WIT NEWS ITEM | Caveat and Jackie Welcome New Players

CAVEAT AND JACKIE WELCOME NEW PLAYERS

POSTED 3.15.07

Washington Improv Theater's Caveat and Jackie have reloaded.

Open auditions were held for both troupes in mid-January, and after more than a month of trial play, veteran members of both squads are thrilled to welcome new members to their respective families.

Caveat strengthens their numbers by three with the arrival of Josh Beard, Joe Brack and Dan MacAvoy.

"Josh is brilliant," says Natasha Rothwell, founder and director of Caveat. "He's a southern gentleman with a wicked smart sense of humor, and a true love of the craft."

Beard has been performing improv since 1999 when he joined the University of Virginia's only non-a cappella ensemble, The Whethermen. He has also trained at the Improv Olympic Theater in Chicago and more recently has taken several classes with WIT.

Joe Brack's received his B.F.A. from William Carey College in Hattiesburg, MS. In 2003, Brack became an official member of the Transactor's Improv Company, in Chapel Hill, NC.

"Joe is a chameleon," says Rothwell. "His strong acting background explodes his character work and makes him exciting to watch. You never know what you're going to see."

Caveat's final addition, Dan MacAvoy, is a graduate of American University, where he wrote and performed on a "Daily Show"-style fake news program for AU's campus cable channel during his senior year.

"I discovered Dan at one of the student showcases," recalls Rothwell. After witnessing "a sick amount of raw, natural talent" in MacAvoy, she invited him to audition for his first improv troupe. His arrival boosts the size of Caveat's family to seven members.

Jackie has also added three players to their roster with Rich Nyman, Jason Saenz and Joe Uchno joining the group.

"We're fired up!" says founding Jackie member Ken Hays. "With a fresh infusion of new talent, how can you not be?"

Jackie's new arrivals will be no surprise to fans of WIT... all three have already seen stage time as members of other WIT troupes and shows.

"All three new members are very familiar to the WIT community," says Hays. "They all participated in WIT's Training Program, and have been seen in several productions already."

Jason Saenz joins Jackie with several years of DC improv experience under his belt as a founding member of Season Six. He is currently performing in his second run as cast member of the hit show iMusical, and can be seen later this spring as a part of the three-person troupe Best Friends.

New player Joe Uchno is doing double-time this spring as a member of Jackie as well as WIT's newest house team, JINX. A former student of New York's UCB Theatre training program, Joe was previously seen performing on the Flashpoint stage with The Lodge.

Rich Nyman rounds out the new additions and joins fellow JINX cast mate Uchno as a very busy Jackie player. A graduate of WIT's Training Program, Nyman was also a member of the University of Michigan's sketch and improv troupes Comedy Company and Without a Net. He was also seen along with Jackie's Zack Phillips as a part of the Mazelprov cast this past December.

"Seeing new players cast is one of my favorite things," says WIT's Artistic Director Mark Chalfant. "I'm always delighted to see the spark that auditions ignite in a group, and to see new players joining company ensembles.

"But the talent hitting both Jackie and Caveat in this wave is especially remarkable, and I'm very excited to see the new chemistry evolve in each troupe."

All of the new players recently made their debuts as a part of WIT's spring run, and Chalfant was thrilled with the results. "Judging from the shows and the audience response on opening weekend, both Jackie and Caveat made some fantastic choices."