ABOUT
ABOUT US
Imposters Theater is a home for improv, sketch, alternative comedy and other nonsense in Cleveland, Ohio, and beyond. We are located at 4828 Lorain Ave in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood.
MISSION
Our goal is to foster a creative and inclusive space to support, showcase, educate, and grow Cleveland’s vibrant alternative and independent comedy scene. We strive to amplify Northeast Ohio’s unique comedic voices through a variety of shows, workshops, and classes from experienced performers & instructors with years of professional experience in the entertainment industry.
COVID POLICY
It is strongly recommended that everone is up-to-date on their Covid vaccinations. Masks are welcome at our shows. We will provide masks at the door for those who would like one. Additionally, we reserve the right to require masks for select shows based on the needs of the performers and staff.
For the most current vaccination recommendations please visit the CDC
Policies are subject to change.
OUR TEAM
Michael Busch
Creative Director
Michael Busch is a Cleveland native who has over fifteen years of professional experience in the Los Angeles comedy scene and entertainment industry as an actor, writer, and producer.
Training
He is a graduate of IO’s improv training program; he also studied improv and sketch at The Upright Citizens Brigade with founders Matt Besser and Matt Walsh, among others.
Experience
Michael Busch was a member of multiple house improv (Harold) teams at IO West and UCBTLA, a writer/performer on a house sketch (Maude) team at UCBTLA, and has also written/directed/produced/acted in various other shows there. He created and produced The Midnight Show for 4.5 years, and was a writer/producer on Nick’s Big Talk Show hosted by Nick Thune.
He has written sketches and digital series for FunnyorDie, Comedy Central, AwesomenessTV, Break, Official Comedy, and Maker Studios; he has also produced projects for CollegeHumor, Defy Media, Mas Méjor, and UCBComedy.
His acting credits include Human Giant, Key & Peele, and multiple sketches on Conan.
Additional television and film acting credits: The Goldbergs, Adam Ruins Everything, Glee, The Middle, Pretty Little Liars, The Ghost Whisperer, Community, Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Arsenio Hall Show, Body of Proof, Hope & Randy, Franklin & Bash, Workaholics, Carpoolers, Miss March, and dozens of national commercials.
Dana Quercioli
Instructor
Dana Quercioli is a twenty year veteran of sketch comedy and improvisation, and she has loved every second of it. She has been very fortunate to have been a writer, actor and instructor at The Second City Chicago, The Second City Cleveland, and all over the map with The Second City Touring Company. While in Chicago, Dana performed with the powerhouse ensembles of Virgin Daiquiri, Glass Basement, Told, The Armando Diaz Theatrical Experience and Hootenanny, Bogota (with Cecily Strong), BabyMakers (with Colleen Doyle). Most recently she has worked as a freelance writer for Sandwich Video Agency in LA, O'Keefe, Reinhard & Paul Agency in Chicago, a guest instructor at Harvard Business School, and has written several award-winning television pilots. Find her on Twitter: @DtoTheQ
Deena Nyer Mendlowitz
Instructor
Deena has been performing and teaching improv for over 15 years. She trained at The Second City Cleveland and at both The Second City and Annoyance Theater in Chicago. Deena is the creator of This Improvised Life, a part improvised, part written story-telling hour, and Mental Illness and Friends!, a live comedy talk show. She is also the co-founder of Mass Hysteria Improv Comedy Fest, a comedy fest run by women, for everyone. Deena was recently named one of Ohio's funniest women by Cleveland.com and was also honored as a CJN Difference Maker for the work she has done using comedy to promote mental health awareness and to destigmatize mental illness.
Ryan Santa
Instructor
Ryan Santa earned his BA in Theatre Arts (performance concentration) in 2008 from Case Western Reserve University. Afterwards he pursued training in Chicago, graduating from The Second City Acting Conservatory in 2009. The next 8 years were spent writing, acting, directing Improv and Sketch comedy around the city. Ryan served as the Artistic Director of Pretty/Windy where his shows toured the festival circuit from Michigan to Texas and were featured as opening acts for the Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival. Returning to Cleveland Ryan was a resident performer at Hilarities Comedy Club for two years before forming his own company, Common Room Theatre with fellow case alum Beau Buccilli. Beyond creating brand new works of theatrical comedy Ryan has also been able to teach Improv at Hawken High School, The Chagrin Valley Performing Arts Center, as well as several fortune 500 companies in the city.
