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I was never interested in improv or even theater that much when I was growing up in Chicago. I just wanted to be a musician. So I wrote songs, played in bands, did piano bar work, etc. During college I stumbled into a job as a waitress at the famed Second City, and there I became immersed in improv. It really appealed to my sense of taking risk in performance, and having to be “in the moment” with nothing else distracting you. The musical director there at the time was the brilliant Fred Kaz, so I learned from the best by listening to him. I ended up going on the road as a Musical Director with the touring company, then opened an award winning show with the resident ETC company.

Since then I’ve played with almost every improve group in Chicago and LA, including the Improv Institute, Metraform’s Annoyance Theater, Comedy Sportz, Theater Sports, the Groundlings and the ImprovOlympic.

I got the audition for Whose Line through Ron West, whom I had toured with in my Second City days, and was now a producer on the new show. I got to audition with Brad Sherwood and Wayne Brady, which was great because with what I do, I only sound good when the actors sound good. And since they are such great song improvisers, we all came off well. Whose Line was the hardest, most fun job I’ve ever had. I drew on all my background, from playing in wedding bands, to doing piano bar, to of course doing tons of live improv.