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|| First Class ||
LTC’s very first pilot program graduates take slow play to a whole new intensity, one of the most diverse groups to date. James Duggins: I was a latchkey kid from a very early age. Spending this much time alone, I started to talk to myself. A lot. Since I found myself to be very droll and boring, I started to create characters to entertain myself. Fast forward a few years to my adult life and, thanks to Shannon Winpenny and Kim Potter, I find the wonderful world of improv comedy. It's a wonderful outlet to for my hyperactive imagination to flourish again. Besides improv, I enjoy coaching CrossFit, jumping out of airplanes, and dunking myself into the Pacific Ocean. Stephanie Kuroda: Loves Improv, Acting, Surfing, and having a good time. Jim Risser: Jealous of the success of fellow hometown girl Frances Gumm (aka Judy Garland) and bittered by her own show biz failure, Jim’s mother tried to push him into the dramatic arts at an early age. When Jim was in kindergarten his mom enrolled him in a drama class. At the age of twelve Jim was again enrolled in a drama class by his mother. It was in this drama class that Jim first showed off his talents by creating a deaf and mute priest that married the happy couple in final act of the class’s grand finale play.
It was over 35 years later when Jim’s sister, Makana, took over their mom’s dramatic desires and enrolled Jim in Shannon Winpenny’s Fundamentals of Improv inaugural class. By this time Jim was old and senile, so he liked the classes and continued on to perform in the first graduating class, First Class. Jim is currently part of Group Therapy, which is reminiscent of Jim’s childhood. Makana Risser-Chai: Makana is a polymath who started life as a lawyer, made her living as a professional speaker traveling all over the U.S., then became a licensed massage therapist and wrote two books on lomilomi, Hawaiian massage. She loves hula and Hawaiian traditions. She took improv on a whim and it has inspired her to become the Court Jester, speaking and training managers to prevent employee lawsuits with a combination of content, compassion and comedy. | |
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