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Brave New Workshop
The Brave New Workshop (BNW), based in Minneapolis, Minnesota was founded by Dudley Riggs in 1958 and is the longest running sketch and improvisational comedy theater in the US. BNW continues the tradition, of writing, producing, and performing as a Resident Theatre oHennepin Theatre Trust History Brave New Workshop was founded in 1958 by Dudley Riggs, a fifth-generation circus aerialist who performed all over the globe. Riggs's parents were circus and vaudeville performers, and he regularly joked that he ran away from the circus to find a home. BNW was originally known as the “Instant Theatre Company.” Riggs assembled and led a talented group of writers and performers intending to make people think by first making them laugh. In the late ’50s, the troupe travelled to Minneapolis and performed at a restaurant called Steffano’s. The Instant Theater Company then decided to stay in Minneapolis and create a performing space for themselves; "Dudley Riggs' Cafe Espresso" op ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lady Liberty Lobby Sign
The word ''lady'' is a term for a girl or woman, with various connotations. Once used to describe only women of a high social class or status, the equivalent of lord, now it may refer to any adult woman, as gentleman can be used for men. Informal use is sometimes euphemistic ("lady of the night" for Prostitution, prostitute) or, in Regional vocabularies of American English, American slang, condescending in direct address (equivalent to "mister" or "man"). "Lady" is also a formal British aristocracy, title in the United Kingdom. "Lady" is used before the family name of a woman with a title of nobility or honorary title ''suo jure'' (in her own right), or the wife of a lord, a baronet, Scottish Scottish feudal lordship, feudal baron, laird, or a knight, and also before the first name of the daughter of a duke, marquess, or earl. Etymology The word comes from Old English language, Old English '; the first part of the word is a mutated form of ', "loaf, bread", also seen in the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mo Collins
Maureen Ann Collins (born July 7, 1965) is an American actress and comedian who was a member of the ensemble on FOX's sketch comedy series '' Mad TV''. Collins became well known for several characters during her tenure on the show. She was a cast member from the 4th season (1998) through the 9th season (2004); she only appeared in fourteen episodes during season nine due to contractual reasons. She returned to ''Mad TV'' in the 10th season for one episode, and again when she made an appearance on the 300th episode doing her popular character Lorraine Swanson. Her best known role following her departure from ''Mad TV'' was as morning talk show host Joan Callamezzo on the sitcom '' Parks and Recreation''. The nickname Mo was first given to Collins by the football/drama coach of her junior high school whom she credits with introducing her to improv comedy. Career ''Mad TV'' Collins joined the cast of '' Mad TV'' at the beginning of season four and stayed until the end of sea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cedric Yarbrough
Cedric Percelle Yarbrough (born March 20, 1973) is an American actor and comedian who stars in series ''Reno 911!'' as Deputy S. Jones and as Kenneth on the ABC sitcom '' Speechless'', as well as voicing Gerald Fitzgerald on the Netflix comedy Paradise PD, Officer Meow Meow Fuzzyface on the Netflix comedy-drama '' BoJack Horseman'', and Tom DuBois on the Adult Swim sitcom ''The Boondocks''. Early life Yarbrough was born in Burnsville, Minnesota. He attended Burnsville Senior High School and later Minnesota State University, Mankato. He is also an alumnus of Dudley Riggs' Brave New Workshop in Minneapolis. Career Yarbrough starred on the Comedy Central television series ''Reno 911!'' as Deputy S. (Sven) Jones which aired from 2003-2009 on Comedy Central. The series returned for a seventh season in 2020 on Quibi and for an eighth season in 2022 on The Roku Channel as ''Reno 911! Defunded''. He also appeared in both of the feature length films, 2007's '' Reno 911!: Miami'' and 2021' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Melissa Peterman
Melissa Margaret Peterman is an American actress and comedian. She has played the role of Barbra Jean in the television comedy series '' Reba'', appeared as Bonnie Wheeler in the ABC Family/ Freeform series ''Baby Daddy'', and was host of ABC Family's ''Dancing Fools'', ABC's '' Bet on Your Baby'', and CMT's '' The Singing Bee''. Since 2017, she has played Brenda Sparks in ''The Big Bang Theory'' spinoff series ''Young Sheldon''. Since August 2022, she is the host of the television game show ''Person, Place, or Thing'' on the Fox network. Life and career Early life Peterman was born in Edina, Minnesota and grew up in nearby Burnsville, Minnesota. After graduating from Burnsville High School, she attended Minnesota State University, Mankato where she majored in theater. 1996–2000: Career launch Upon graduating from Minnesota State, Peterman was cast as Madeline Monroe in Hey City Theater's production of ''Tony n' Tina's Wedding''. After more than 600 performances, she went ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Peter MacNicol
Peter MacNicol (born April 10, 1954) is an American actor. He received a Theatre World Award for his 1981 Broadway debut in the play ''Crimes of the Heart''. His film roles include Galen in ''Dragonslayer'' (1981), Stingo in ''Sophie's Choice'' (1982), Janosz Poha in ''Ghostbusters II'' (1989), camp organizer Gary Granger in ''Addams Family Values'' (1993), and David Langley in ''Bean'' (1997). MacNicol won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 2001 for his role as the eccentric lawyer John Cage in the FOX comedy-drama '' Ally McBeal'' (1997–2002). He is also known for his television roles as attorney Alan Birch in the medical drama ''Chicago Hope'' (1994–98), X the Eliminator on '' Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law'' (2000–2007), physicist Dr. Larry Fleinhardt on the CBS crime drama ''Numbers'' (2005–10), Tom Lennox in the sixth season of action-thriller '' 24'' (2007), Doctor Octopus in ''The Spectacular Spider-Man'' (2008–09), ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lizz Winstead
Lizz Winstead (born August 5, 1961) is an American comedian, radio and television personality, and blogger. A native of Minnesota, Winstead is the co-creator of ''The Daily Show'' along with Madeleine Smithberg, and served as head writer. Early life Winstead was the youngest child born into a conservative Catholic family in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Career Winstead made her standup comedy debut in 1983 in Minneapolis at the Brave New Workshop. She was a national headlining comedian appearing on shows like HBO's ''Women of the Night'' and the Aspen Comedy Festival. She wrote and performed for early Comedy Central shows like ''Women Aloud'', and produced the syndicated talk series ''The Jon Stewart Show'', starring the future ''Daily Show'' host. She also created Court TV's '' Snap Judgment'' and served as the consulting producer on the pilot of ''The Man Show''. During her time at ''The Daily Show'' she helped staff the program with signature talents like Stephen Colbert, Beth ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Linda Wallem
Linda Wallem (born May 29, 1961) is an American actress, writer, and producer. Early life Wallem was born in Madison, Wisconsin, and raised in Rockford, Illinois. She is the older sister of actor Stephen Wallem who co-stars on her show ''Nurse Jackie'' as a nurse named Thor Lundgren. Career Early career Wallem began her career at Dudley Riggs' Brave New Workshop in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She and fellow writer-performer Peter Tolan formed a double act called Wallem & Tolan and began performing on the cabaret circuit in New York City at such venues as the Manhattan Punch Line. Broadway veteran Martin Charnin caught the act at the behest of producers Sanford Fisher and Zev Guber and worked with the duo to present it as an Off Broadway called ''Laughing Matters'' in 1989. Acting Wallem appeared in the 1993 film ''Sleepless in Seattle'' as the waitress from whom star Meg Ryan's character buys tea on the road. On '' Seinfeld'' Wallem played Hildy, the waitress who refuses to serv ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Peter Tolan
Peter James Tolan III (born July 5, 1958) is an American television producer, director, and screenwriter. Early life and career Tolan was born in Scituate, Massachusetts, where he was a perennial favorite in the high school's dramatic productions. Before leaving to pursue a career in Hollywood, Tolan founded a theater group called YPST (Young People's Summer Theatre). The group performed Broadway musicals and rehearsed at a local church. Within three years, the group became so popular that a second production had to be added to accommodate the ever-increasing enrollment. Tolan attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst for four years before dropping out to directly pursue theater. From college Tolan went to Minneapolis' Brave New Workshop (founded by improv great Dudley Riggs) at the suggestion of UMass employee Jim MacRostie, who had appeared at the Twin Cities institution during its early years. Riggs offered Tolan a job over the phone, but when Tolan arrived in Minneap ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nancy Steen
Nancy Jane Steen (born January 31, 1950 in Shoreview, Minnesota) is an American television producer, writer and actress. Career Steen began her career as an actress at Dudley Riggs' Brave New Workshop in Minneapolis, Minnesota. After graduating from the University of Minnesota in 1972, she studied with Jacques Lecoq in Paris. She then moved to Los Angeles, where she appeared in such television series as '' Charlie's Angels'', ''Taxi'', ''Mork & Mindy'', and ''M*A*S*H''. In 1980, she wrote for the ABC-TV series ''Police Squad!'' and ''Happy Days''. Her television producing and writing credits also include ''Happy Days'', ''Night Court'', '' Married... with Children'', '' Caroline in the City'', ''Titus'', '' Roseanne'', ''The Love Boat'', ''Jesse'', '' What I Like About You'', ''Kirk Kirk is a Scottish and former Northern English word meaning "church". It is often used specifically of the Church of Scotland. Many place names and personal names are also derived from it. Ba ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pat Proft
Pat Proft is an American comedy writer, actor, and director. Born in Minnesota in 1947, Proft began his career at Dudley Riggs' Brave New Workshop in Minneapolis in the mid 1960s. He went on to perform as a one-man comedy act in the late 1960s. In 1972, Proft began working at The Comedy Store in Hollywood which led to work in television and film writing for the Smothers Brothers and Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker. Of the many feature films Proft has written, ''Wrongfully Accused'', is the only one he also directed. It was released in 1998. Proft continued to work with David Zucker, and in 2013 announced he was working on a parody film with Zucker involving the ''Jason Bourne'' and ''Mission: Impossible'' series. Biography Proft was born in 1947 in Minnesota. Proft attended Columbia Heights High School where his English teacher Stuart J. Anderson encouraged Proft to develop his talent. Proft would later perform at the Chanhassen Dinner Theatre's stage, acting in musicals even tho ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paul Menzel
Paul Menzel is an American actor, writer, producer, and business consultant in Houston, Texas. He began his career by organizing a comedy troupe while a student at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota. After graduation, he was performer and writer at Dudley Riggs' Brave New Workshop in Minneapolis. Later, Menzel founded the Comedy Workshops in Houston and Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co .... He founded, with Layton Payne, Business Stages, a consultancy which uses acting and improvisational exercises to teach management and cooperative skills. Filmography External links * Carleton College alumni American male film actors Living people Year of birth missing (living people) {{business-bio-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Carl Lumbly
Carl Winston Lumbly (born August 14, 1951) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Dick Hallorann in '' Doctor Sleep'', NYPD detective Marcus Petrie on the CBS police drama ''Cagney & Lacey'', CIA agent Marcus Dixon on the ABC espionage drama series ''Alias'', and as the voice of J'onn J'onnz / Martian Manhunter in the animated series ''Justice League'' and ''Justice League Unlimited'', as well as the direct-to-DVD animated film '' Justice League: Doom'' and the video game '' Injustice: Gods Among Us''. Lumbly is also known for his roles on The CW's Arrowverse as J'onn J'onnz's father, M'yrnn, on ''Supergirl'' from 2017 until 2019, and on the Marvel Cinematic Universe's ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'' as Isaiah Bradley in 2021. Early life and background Lumbly was born to Jamaican immigrants in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He graduated from South High School there and Macalester College in nearby St. Paul. Lumbly's first career was as a journalist in Minnesota. Wh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
