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 Paul Bellos is the founder and director of Ideaprov based in Nashville, Tennessee. He has served the corporate and non-profit communities for 18 years as an actor, author and casting director. Paul has written over 30 improv programs including the book, Just Kidding! Communicate Through Comedy and has run featured programming at Emory and Vanderbilt Universities, The RCA Dome, Atlanta’s Six Flags, Borders Books, Chick-Fil-A, HCA and Nashville Riverstages to name a few.
 Chris started improvising professionally in 1992 at Orlando Florida's SAK Theater. After graduating from the University of Central Florida in 1995, he moved to Atlanta and helped found Dad's Garage Theatre Company. In 1999, Chris was named the Director of Improvisation. In his current position, Chris teaches improvisation classes at the theatre as well as in High Schools for the company's High School Improv Outreach Program.
Chris has directed and written the company's popular Christmas show as well as performing weekly in "TheatreSports", the company's long-running comedy improv show. Since joining Dad's Garage, Chris has been asked to perform and teach improvisation at the Miami Improv Festival, Edmonton Improv Festival, the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, and the International Amsterdam Improv Festival.
Rene Duquesnoy of DSI
 Rene Duquesnoy has been involved in improvisation for over five years. He currently serves on the Executive Committee of The Playground Theater, the nation’s only non-for-profit improv co-op. Rene has served on The Playground Theater’s professionalism committee and has chaired the education and outreach program. Rene has been involved with Dirty South Improv for two years as a performer, instructor, and director.
Rene can be seen with the Playground member team, Homey Loves Chachi, the Jerk Alert children’s show Hogwash, and DSI’s uber-shows ROAD TRIP and THE BEATBOX (“Critic’s Choice” – Chicago Reader, “Best Bet” – Chicago Tribune, “Best Improvised SHow” – St Louis Fringe Festival 2004). Rene has been featured in the ComedySportz of Chicago shows MC Willie and the Music Factory (“Critic’s Choice” – Chicago Reader), Tales of the Stinky Cheese Man, and Snow White/Rose Red and the Seven Dwarves, and Cowboy Peepshow at ImprovOlympic. Rene currently directs The Playground Theater pilot member ensemble Jovial Hayes.
Rene has studied at the Second City (Michael Gellman, Jonathan Pitts, and Tim O’Malley) and the Improv Olympic (TJ Jagodowski, John Lutz, Craig Cackowski).
Adam Johnson of LTT!
 Adam has been doing improv for about 5 years with Let's Try This!, serving once as leader before moving on to run marketing for the theatre at large, and recently to serve as the president of DramaTech. He's done a bunch of work off-and-on with CETL, the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at Georgia Tech, mainly involving improv instruction for purposes other than performance.
Jim Karwisch of JaCKPie
 Jim's performance career began in his elementary school production of The Thimble and continued with stints at Cobb Children's Theatre and "Dramatique". After completing a BFA in Theatre, he toured for three years with Missoula Children's Theatre and Repertory Theatre of America. Jim lived in Chicago, where he began his improvisational work training with Improv Olympic and playing in The Playground's Incubator Program. Now living in Atlanta, he has teamed with Chris Pierce in founding the improvisation performance duo, JaCKPie. Jim also teaches long-form improvisation in Atlanta, enjoys graphic design and is currently preparing to attend an MFA program.
Ryan Lafitte of LTT!
 Ryan has been a fixture in Let's Try This! ever since starting improv just over 5 years ago. Over the years he has served one year as elected leader and two seperate semesters as acting leader of the troupe, as well as a long ago stint as the troupe's marketing director. He has become known among Let's Try This! for his experimental workshops and bombastic directing personality. His self-taught directing style is an amalgamation created over five years of trying nearly everything and gradually weeding out the stuff that doesn't work. Enjoy!
Robert Lowe - Atlanta's own Improv Guru
 Robert Lowe is the author of Improvisation, Inc.: Harnessing Spontaneity to Engage People and groups, (Jossey-Bass Pfeiffer, 2000). This book is the pioneering work in the use of Improvisational Theatre techniques for organizational development and business and professional communication. It is available at Amazon.com in both print and audio. It is currently being translated into the Arabic language.
Robert is known as the Grandfather (sometimes the Godfather) of Improvisational Comedy in Atlanta having founded "The Lightside City Players" in 1983, "Comedy Atlanta" in 1985, and "The Next City Comedy Theatre" in 1988. In 1989 Robert had a significant influence in the founding of Georgia Tech's "Let's Try This" Improv Comedy movement.
For nearly 20 years he has brought Improv technique, fun, and exploration to business and organizations of every size and form. His work is known in more than 20 countries, and it has been noted that either Robert, or his students, and now students of his students, have had an influence on almost every venue of Improv comedy in the Atlanta region.
Mr. Lowe's public Improv Comedy Workshops have provided the inspiration and the formula for programs that have placed hundreds of non performers on live Improv stages throughout the region.
Of this event, Robert Lowe says, "I am both pleased and proud to be included in the first 'Black Box Improv Festival,' and hope that all who consider attending take note that the LTT Players of Georgia Tech continue to provide the longest running Improvisational Theatre venue in the Southeastern United States."
Chris Pierce of JaCKPie
 A graduate of UGA and the summer training program at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, Chris has performed as a professional actor in Atlanta for 6 years. His theater credits include performances with Essential Theater, Atlanta Classical Theatre, Wing and a Prayer, Dad’s Garage, and a six month run in the political satire Limousine Ride at Ansley Park Playhouse. Chris has appeared in industrial films for major corporations, independent films, regional and national commercials, and most recently in the feature film Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius. He is co-founder of the Atlanta-based improvisation duo, JaCKPie. Chris’ improvisation interests are strongly influenced by his background in theatre, Viola Spolin, long-form styles pioneered by Del Close, and the exciting rediscovery of organic play explored by groups like Burn Manhattan and Hothouse STC.
 Matt is a co-founder of Dad's Garage. He has taught improvisation for 12 years. This past year, he has played and workshopped festivals in Amsterdam, Miami, New York, Chicago, Edmonton and Austin. His improv splinter group The Glistening Boys of Summer took home third place in Canada's Improvaganza tournament.
His other subversive improv team Doomsday La Machine was hampered this year by injuries.
You can see Matt in Mr. 3000 starring Bernie Mac this October, and in Pop Rocks starring Gary Cole and Sherilyn Fenn on ABC Family.
Mike Tria of LTT!
 Mike has been playing with Let's Try This! for over four years. During his time there, he quickly began directing workshops and shows. He fashioned techniques for some bizarre improv, as well as very tight scenes. Mike is constantly influenced by the members of his troupe even as an alumni of Georgia Tech.
Mike has performed all over Atlanta at colleges such as Agnes Scott as well as other comedy venues. He also performed at DSIF4. Mike is thrilled to instruct at the Black Box Improv Festival and hopes you enjoy his fast-paced workshops.
Zach Ward of DSI
 Zach Ward has been performing, teaching, and directing improv comedy professionally for over 10 years. Founder and Executive Producer of the DSI Theater and North Carolina's Dirty South Improv Festival, Zach has been employed as Assistant and Associate Producer for the Chicago Improv Festival, Director of Education for ComedySportz of Chicago, Artistic Director for ComedySportz of Chapel Hill, Improv Coach for Fastweb.com, Lead Trainer for Monster.com Executive Sales, and Lead Trainer for Motorola Latin American Sales. A coach and mentor for both professional and college improvisers, and a featured instructor at comedy festivals around the world, Zach also proudly serves on the Board of Directors for (a href="">YESand.com, the online improv source that cannot be denied.
Zach has studied with Mick Napier and Susan Messing (Annoyance), Bob Dassie, Craig Cackowski and TJ Jagodowski (ImprovOlympic), Matt Besser and Amy Poehler (Upright Citizens Brigade), Michael Gelman (Second City), and with every single student he teaches.
Zach can currently be seen at the DSI Theater with the longform team Mister Diplomat or the shows Natural Selection, ROAD TRIP, and FORTUNE 500. You can also catch him with ComedySportz of Chicago, touring with the two-person team Dual Exhaust ("Critic's Choice" - Chicago Reader, International Super Cagematch Champion - 2003/2004), or hosting freestyle battles at clubs around the world after DSI's THE BEATBOX, the fusion of hip-hop and longform improv ("Critic's Choice" - Chicago Reader, "Best Bet" - Chicago Tribune, "Best Improvised Show" - St Louis Fringe Festival 2004). More More More.
Nate Weimer of LTT!
 Nate has 8 solid years of improv experience, 6 of which are with LTT! In his time with LTT!, Nate has directed countless shows and workshops, and he has also served as troupe secretary and leader. He is one of the proud few to have been awarded LTT!'s prestigious Lifetime Acheivement Award. In true Let's Try This! fashion, Nate believes in an xperimental approach to improv, which has led him to the creation of several games and exercises. Other interests that ocasionally work their way into Nate's improvisational style are martial arts, music, and horrible, horrible puns.
If you are a director and you find that your profile simply says "Coming Soon!," please fill out and send the Director Information Mailform and send a digital photo attachment of yourself to blackbox@dramatech.org to help us get things rolling. Thank you.
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