Metro detroit improv leadership
Madeleine Bien
Director & Co-Founder
The improv bug bit Madeleine in high school, where she had the opportunity to play a vast amount of improv games under the direction of her high school drama teacher, Elizabeth Schnelz Rexroat. She was also inspired by her cousin, Yvette, who took Madeleine to improv shows that would later open her eyes to what a genuinely fun and inspiring art form improv really is.
Outside of improv, Madeleine is an active member of several community theatres, and appears in the occasional musical or play in between MDI shows.
After participating in numerous meetup groups with her fellow co-organizers, Madeleine wanted to create something a bit closer to home and started Metro Detroit Improv with the help of Steve, Harris, Paula, and Michael. They bonded immediately while enjoying watching each other perform onstage and decided that creating a group with rotating hosts would be a fun way to keep improv in their lives and introduce improv to the local community. Out of a desire to do more for the community, Madeleine looked into ways that improv could help local nonprofits and in 2019, Metro Detroit Improv had its first fundraiser for Common Ground. Today, MDI hosts on average 1 fundraiser per year. Check out Madeleine's blog to follow her improv and theatre journey.
Director & Co-Founder
The improv bug bit Madeleine in high school, where she had the opportunity to play a vast amount of improv games under the direction of her high school drama teacher, Elizabeth Schnelz Rexroat. She was also inspired by her cousin, Yvette, who took Madeleine to improv shows that would later open her eyes to what a genuinely fun and inspiring art form improv really is.
Outside of improv, Madeleine is an active member of several community theatres, and appears in the occasional musical or play in between MDI shows.
After participating in numerous meetup groups with her fellow co-organizers, Madeleine wanted to create something a bit closer to home and started Metro Detroit Improv with the help of Steve, Harris, Paula, and Michael. They bonded immediately while enjoying watching each other perform onstage and decided that creating a group with rotating hosts would be a fun way to keep improv in their lives and introduce improv to the local community. Out of a desire to do more for the community, Madeleine looked into ways that improv could help local nonprofits and in 2019, Metro Detroit Improv had its first fundraiser for Common Ground. Today, MDI hosts on average 1 fundraiser per year. Check out Madeleine's blog to follow her improv and theatre journey.
Steve Ainsworth
Co-Founder & Co-Organizer
Steve has been improvising since the early 80's, mostly in the guise of playing Dungeons and Dragons. In the late 90's, inspired by the show "Whose Line is it Anyway", Steve and his partner Harris took an improv class at the Comedy Castle in Royal Oak and were hooked. Unfortunately, a lull in improvising occurred due to adulthood until the dreary Detroit winter of 2017, when he and Harris found a little improv Meet-up where they met Madeleine, Paula, and later Michael. Thus, the legend of MDI was born, where Steve participates by performing in numerous shows and co-leading our own Meet-up with MDI ever since.
Co-Founder & Co-Organizer
Steve has been improvising since the early 80's, mostly in the guise of playing Dungeons and Dragons. In the late 90's, inspired by the show "Whose Line is it Anyway", Steve and his partner Harris took an improv class at the Comedy Castle in Royal Oak and were hooked. Unfortunately, a lull in improvising occurred due to adulthood until the dreary Detroit winter of 2017, when he and Harris found a little improv Meet-up where they met Madeleine, Paula, and later Michael. Thus, the legend of MDI was born, where Steve participates by performing in numerous shows and co-leading our own Meet-up with MDI ever since.
Michael Micheletti
Co-Founder & Co-Organizer
Michael enjoys reading and working on mathematics. He also enjoys working on puzzles and is fan of Batman, Sherlock Holmes, and Gandalf.
Co-Founder & Co-Organizer
Michael enjoys reading and working on mathematics. He also enjoys working on puzzles and is fan of Batman, Sherlock Holmes, and Gandalf.
Paula Dirkes
Co-Organizer
Improvisation has been a part of Paula's life on and off for over 20 years. She received training at The Second City in Detroit Training Center, then was accepted into the Second City Conservatory for additional training. Paula obtained a Masters degree in Adult Instruction and worked in health education for 25 years. Around 2015 she returned to improv through various groups affiliated with Meetup.com and was one of the founding members of Metro Detroit Improv. Paula is one of a few members who leads Meetup groups each month for MDI and also performs in MDI fundraising shows for non-profit organizations. In 2018 she performed with the ComedySportz-Detroit Minor League team. In 2019 she started her small business - Vintage Improvisation Detroit - to bring a unique, interactive improv game experience to older adults in senior living facilities. In addition to the work she does with older adults, Paula recently launched some new virtual training programs to teach improvisers from all over the world how to build a small business working in the senior services industry where they live. Improv is a very important part of her life and so are the improvisers she has met.
Co-Organizer
Improvisation has been a part of Paula's life on and off for over 20 years. She received training at The Second City in Detroit Training Center, then was accepted into the Second City Conservatory for additional training. Paula obtained a Masters degree in Adult Instruction and worked in health education for 25 years. Around 2015 she returned to improv through various groups affiliated with Meetup.com and was one of the founding members of Metro Detroit Improv. Paula is one of a few members who leads Meetup groups each month for MDI and also performs in MDI fundraising shows for non-profit organizations. In 2018 she performed with the ComedySportz-Detroit Minor League team. In 2019 she started her small business - Vintage Improvisation Detroit - to bring a unique, interactive improv game experience to older adults in senior living facilities. In addition to the work she does with older adults, Paula recently launched some new virtual training programs to teach improvisers from all over the world how to build a small business working in the senior services industry where they live. Improv is a very important part of her life and so are the improvisers she has met.
Jason Robbins
Co-Organizer
Jason's involvement with MDI began in 2021, and the welcoming atmosphere has brought him so many new friendships and enriched his life more than he can articulate in this bio. His adventures with MDI have led him to being in their shows, leading meetups, and assisting with corporate workshops utilizing improv. His entertainment and performance experience is not limited to MDI. Outside of MDI, he also co-created/co-directs an improvised play series called Home Slice, wrote an award-winning play called Let’s Play Dragon Hatchers which raised money for several organizations which help autistic communities, performs both long-form and short-form improv shows around the Detroit and Ann Arbor areas, teaches improv classes to various age groups, runs workshops at conventions, produces a variety of videos for both entertainment and community-building through open and honest communication, and creates tabletop games.
His interests outside of entertaining others include gaming (video games and tabletop games), watching plays, autism and neurodivergent activism/volunteering, personal growth and introspection, and going out with his friends to connect with the people he loves.
Jason has been enjoying improvised comedy since he was in elementary school and would encourage his friends to play improv games with him when they’d come over. The journey continued through high school where he directed several improv shows each year, and even got selected to go to an improv summer camp where he got to partake in more short-form games and do an unscripted 1-act play. He then took classes at Second City in Detroit and directed more improv shows in college. After a hiatus, he discovered the MDI meetups and immersed himself in performing improv and plays again, and has no plans of stopping.
Co-Organizer
Jason's involvement with MDI began in 2021, and the welcoming atmosphere has brought him so many new friendships and enriched his life more than he can articulate in this bio. His adventures with MDI have led him to being in their shows, leading meetups, and assisting with corporate workshops utilizing improv. His entertainment and performance experience is not limited to MDI. Outside of MDI, he also co-created/co-directs an improvised play series called Home Slice, wrote an award-winning play called Let’s Play Dragon Hatchers which raised money for several organizations which help autistic communities, performs both long-form and short-form improv shows around the Detroit and Ann Arbor areas, teaches improv classes to various age groups, runs workshops at conventions, produces a variety of videos for both entertainment and community-building through open and honest communication, and creates tabletop games.
His interests outside of entertaining others include gaming (video games and tabletop games), watching plays, autism and neurodivergent activism/volunteering, personal growth and introspection, and going out with his friends to connect with the people he loves.
Jason has been enjoying improvised comedy since he was in elementary school and would encourage his friends to play improv games with him when they’d come over. The journey continued through high school where he directed several improv shows each year, and even got selected to go to an improv summer camp where he got to partake in more short-form games and do an unscripted 1-act play. He then took classes at Second City in Detroit and directed more improv shows in college. After a hiatus, he discovered the MDI meetups and immersed himself in performing improv and plays again, and has no plans of stopping.
In Memoriam
Anne Harris
Co-Founder & Co-Organizer
Anne Harris was active in high school theater, serving as student producer, student director, and winning best supporting actress for their role as Mammy Yokum in “Li’l Abner.”
After high school, Harris took a detour from performing for many years in order to pursue a career in fiction writing. They successfully published several novels and short stories with major publishers in science fiction and queer romance. Harris' writing has been nominated for the Nebula Award, the Sense of Gender Award, and the Andre Norton Award. For the past ten years, Harris has mentored graduate students in Seton Hill University's Writing Popular Fiction program.
In 2017, Harris and their partner, Steve Ainsworth, began attending improv workshops through Meetup. Soon, they met Madeleine Bien and Paula Dirkes and before long, they formed an improv Meetup of their own: Metro Detroit Improv. For the past five years MDI has run bi-monthly improv workshops for metro area residents of all levels of improv experience from beginners to seasoned performers.
Harris was a deeply loved and respected friend to the whole leadership team. We will greatly miss them and everything they brought to MDI.
Co-Founder & Co-Organizer
Anne Harris was active in high school theater, serving as student producer, student director, and winning best supporting actress for their role as Mammy Yokum in “Li’l Abner.”
After high school, Harris took a detour from performing for many years in order to pursue a career in fiction writing. They successfully published several novels and short stories with major publishers in science fiction and queer romance. Harris' writing has been nominated for the Nebula Award, the Sense of Gender Award, and the Andre Norton Award. For the past ten years, Harris has mentored graduate students in Seton Hill University's Writing Popular Fiction program.
In 2017, Harris and their partner, Steve Ainsworth, began attending improv workshops through Meetup. Soon, they met Madeleine Bien and Paula Dirkes and before long, they formed an improv Meetup of their own: Metro Detroit Improv. For the past five years MDI has run bi-monthly improv workshops for metro area residents of all levels of improv experience from beginners to seasoned performers.
Harris was a deeply loved and respected friend to the whole leadership team. We will greatly miss them and everything they brought to MDI.