John Kalinowski to Handle Funny Business

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – April 11, 2006 – ImprovJacksonville, Inc., (IJ) Jacksonville’s only professional improvisational comedy troupe, announces the appointment of John Kalinowski as their new Troupe Director.

John Kalinowski, a.k.a. "Johnny-K", joined IJ in 2004 and quickly accelerated up the funny chain into the role of ensemble performer and student workshop director. John’s role as Troupe Director includes cultivating, training and maintaining new, local talent to join the troupe as a player keeping with the standard of IJ’s quality performers. He will also set the artistic direction of the company’s performances, and will work closely with Marketing Director Aimee Jones and Sales Director John Bryan to manage the organization.

John got his start with the improvisational group "Theatre Strike Force" (TSF) at the University of Florida in Gainesville. A graduate of the University of Florida's theatre department, John studied improv under the direction of Heather Roberts-Parady and was a member of TSF for four years. He still has the T-shirt. During that time, John was a member of "The Sunday Group" which specialized in Chicago style long-form improvisation. He has performed at numerous venues, including the "Big Stinkin' Improv Festival IV" in Austin, Texas.

John’s experience with improvisation includes workshops with Wayne Brady of the hit television show “Who's Line Is It Anyway?” fame, Dan O'Connor (L.A. TheatreSports), Mark Sutton (The Annoyance Theatre), and many other well-known improvisational experts. While many of his contemporaries have relocated to such rural settings as New York, Chicago, and San Francisco, John has opted for the infinitely glitzier backdrop of Jacksonville, where by day he is a prosecuting attorney for the State of Florida.

Former ImprovJacksonville Director Scott Abrams is pursuing a career in local and regional musical artist representation, as well as a career in producing and directing films. Scott is very excited about his growth in these industries and hopes that his efforts will raise awareness to the diverse and amazing talent that Jacksonville has to offer. He will serve in an advisory role with IJ and continue to teach corporate training workshops when not working on other projects.

ImprovJacksonville is Jacksonville’s premiere improvisational theatre company. IJ performs six regular weekly shows at the 100-seat ImprovJacksonville Comedy Theatre in The Jacksonville Landing. The shows are fast paced, fun and interactive, and are all built around suggestions shouted by the audience. Visit www.improvjacksonville.com for a show schedule, online tickets and directions. ImprovJacksonville also offers private bookings, public workshops, special events and corporate workshops.

For more information, please contact:
Marketing Director, Aimée Jones at (904) 535-0670.