The Art of the Unexpected
Zeke & Cassidy Present
Two Nights of Improv
"Just so you know - this is insane, what I'm about to tell you," warns Cassidy Russell, long-time improv and sketch comedy teacher at the Sitka Fine Arts Camp, recounting an absurd and memorable performance at camp this summer.
Cassidy had been cast in an improvised scene as the lead singer of a heavy metal band paralyzed by stage fright. Her scene partner, Zeke Blackwell, was playing a motivational salmon. “I’m holding Zeke’s hands in my arms like he’s a fish,” Cassidy recalls, “He’s telling me he believes in me and that I must sing. Then he looks out at the audience and whispers, ‘I think I see your band.’”
As if by cue, the camp’s tech students sprang into action, rolling out a drum set and keyboard. Moments later, two beloved music faculty members - Ed Littlefield and Kyle Athayde - emerged to join the scene, crafting a metal anthem on the spot. “The audience went wild,” Cassidy laughs. “Zeke starts crowd-surfing as a salmon. And I’m on stage, head banging so hard I was sore for two days!”
“The audience is just as important as the actors on stage.”
That sort of unscripted magic is exactly what happens when Zeke and Cassidy take the stage together. Their connection runs deep, forged through years of performing together and a shared philosophy that comedy is about more than punchlines. "We're not trying to just make people laugh," says Zeke. "We want them to feel something - surprise, joy, maybe a moment of unexpected connection."
Zeke Blackwell has been a staple of Sitka’s theater community for over a decade. He originally moved to Sitka from New York City to help kick start the year- round Young Performers Theater program run by Sitka Fine Arts Camp. With a background in theater and a degree in cognitive science (his thesis literally explored how comedy affects the brain), Zeke blends performance with a deep understanding of human behavior. “Theater and science are both ways of studying people,” he says. “Improv just lets you do it in real time, with joy as the feedback loop.”
Cassidy, now based in Chicago, is a member of The Second City’s National Touring Company. She and Zeke first met at an improv festival in Juneau in 2017. “A year or so later, I got a message from Zeke out of the blue saying, ‘Want to come back to Alaska?’” Cassidy remembers. “I didn’t hesitate.”
Thanks to the camp's special sauce - passionate students and top notch faculty mixed with multidisciplinary art and collaboration - Cassidy has returned every summer since, and pops back for the occasional improv show in Sitka, too.
“Zeke starts crowd-surfing as a salmon. And I’m on stage, head banging so hard I was sore for two days!”
This winter, Zeke and Cassidy are inviting audiences to two nights of completely improvised comedy where anything can happen. They won’t be alone - two standout Chicago performers are flying in to join the fun.
Julia Morales is a performer and director originally from Houston, Texas. She is an alum of The Second City mainstage and currently serves as adjunct faculty at DePaul University’s Comedy Studies program. Having performed improv and sketch comedy nationwide, she is equally passionate about fostering supportive, creative communities behind the scenes.
Rosie Moan has been part of Chicago’s improv scene since 2011, teaching and performing at The Second City, iO Theater, and The Annoyance Theater. She’s an actor, writer, and producer who created and starred in the show Collaborate & Listen - and when she’s not onstage, she’s busy raising what friends swear is “the cutest baby you’ve ever seen.”
With this lineup, no two nights will be the same.
That sort of unscripted magic is exactly what happens when Zeke and Cassidy take the stage together.
The performances are scheduled for Friday and Saturday, January 23 and 24 at Odess Theater. The space will be transformed into a cabaret-style comedy club, complete with a cash bar, intimate bistro tables, and open seating in the back. “Think PG-14,” Cassidy says with a grin. “We might curse, we might get a little risqué, but hopefully your grandmother won’t walk out.”
Each night will be completely unique, shaped by the audience’s energy and suggestions. “Improv isn’t a one-way street, it's a collaboration,” says Zeke. “The audience is just as important as the actors on stage.”
So come join the chaos. Expect the unexpected. Laugh until it hurts. And remember that in improv - just like in life - the best moments are the ones you never saw coming.
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