Detour: Opening Instructor Performance

Gretchen Eng

Gretchen Enghas worked in the Chicago comedy community since her salad days in the Second City Teen Ensemble. Following a brief stint studying classical voice and doing sketch comedy at Vassar College, she has been a producer and performer at iO for ten years, specifically with Devil's Daughter, The Armando Diaz Experience, and in her duo Jaymes Gretchky. She is a professor in Roosevelt University's Chicago College of Performing Arts, teaches all levels of the training center at iO, coaches, and designs curricula for an array of corporate, non-profit, and educational organizations as the Director of Professional Development and Partnerships for the theater.

Andi Sharavsky

David Yontz

James Dugan

James Dugan was born in Northern California but moved to Chicago to learn what this whole "winter" thing is. In his nearly 20 years of improv experience he has performed for The Second City, iO, The Annoyance, and any other stage in Chicago that will give him the chance. He currently can be seen with Clued In at Second City, Hitchcocktails at The Annoyance, The Armando and Whirled News Tonight at iO, and all over the country with his duo Jaymes Gretchky.

Fred Brown

Fred Brown is a Pittsburgh-based performer, improviser, and educator.  He got his start with longform improv at the Philly Improv Theater (PHIT)  in 2012, performed weekly shows for 6 years, and has performed at festivals around North America with the team The Future.  He received his MFA in Lecoq-based physical theater from the Pig Iron School in 2017, focusing on mime, mask, clown, and devising. At various points in the last ten years, he has taught longform classes to students of all levels through PHIT, Ithaca Improv (Ithaca NY), and Steel City Improv Theater (Pittsburgh PA); he now teaches classes independently out of the Glitterbox Theater in Homestead.  He also works as a facilitator, trainer, and team coach focusing on applied improvisation and collaboration skills. Formerly, he was a Latin and Ancient Greek teacher with a degree in Classical Philology from Harvard University.