Dustin Maassen
Dustin began his improv journey at Westside in 2022 and was immediately hooked! Before starting improv, he spent long tedious hours animating and felt he was slowly losing his mind. Luckily, improv is a much more fun and faster way to madness. Originally from St. Louis, MO, Dustin moved to Chicago in 2012 and now enjoys the suburban life with his wife and daughter. Outside of improv you can find him drawing or writing other funny ideas that didn’t make it into an improv scene.
Dustin plays on Murder Candy.
UPCOMING SHOWS
Nate Ford
A software engineer navigating life one ADHD hyperfixation at a time, Nate began his improv journey in early 2023 and, as ChatGPT might put it, “quickly became engrossed in the art, channeling his ever-shifting focus into the spontaneity and creativity of the stage.” Nate performs with Westside house team Murder Candy and indie team Jukebox Takeover.
Nate plays on Murder Candy.
UPCOMING SHOWS
Joel Shick
Joel is just a dude going through life, improvising as he goes. He has had an on again off again relationship with improv dating back to 2014. He started performing at Westside with Players Workshop in 2023 and now performs with the good people of Murder Candy. Currently, his relationship to improv is set firmly to “on” as he continues his journey with his amazing friends at Westside!
Joel plays on Murder Candy.
UPCOMING SHOWS
Joleen Batek
Joleen took her first class at Westside Improv in the fall of 2022. She was looking to escape reality for a couple hours each week and wound up completely obsessed with this thing called improv. A quest to find a place to try something different for a few weeks became an arrival at a place where she felt free to be her true self. Landing in such a supportive environment and making friends along the way has been an unexpected gift.
Aside from improv, Joleen thinks each day should include a cup of tea, a book, conversation, laughter and music. You can find her working in the children's department at a west suburban public library. Shh...don't tell the kids how she behaves on stage.
Joleen plays on Murder Candy.
UPCOMING SHOWS
Zach BiancoSmith
Zach is a full-grown middle child from Southern Illinois. He has been training and performing at Westside since 2022 and enjoys the camaraderie among improvisers.
Zach loves his family, his dog, and Hallmark movies.
Zach plays on Murder Candy.
UPCOMING SHOWS
Becky Lankheet
Becky is an introvert who loves numbers, Excel and all things math related. All these things do not add up to performing improv on stage... yet here we are. It started with an Intro to Improv class in 2019. She eventually slipped through the cracks and had the honor of joining Shade Tree. She is most famous for acting like an exhausted mom of 2 boys.
Becky plays with Murder Candy and Shade Tree.