is proud to be an original ensemble member of CarniKid Productions. Jeff has trained at the Second City Training Center and at the I.O. Training Center. He performs with "Feast of Pedro" at the Playground Theatre and with "Otis" at I.O. Chicago. Jeff comes to Chicago from Fairbanks, Alaska, where he received his B.A. in History from the University of Alaska at Fairbanks. While there he appeared in Laughter on the 23rd Floor, Three Sisters, Twelfth Night, Prelude and Liebestad and The Problem. In Chicago, Jeff has appeared in Broutil and Farthingham's production of 70 Scenes of Halloween and the Noble Fool Theatre's The Baritones and Sex in the Suburbs. Jeff was most recently seen in Picasso at the Lapin Agile with Noble Fool Theatricals at Pheasant Run Resort.

Jen Malinsky (Performer) is a Chicago native and for the past four and a half years, has sold her soul to improv and sketch comedy. She is thrilled to have shared the stage internationally with the amazing cast of Chairs. Jen can currently be seen performing with "Cougars" (I.O.), the all-female sketch comedy troupe "Blaire" and Corporation, Inc. Some of her past credits include Off-Book, You Can't Trust the Male, B.S. (as Annie Lovelock), Auditions Tonight, Double Vision, Mustang Repair, and pH. Jen's training credits include Act One, Annoyance, Audition Studio, ComedySportz, I.O., and Second City's Conservatory Program. She would like to thank her two beautiful dogs and her husband - without whom none of this would be possible.

Matt Malinsky (Producer/Performer) is a Chicago native who lived all over the world before realizing what he had here all along. He's glad he finally figured it out. Matt feels very fortunate to have spent so much of the last four and a half years on stage, much of it with CarniKid Productions. When not performing Chairs or figuring out which far off destination to take it to next, Matt can be seen performing with "Switchgrass" (I.O.), Madlie (his two person show with wife, Jen Malinsky), or on occasion as one half of Weapons of Opportunity (his two person show with CarniKid ensemble member Dan Carr). Matt likes two person shows. In addition to Chairs, credits that Matt are most proud of include Double Vision, Off-Book, and Segue. Starting January 21st, he can be seen in Outdoor Venue at Donny Skybox Theater at Pipers Alley. Matt would like to thank his Mom, Dad, and brother Tom for their love, and for providing more comedic material than any one person deserves. Special thanks to Jen, Madison, and Millie for being his whole world.

Bina Martin (Director/Performer) has been the Artistic Director of CarniKid Productions since its inception. In addition to Chairs, Bina has also directed CarniKid's Off-Book, Reel, Cathcart & Olson, the multi-media sketch show, Segue, and numerous improv teams and sketch shows, primarily at Donny's Skybox at Second City. As an improviser, Bina has performed Off-Broadway in the improvised full-length play, Lifegame, and was a member of numerous teams at I.O., most notably as a founding member of "Jane". She has also made several appearances in sketches on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. Bina is a graduate of Harvard, The Actors Studio MFA Program at The New School, and is on the faculty at The Second City Training Center.

Jay Olson (Performer) is now in his fifth year as a Chicago actor, and has worked with The Free Associates Theatre Company, Emerald City Theatre Company and The Playground Theatre. In addition to performing with Chairs, he is the proud director of DSI's THE BEATBOX (CRITIC'S CHOICE - Chicago Reader), and is one half of the critically acclaimed sketch comedy duo "Cathcart & Olson". Jay is honored to have performed, taught, and directed at theatre and comedy festivals in Dublin, Toronto, NYC, Washington D.C., Seattle, Philadelphia, Chapel Hill and sweet home Chicago. Late at night Jay can be seen in the documentary film, The Laugh Track, on A&E.

Steve Waltien(Performer) is a Vermont native who moved to Chicago in 2001. He has been a CarniKid ensemble member for a year and a half and has enjoyed doing Chairs in Dublin and Off-Book here in Chicago. He began improvising at Middlebury College with the Otter Nonsense Players where he also majored in Theatre and Philosophy and appeared in many plays. Steve can be seen improvising at the I.O. Theater in the hit current events satire show Whirled News Tonight and with his Harold team "Hall of Presidents", as well as at the Playground theatre with "Miss Hawaiian Tropic". He is a writer-performer with The Late Night Late Show at I.O. and with the sketch group "Local 386". He participated in Second City's Unhinged series with the show TAG. He is also a graduate of the Second City Conservatory program and the I.O. Training Center. Other theatre credits include Concentric Circles as part of the Bailiwick director's series, A Light Gathering of Dust with the Potomac Theatre Project in Washington, DC, Comedy Sportz' The Nutracker?! Sweet!, and his original two-person show collaborations with fellow CarniKid ensemble member Sarah Haskins. He was also seen on TV this year playing a fake homeowner in TLC's Trading Spaces: Home Improv.