We’ve proudly taken to the stage with each and every one of these talented improv’ers – if we were a mob family (an absolutely preposterous supposition that our lawyers categorically deny, by the way), we’d totally be a consigliari for all of them.
Alumni
Anne McElvain
Anne McElvain grew up in the small agricultural town of El Centro, 107 miles east, in the middle of the desert. In the days before cable TV, MTV, HBO and video games were invented, the children rode real bicycles outside in 100+ degree temperatures, fried eggs on the sidewalk, and got real dirt on their clothes and faces. They watched grass grow, learned the intricacies of drying paint, raised lambs in 4-H club, and tipped cows for excitement. Yes, just like in the movie “Cars,” and the people often looked and sounded exactly like Tow Mater. They wore cowboy hats and boots, and listened to twangy country music.
This iconic existence explains why, years later, Anne began the subtle performance art of “Voice Mail Lady”. Anne has even appeared in a feature film Something Blue, and fulfilled a lifelong dream to have her very own IMDB.com page. Okay. Lifelong may be stretching it, since Al Gore hadn’t even invented the Internet yet when Anne graced the earth.
Anne has some secrets up her sleeve, including the location of the last known Special puffy Quesadillas, which violate every healthy eating plan on the planet, and a few from Saturn and Mars, too.
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Breezy Fabian
I realized my life just had no purpose. Sure, I spent time as a spy for the CIA, and a brief stint as a ninja assasin in Japan, but still it was as if my life was empty.
Even after my affairs with the prince of Monocco and countless movie stars, I was still unfulfilled. It was then that I began my own commune, (what some non belivers may call a cult) known as the sunshine pussycats. Oh, and did some improv with some group calling themselves ‘The Hinges’.
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Brooke B.
Brooke dabbled in acting by taking roles in Oscar-winning films such as The English Patient and Dude, Where’s My Car. After starring opposite Brad Pitt in Troy, and being traumatized by the amount of oil on his body, she decided to retire from acting. She now works in an undisclosed position at an undisclosed location. Secret agent? Maybe…
Chrystal Rose
Chrystal Rose left the Hinges in 2009 and moved to Charlotte, North Carolina. A multi-tasker at heart, Chrystal blogs about dating and relationships, is working on publishing a memoir, teaches pole fitness classes, manages over 100 promo models and is working on starting her own marketing firm.
In her spare time, she likes to goof around laugh at herself and make silly improv videos. As an alumni of the Hinges, humor plays an enormous role in her everyday life. Chrystal is currently seeking others to form a troupe so she can bring a slice of the Hinges to the Queen City.
Back to top ↑Jacqueline Lopez
Last year’s winner for “Best Dance Single” at the Los Angeles Music Awards, Jacqueline (aka J Grace), a sultry, stunning twenty-three year old singer/songwriter of Filipino/Mexican extraction, was born in New York City, grew up a California girl on the sunny beaches of San Diego, graduated from the prestigious University of Southern California, and she mixes it all up again in her new CD “A Global Soul”.
Few American pop performers take the idea of global pop hip-hop so literally. Inspired by her love of traveling and experiencing other cultures and belying the typical portrayal of the sexy young pop star as vacuous and empty-headed, her songs reflect gypsy worldliness and humanity as well as her own sharp wit and insight.
Back to top ↑Jenna Carlson
From her humble Midwest beginnings, Jenna was alienated from absolutely everything interesting for most of her life. Like most farm kids, she spent her days entertaining herself – riding horses, making mud pies, and building forts –pretty much developing her crazy creative imagination. As you can see, growing up in the middle of nowhere has its benefits like imaginary friends but having to constantly answer “what’s that smell?” definitely does not.
During her gangly adolescence, the acting bug bit and bit hard. While most girls were out dating,Jenna was singing and performing on stage. This passion and lack of social skills lead to degrees in both Musical Theatre and Music Business from the esteemed University of Nebraska at Kearney (not the Lincoln one, but still a great place to be a theatre nerd).
In 2007, Jenna got her professional entertainment start being host for Central Nebraska’s FOX affiliate, Fox 4 & 17. After a blur of two years, covering farm shows and telling what’s “coming up next” on Family Guy, Jenna packed up her Honda Accord, Loretta, and headed out West. Today, she continues to perfect her craft, dabbling in any gig she can get her hands on, and is having a blasty blast with The Hinges.
In her spare time, Jenna loves spending time with her husband and their two dogs, hosting dinners she cooked with friends, and last but not least, fantasizing about a half naked Chuck Norris (she will allow you to make the call on which half it is)…otherwise, she just tries her hardest to keep her OCD in check!
Jessica Mandeville
Having spent recent years engaged as a fashion correspondent, improviser, actress and recording artist, no one would ever believe that she grew up a nature child– whittling sticks, leading feather hunts and foraging for berries between thorny trees. But that’s exactly what you do when you live in the woods of West Chester, Pennsylvania without cable.
Jessica attributes 93% of her success in entertainment to the lack of television programming available after dinner. The Frugal Gourmet and This Old House left something to be desired and she learned to make up for what PBS lacked in nightly jingles and snazz.
The other 7% success stems from her tortured tween years with an asymmetric haircut. She learned to laugh at herself and also to accessorize.
At Syracuse University, Jessica honed her skills and jazz hands and struggled to keep warm. She graduated magna cum laude with a major in musical theatre and a masters in layering.
Times are exciting these days! Jessica has enjoyed covering Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week and performing offensive comedy sketches on MTV. She has also secured a reliable contract with Time Warner Cable. She gets 1,057 channels.
Get to know more about Jessica at her site, www.jessicamandeville.com.
Back to top ↑Linda Pharathikoune
Linda is currently studying sitcom acting w/Scott Sedita Acting Studios in Los Angeles. Be on the look out for her in the 2012 – 2013 sitcom season. Be Fancy. Be Free.
Merrick McCartha
In the mean time, YES, Merrick is that guy in the Cox Communications and King Stahlman Bail Bonds commercials!
Check out photos from some of his other pieces: Act Adept site.
And his performance this season in The Last Days of Judas Iscariot is not to be missed.
Back to top ↑Michelle Zabuska
Life has been a whirlwind since leaving The Hinges, and Michelle is right in the midst of it all. Since getting married, Michelle has moved far away from her San Diego roots and bid L.A. farewell… but all is not lost. She still continues to do theatre and hopes to eventually settle on the east coast with dreams of Broadway. Her comedic skills on the other hand…well, sketch writing helps keep her wit sharp.
Monique Fleming
Monique Fleming now resides in Portland, OR. You can catch up with Monique’s film and photography at her site, www.moniquefleming.com
Sean Fitzgerald
After the dreams of becoming a night manager of a Blimpie Subshop in Grand Rapids, MI were crushed by an incident with the meat slicer that will “never be talked about again”, Sean decided to join the military. Realizing that world domination is not as easy as it sounds, he decided to go a different avenue, improv comedy. So, ten years after taking one acting class at University of San Diego (fighting Toreros!) he felt he was more than qualified to audition for the Hinges.
Sean’s interests include fudge rounds, cheeses balls, and strawberry Pop-tarts, but mostly fudge rounds.
Sumrall Howell
Sumrall spent her formative years in Oklahoma, Land of the Tumbleweeds, where repeated attempts to reconcile the duality of a life raised by wolves and socialites met with frustration. She does not want to hear your jokes about “Hilbilly Handfishing” (it’s just not that funny) nor does she appreciate references to “The Grapes of Wrath” when discussing her exodus to California…though she acknowledges the literary reference and probably considers you a hipster.
Since becoming infected with snarkiness at an early age, Sumrall now uses this affliction to her advantage to combat phonies, hipsters, and the occasional historical reenactor. In her most neutral state, Sumrall would be considered calm, genteel, passive, and extremely well-mannered, however she is given to bouts of sarcasm and nasty letter writing…so don’t piss her off, ok?
Really though, Sumrall is seldom volatile, and can be relied on to provide sparkling conversation, mischief, and a well-grounded foundation in the absurd. She enjoys art, music, theater, and educational field trips, along with good beer, interesting people, and llamas. Sumrall also considers writing about herself in the third person sort of awkward and douche-y, so she encourages you to come see her in person, so she can tell it to you directly.
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Bio coming soon
