James Dolan completed his PhD in Physics and Nanophotonics at the University of Cambridge. Prior to Cambridge, James graduated with a Master’s degree in Engineering from the University of Oxford. James co-created The Revival’s science-based improv show, The Excited State, whilst undertaking postdoctoral research at the University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory. James is now the first Research Fellow in Science Communication at King’s College, University of Cambridge, where he uses improv to help scientists better communicate and collaborate.

Erica Elam has facilitated groundbreaking sessions for companies such as Google, Anheuser-Busch, JP Morgan Chase, Kellogg’s, SC Johnson, and many others. She served as visiting faculty at Princeton University and has led workshops at Dartmouth, Stanford, University of Chicago, Northwestern, and Notre Dame. Erica recently received a Master of Applied Positive Psychology degree from the University of Pennsylvania. She travels the world with the critically acclaimed musical improv group, Baby Wants Candy.

Before joining The Revival, Jeff Gandy oversaw the Youth Education Programs at The Second City for 11 years. He has also been a faculty member at the Old Town School for over 15 years. Jeff is an accomplished dancer and choreographer and an original member of the long-running sketch comedy group, The Fowler Family.

Peter Grosz can currently be heard as a frequent panelist in NPR’s Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me. He’s appeared in films Stranger Than Fiction, Slow Learners, and Rough Night and his TV credits include a recurring role as lobbyist Sidney Purcell in HBO’s Veep, Key and Peele, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Inside Amy Schumer, and the Showtime miniseries, The Loudest Voice. Grosz has written for At Home With Amy Sedaris, Late Night with Seth Meyers, and The Colbert Report, for which he won two Emmys; and he was an Executive Producer and played Mike Pence on The President Show. He has been the co-star of a national commercial campaign for Sonic Drive-In since 2002.

Mo Phillips-Spotts graduated from Williams College with a degree in Theater and Anthropology. She was a member of The Second City’s music team Infinite Sundaes. Mo is also a faculty member at The Second City and a teacher artist with Playmaker’s Laboratory. You can see her performing with ComedySportz Chicago and Playmakers Laboratory.

Allison Reese is a New York-based comedian by way of Chicago. In addition to touring the country as a writer/performer with The Second City National Touring Company, she is also a staff writer for The Second City. Allison wrote the critically acclaimed sketch comedy revue State of Unfairs at The Revival. Most recently, Allison is the creator/head writer of the web series In-Diana, which is written by and starring the renowned cast of Matt Damon Improv. Allison was featured in the 2019 NBC Breakout Festival, as well as iO Chicago’s SNL, Just For Laughs, and Comedy Central showcases.

Derek Reid is an LA-based actor, director, musician, and instructor. He can be seen regularly playing Barak Obama on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! and as Black Spider-Man in the hit web series Black Spider-Man. Derek is a long-standing teacher with LA’s The Groundlings and the (now departed) iO West. Derek is a member of the acclaimed hip-hop improv group 808 and directs the female-identifying hip-hop team Chrome XX.

Damon Royster teaches writing and improv at The Revival, The Second City, and The Lantern Comedy Collective. His parody play - Love, Factually - was performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. in 2018 and 2019. Damon was a 2020 recipient of the Outfest Screenwriting Lab Fellowship and has written an acclaimed web series called AppQueen. He is represented by Gray Talent and has been in a variety of commercials he will gladly tell you about.

Catharine Savage is originally from Boxford, Massachusetts. She is a graduate of Brown University with a degree in History and Gender Studies. Catharine has trained at The Second City and regularly performs at the Armando Diaz Experience.