Amy Pittle - Managing Director of Improv-Vegas and Training Center Manager
Originally from Scranton, PA, Amy is now a 24 year resident of Las Vegas and glad to be able to provide a fun and educational element to this crazy city she calls home. Amy's background includes 17 years as a Marketing executive in several of the Strips most notable hotels and casinos including The Mirage, Venetian and Harrah's. Amy left the industry in 2004 to start her own business as a Certified Business Coach and Consultant. In 2006, "just for fun," she started training with The Second City Training Center Las Vegas. Amy went on to manage S.E.T. and The Second City Training Center. Her time with Second City also included the opportunity to be the Assistant to the Director on the final Second City show at The Flamingo, Las Vegas. When Second City decided to depart Las Vegas, Amy and her dedicated improv peers saw the need to keep Student Theater and Improv alive, well and growing in Las Vegas. Thus, Improv-Vegas! was born. Amy is thrilled to be able to support and nurture the improv community of Las Vegas, as well as intertwine her business and training background to provide improv as an alternative to standard corporate training.
Damon Gomez - S.E.T. Technical & Performance Manager
Paul Mattingly - Instructor & Featured Performer
Paul hails from Richmond, KY and attended the University of Louisville. He has trained with the Groundlings L.A., as well as The Second City Training Center Las Vegas. Paul is notably one of the few to progress directly from the Second City Training Center to its mainstage, beginning with Scriptless and then moving on to the mainstage show as a featured performer at the Second City in the Flamingo Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas. Prior to teaching for Improv Vegas, Paul was a regular instructor for the Second City Training Center in Las Vegas. Other credits include the Star Trek Experience, where Paul lived a double life as a Klingon. He has also performed with the improv troupes, Improvneato and Super-Yum-Yum-2. Visit Paul's websites at www.thefamouspaul.com and www.uglycouchshow.com
Michael Hartnett - Instructor & Featured Performer
Originally from Philadelphia,where he performed in numerous community theatre productions before attending the University of Pittsburgh. After receiving a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Theatre Arts,Michael continued at Pitt as an Assistant Professor, teaching Introductory classes in Performance. While working at Pitt, Michael also performed in the Three Rivers Shakespeare Festival and served as its Director of Outreach Programs, as well as teaching workshop seminars and coordinating High School matinee performances. In addition, Michael served as Director and as a performer in the Festival's touring Shakespear-In-The-Schools program. Michael was a founding member of Pittsburgh's longest-running improv comedy troupe, the Susquehanna Hat Company, and has performed locally with the improve Troupe, the Mutiny. Michael is a graduate of both ComedySportz Philadelphia and the Second City's Training Center. Prior to teaching with Improv Vegas, Michael taught for the Second City Training Center for six years as an instructor in every level of study.
Darren Pitura - Instructor & Featured Performer
Eric Jeffers - Instructor & Featured Performer
Matt Donnelly - Instructor & Featured Performer
Phil Faiss - Film Festival (Philm Faisstival) Director, Instructor & Featured Performer
Philip cultivated his initial improv roots as a pimple-faced thespian at Bonanza High School in his hometown of Las Vegas, NV. From there, he went on to become a member of Northern Arizona University's "NAUghty Bits", a team of improv performers entertaining the college crowds at rowdy, neighboring bars. After a brief detour as an employee at Walt Disney World in FL, Philip threw himself into LA culture and further educated himself with training at both The Groundlings and Second City LA, which was in its infancy at the time. Now, having completed Second City training in the cradle of the city where he grew up and learned to shave, Philip looks forward to furthering the success of Improv-Vegas, even if it requires that he occasionally don ladies wear and make-up."
Seth Lowe - SET Technical & Performance Assistant
Seth Lowe was born in Tucson, Arizona and always made an effort to try and make people smile. Sometimes it actually worked. Seth has been training with the Second City training center for 3 1/2 years and has been part of such Improv troupes such as The Inedibles, The Scene Machine, and also Gemini. Seth has also worked with such greats as Paul Mattingly, Michael Hartnett, and Darren Pitura. Seth hopes to someday train others on how to fully enjoy the incredible art of Improv because his passion is almost as insane as his love for his wife Elizabeth.
