Ryan Brown (Max/Dwayne)
Having aged like milk out of the role of Twinkie Dee in the 2019 production of Steamworks, Ryan is proud to return to the show as Max/Dwayne. He previously appeared at the Annoyance as co-writer/Binky Vanderporten in Goodnight, Gladys, and as Sheila in Y2Gay: Coming of Age at the End of the Millennium. Previous writing credits include Chicago-produced plays 1 to 4, Mana and Her Underground Family, and Strapped In. He’s an alumni of Indiana University’s Awkward Silence Comedy, and for several days in 2011, he sang on the streets of Gothenburg, Sweden when he ran out of money halfway through his trip there. He’s also a tarot reader, creative writing teacher, and aspirant GarageBand recording artist.

gutterratstarchild

Connor James (Twinkie Dee)
Connor is so excited to be a part of brining “Steamworks the Musical”back to the Annoyance as Twinkie Dee! Now that he is back in Chicago after being a local TV news reporter/anchor in Mid-Missouri, Connor is currently finishing the Grad Revue Program at the Second City Training Center. In addition, he’s hot off a run of a comedy variety show “Runner Ups” at Clash on Clark, which he co-hosted and co-produced. Connor is also a part of a musical improv duo “Madonna and Child” opening for groups across the Chicago comedy scene.

@connorjameswho

@connorjameswho

Sean Koch (Chester)
often referred to mononymously as Ellen, is an American comedian, television host, actress, writer, and producer. She starred in the sitcom Ellen from 1994 to 1998, which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award for "The Puppy Episode". She also hosted the syndicated television talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show from 2003 to 2022, for which she received 33 Daytime Emmy Awards.

sean_koch_

Ryan Wenzel (Understudy (Lewis, Twinkiedee/Twinkiedum, Chester))
Ryan's happy to be here.

@ryansrynstagram

Michelle Lerch (Carroll U/S)
Michelle Lerch has gained notoriety in the areas of Opera, Musical Theatre, and most recently Sketch/Improv Comedy. She received her Master’s in Vocal Performance from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music and graduated with honors from East Carolina University in 2016. Since moving to Chicago, Michelle has been seen performing all over the comedic stages with various improv groups, most notably graduating Second City’s Conservatory program in 2023.

@mlerchsop

Jackson McKenzie Rothmund (Stephen Stephan)
Jackson McKenzie Rothmund is a 26 year old homosexual Chicagoan. He is a November Scorpio with a passion for crying on Chicago public transit, and would describe his body type as “reheated Lean Cuisine”. Catch him on the shores of Lake Michigan or catch him dancing in the alley behind his apartment — just make sure to catch him, he has a chronic vertigo diagnosis.

rothdaddy

Justin Banks (Al)
Justin is a Chicago based improvisor, writer, and actor. His love for comedy stems from his college improv team Tongue 'N' Cheek. He performs throughout the city at Second City, Logan Square Improv, iO, Annoyance Theater, and most asbestos ridden comedy clubs. He is a former contributor at The Onion and semifinalist on "Improvised Survivor" at iO! Theater. Justin is excited to return to Annoyance Mainstage after performing in "Shark Tank the Musical." The Annoyance Theater is his second home.

@jbaby_banks

Katie Cutler (Carroll)
Katie is thrilled to be back on the Annoyance stage after a pandemic-sparked hiatus that resulted in niche tiktok micro celebrity, when she started advising strangers about low-conflict/high-chaos strategies to deter creepy men. Katie has seen her work featured in Chicago sketch revues at the Pride Arts Center, the Mary Scruggs Festival, and Second City’s Infinite Sundaes. She’s performed with sketch and improv groups Helpful Nudes, Private Dicks, Storytown, and Office Party and has a BA in the Performing Arts and writing. You can follow her @singersewer on tiktok.

@realkatiecutler

@therealkatiecutler or @singer.sewer

Mary Catherine Curran (Director, Writer)
Mary Catherine is so excited to be back and involved with this absolutely beautiful chaos of a show! Originally from PG County, MD, she studied theater performance at the University of Maryland (Go Terps). In addition to creating and originating the role of Carroll in Steamworks, she has improvised, written, performed, and directed shows all over Chicago, with highlights including Bite Size Broadway, Burlesque is More, Hideous, and SHEBEAST at The Annoyance; Virgin Daiquiri, Lil’ Tooties, and One Woman Space Jam at iO. Mary Catherine also performed for The Second City in Chicago Mainstage Reviews 108 and 109; She the People (UP Comedy Club); America: It’s Complicated (Kennedy Center), and Love, Factually (Kennedy Center). Mary Catherine loves her Sister, Mom, and Grandmom; her entirely-too-large-to-name-here family; her friends who are her family; every woman who has helped her; Pointless Theater; The Annoyance; and basketball. Follow @itismarycatherine on insta and @ismarycatherine on Twitter for great content. As always, everything she does is for her dad, Timm.

@ismarycatherine

@itismarycatherine

A. Ashley Alexander (Lighting Designer)
A. Ashley Alexander (Lighting Designer) (xe/they) is an interdisciplinary artist, collaborator and technician based in Chicago. Catch xem at The Annoyance on Fridays for Missed Call & Baby Wine. Other recent works include Pivot Arts’ The Memory Place; Theater Wit’s Hurricane Diane; SoloCrowd’s Pride Show; WHIM at Stage 773; Haunted Dining in the Dark and the Little Mermaid Cocktail Experience with Fever Originals; Midsummer at Greenhouse Theater; Noises Off and Becky Shaw at Windy City Playhouse; Gypsy, Merrily We Roll Along, and Memphis with Porchlight Music Theatre; Sex With Strangers at Citadel Theatre; Frost/Nixon at Redtwist Theatre, and countless private events at Chicago Theater Works. Ashley is a company member of Salvage Vanguard Theater, and a member of ScriptWorks - both in Austin, TX. Other ATX credits include numerous award-winning productions with Fusebox Festival, FronteraFest, Austin Playhouse, Doctuh Mistuh Productions, HeckleHer, Tex-Arts, Texas Performing Arts, Breaking String Theater, OUTsider Fest, Mary Moody Northen Theatre, Trouble Puppet Theater, and Zilker Theatre Productions. Xe holds a BA in Theater Management from St. Edward’s University. Outside theater, find xem dancing in the dark, crooning karaoke, or flapping through the woods, rivers & lakes. Linktr.ee/aaalexander

@aaalexanderarts

Lorena Estevez (Assistant Director)
Lorena Estevez is a first-gen Cuban-American Chicago based artist! Recent credits include “Rat City” at The Ravens Room (playing all sunday’s in June @ 4pm!) “North & Chicano” an Original Directing Program Revue (Second City). “12th Night” (Olde School Shakes). Original solo material for Burlesque is More in the “Roadtrip”, “Gore”, & “Brrlesque” run. “A Disney Exploited Musical” and “A Comedy of Disasters” (Annoyance Theater). Also 5th place contestant of “Improvised Survivor: Season 1”. Catch her in the first season of Improvised Big Brother (Second City) Saturday’s at 8pm July 1st-August 26th!

@loriestevez3

Matthew Pollack (Music Director)
Matthew is a composer and music director in Chicago. He can be heard every Friday accompanying Hitch*cocktails at the Annoyance.