Teachers
Bandit Theater is proud to work with a wonderful team of teaching artists. If you love working with new improvisers and want to teach with us, we would be thrilled to hear from you! Tune back in to this page for opportunities to work with us and our students.
Improv Training Program
Annie Barry
(She/Her) Annie Barry is the Founder and Artistic Director at Bandit. She has been performing improv and comedy for over a decade. She is delighted to be performing on "Swipe Right" and "Gram Worthy". She loves playing make believe in a world that discourages it in adults. She currently directs, "The Reader" and teaches improv at Seattle Children's Theater in a partnership with Bandit. She is a vegan, please don't hate her.
Coonoor Behal
(She/Her) Coonoor hails from rural Ohio and first fell in love with watching longform improv while attending college in NYC and interning at Late Night with Conan O'Brien. One graduate degree and several pointless jobs later, she finally took the plunge herself and began her own improv career at Washington Improv Theatre in Washington DC, where she performed on Harold and house ensembles and taught for many years. During this time, she also completed Upright Citizen Brigade's NYC improv curriculum and was accepted to their Advanced Study Improv program. She's a veteran of many improv festivals, including the Del Close Marathon, the New York Improv Festival, and the Boston Comedy Arts Festival. Since moving to Seattle in 2016, she has been active with indie improv groups like IMNDC, Captain, and Bitches. She performs with Bandit's The Awkward Show. In her non-improv time, Coonoor makes her living as an innovation and design strategy consultant and workshop facilitator.
Matthew Joseph
(He/Him) Originally from Connecticut Matthew has been doing improv comedy for 10 years. While getting his BFA in Acting at Central Connecticut State University he had his first improv experience on a whim by joining the schools improv team on a trip to New York City for a workshop with the Upright Citizen’s Brigade. After discovering he never had to learn another line again, Matthew was immediately hooked. He did most of his training at the Upright Citizens Brigade Training Center in NYC where he learned long form game based improv. After being involved with multiple indie teams in CT he moved to Seattle in 2016. He took a brief break from improv until 2018 where he got involved with Bandit Theater. Matthew is currently on the cast of Swipe Right and is involved in all video, photo, and technical aspects of Bandit. He also plays around town with his indie team The Bad Boys of Ballard. He is the singer/guitarist with the rock band Bad Honey and works full time in Film Production.
Kevin McVey
(He/Him) Kevin is an improviser and educator with over a decade of experience on stage and in the classroom. Prior to Bandit Theater, Kevin was a teacher at the University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science where his experiential curriculum design applied the practice of improv to STEM and won numerous departmental awards. Today, Kevin performs on the cast of Mad Science with Bandit Theater and co-produces the comedy mashup Ten Percent Luck with his indie team Yeah Okay. Kevin believes that everyone has a unique voice in improv and delights in supporting new improvisers as they find theirs.
Caroline Herlihy
(She/Her) Caroline took her first improv class on her birthday in 2019 and it's been the gift that keeps on giving. Originally from Boston, Caroline's work has moved her across the country which has allowed her to learn improv and sketch from so many talented folks at UCB, WE Improv, The Shared Experience, Will Hines's World's Greatest Improv School, The PIT, Magnet Theatre, and Dallas Comedy Club. She directed First Date and is excited to be a part of Bandit's teaching staff.
Mary C. Parker
Education Lead
(She/Her) Mary believes we can all benefit from adding a little humor to our lives. She took her first improv class 10 years ago while seeking stress relief from work. Mary has performed with teams in Portland, OR, London, UK, Pittsburgh, PA, and now in Seattle on The Harld Next Door at Bandit. She has appeared at comedy festivals in Richmond, VA, Edinburgh, UK, and Pittsburgh, PA. Mary has taught improv at Kickstand Comedy, and she has been on the Faculty at Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama and Point Park University Conservatory of Performing Arts. Mary looks forward to teaching at Bandit and having you in her class!
Eloise O'Loane
(She/Her) Eloise's improv career began in 2021 (though she earned a Business Marketing degree in 2019, so who's to say when it really began) after taking classes in Seattle, where she eventually found her way to Bandit Theater. After playing in Bandit's first Tumbleweeds program, she joined the Mad Science cast. When she is not improvising, Eloise is a writer and performer for the sketch comedy group Good Crash! and a Quizmaster where she hosts trivia in bars across Seattle.
Jessi Smith
(She/Her) Jessi was introduced to improv and started taking classes with Bandit Theater in the fall of 2022. She left her first class absolutely hooked and went on to complete Bandit's 4 levels of classes and participated in their Tumbleweeds program. Outside of improv, Jessi loves making costumes, hanging with her sweet pup Leo, and dressing as famous duos for her holiday cards. Most importantly, she has O positive blood type, making her a fan favorite amongst mosquitos.
Yolanda Suarez
(She/Her) Yolanda is stupid excited to teach improv with Bandit Theater. Yolanda studied at UCB Theatre in NYC where she learned to love, hate, and love (again) "GAME!" She moved to Seattle and formed two indie improv teams, Rock Bottom and Captain. She performs with Bandit Theater's group Mad Science. She will always accept an invitation to Karaoke!!
Jeff D’Angelo
(He/Him) Jeff’s improv journey began with him twerking on stage as the subject of Swipe Right and he’s been hooked ever since. A pediatric nurse by day, Jeff recently completed Bandit's training program and is grateful for the community he's built through improv and for having a regular creative outlet outside of work. Jeff enjoys using the entirety of his 6’ 3” frame to explore the "big feelings" and physicality of his characters and expressing himself in ways once forbidden as a closeted youth. Off stage, Jeff can be found supporting his favorite local drag queens, sitting outside reading a book or writing his latest poem/chapter of his memoir and relishing in his role as “everyone’s favorite Guncle”.
Laura Kirol
(She/Her) Laura's grandmother calls her Laura Bean, which is a shortened version of her childhood nickname "Laura Jeanne the Jumping Bean". Laura's best friend calls her Loo, because Laura is not easily turned into a 1 syllable name. One of Laura's students once called her "Ms. Pumpkin Patch Lady" because of a sweater she wore to school that made her "look like an English teacher" even though she isn't. Laura often introduces herself as "Laura?" because she's a little shy when meeting new people! No matter what you call her (just don't call her late to dinner, am I right?), Laura loves improv and has the time of her life performing with Swipe Right.