Annoucements

Improv with the Stars: An Evening of Comedy with Local Celebrities

January 19, 2012

Most business and community leaders may be accustomed to being in front of the public, but a new event presents them in a slightly different and unique way.  On Friday, February 3rd, five local celebrities will be paired with improvisational artists for “Improv with the Stars,” an evening of fun and laughter you will not want to miss.  Participating celebrities include WFD Radio Personality Bob Miller, Alderman Michael O’Connor, Delegate Kelly Schulz, Banner School Head Stephen Parnes, and Brunswick City Administrator Rick Weldon.  The host for this comedy improv event is Tourism Council Director John Fieseler.    The one-night only show at the Cultural Arts Center starts at 8:00 p.m.  Tickets are $15 and advance purchase is suggested. Photos from the rehearsal can be viewed at:  http://clicked.gazette.net/mycapture/folder.asp?event=1400885&CategoryID=59006&ListSubAlbums=0

 

Morning WFM Radio Personality Bob Miller graduated from Walkersville High School, where he served as both Class President and Class Clown.  He started his radio career while interning at Z-104 radio, then bounced around from town to town up and down the dial (obscure “WKRP in Cincinnati” reference).  In 1994, Miller landed at WFMD and is thoroughly ensconced in the mornings.  He is married to Lynda, who he says is the most wonderful woman in the world, and has two kids.

Rick Weldon is a “politician in recovery”, having previously served as a County Commissioner and State Delegate. Rick is also active in Community Theater, having worked with several regional companies in MD, VA and WV. Rick lives in Brunswick, and is a husband, father and grandfather.

Delegate Kelly Schulz is serving her first term in the Maryland House of Delegates.  She lives in the Lake Linganore community of Frederick County where she raised two children. A graduate of Hood College, she currently works as a Program Manager for a Department of Defense contractor.  Schulz has always been involved in the community and attends Monocacy Valley Church.  In her spare time, she enjoys reading and gardening.

Alderman Michael O’Connor is a Frederick native, since at least 1974. A 1988 graduate of Saint Bonaventure, he has been the Business Manager at Saint Katharine Drexel, in Frederick, since 2006. O’Connor spent 20 years in radio and television, full and part-time in Frederick & Washington Counties, before being elected to Frederick’s Board of Alderman in 2009, where he now seamlessly mixes politics with religion. Prior to Improv with the Stars, his stage credits include My Fair Lady, The Mousetrap, You Can’t Take it With You, HMS Pinafore, Peter Pan, numerous candidate forums, and Cable 10′s Pressing Issues.  He lives in Frederick with his wife Tammy, daughters Clare & Erin, and canine security Zoë and Raven.

Stephen Parnes is the Head of School at The Banner School.  As an architectural historian and preservationist, he serves on the Historic Preservation Commission.  Parnes has a deep commitment to the arts and arts education in his roles as an educator and a city resident. He is a clarinetist and saxophonist and, in Connecticut, before moving to Maryland, even performed the roles of Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol and of Major-General Stanley in The Pirates of Penzance.

The Master of Ceremonies for the evening will be John Fieseler, who has served as Executive Director of the Tourism Council of Frederick County since 1997. While working at Frederick radio stations prior to that, he served on the Tourism Council’s Board for six years, including two as president.  In 2009, Fieseler was appointed by Governor O’Malley to serve on the Maryland Tourism Development Board and in 2010 he was appointed by the governor to the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority.  Fieseler is a 1979 graduate of Fordham University, Bronx, NY, with a BA in Communications.  He and his wife Katie are restoring a 1790’s log and stone farmhouse in Keymar, MD.

The local celebrities will be joined by and coached by four improvisational artists, including Courtney McLaughlin, James McGarvey, Paula Pitts, and Joe Brady.  McLaughlin is a current member of the Comedy Pigs while McGarvey and Pitts are former members of the Comedy Pigs.  Brady is the director of the theater department at Hood College.

The Cultural Arts Center is located at 15 W. Patrick Street in Frederick.  To purchase tickets, or for more information, contact the Frederick Arts Council at 301-662-4190.