 The Edge began as an improv workshop on Bainbridge Island in November of 1993. A few months later in January of 1994 the group was performing regularly at The Bainbridge Island Playhouse under the name HA! 
 On April 18th Ken Ballenger joined founding members John Ellis and Frank Buxton as Director and we began regular workout sessions and regular performances, mostly at the Bainbridge Playhouse. Ken enlisted a number of skilled improvisers from Seattle and we expanded our group to the core group of ten people we have now. Other guests artist join us from time to time, too.
We formally changed our name to The Edge in 2000 and have been performing at Studio East, Second Story Repertory and in North Bend in addition to countless business retreats, conferences, benefits, schools and private functions where we have not only performed but taught Improv as a social and business skill.
The group has performed improv on radio, too, taking suggestions via phone from listeners in a series of one hour programs on our local NPR station. Most recently we have been invited to perform at the Upfront Theatre in Bellingham at the behest of Ryan Stiles, best know for his appearances on The Drew Carey Show and Who's Line Is It, Anyway? We also are working with Gary Schwartz and the Spolin Players.
Over the years The Edge has developed a number of new improv games, including Balladeer which incorporates our considerable musical skills with basic scene work and story telling. We also create original musical comedies, operas and contemporary song styles based on audience suggestions and continue to explore different methods of scene work. |
MATT WHITMAN - A Seattle native, Matt has been performing here for over
16 years at such venues as The Annex Theatre (The Women), Alice B Theatre (The Holiday Survival Game Show) and The Rebar (Dina Martina, Pirates of Lesbos, Deflowered in the Attic). By day, Mild mannered Receptionist to the stars at Infinity Broadcasting (KZOK, KMPS, KBKS,KRQI, KPTK-am) by night, Madman of Comedy. |
| FRANK BUXTON - Frank has spent all of his life in the entertainment
business in one way or another as a writer producer and director of
TV series and as a performer in feature films, TV series and TV
movies. He began his professional career on stage with the legendary
Buster Keaton and his subsequent stage credits include Bye Bye Birdie,
Noises Off, Our Town, Music Man, My Fair Lady, You Can't Take It With You
The Man Who Came To Dinner and Inspecting Carol. He's frequently heard
in the contemporary radio drama series The Adventures of Harry Nile and
The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Frank is a founding member of
The Edge. |
| GARY SCHWARTZ - Gary is a former student and associate of ViolaSpolin,considered "The Mother Of Improvisation" and is the director of Seattle's Spolin Players.He has appeared in such films as Quest For Fire and, as a voice actor, haslooped scoresof films and television shows. He has co-starred on Zoobilee Zoo andin Youand Me Kid. |
| MATT SMITH - a solo performance artist (My Boat to Bainbridge, Helium, My
Last Year with the Nuns) who works days bringing the principles of
improvisation and story telling to the workplace. He is also a celebrated
benefit auctioneer. Matt was a founding member of Seatle Improv and
Stark/Raving Theatre (with Edward Sampson), and was a recurring guest on
Almost Live. He's plays small roles in large movies, and large roles in
small movies.
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| SUSAN MacPHERSON - Susan is a long-time member of The Edge and canalways be counted on to contribute laughs and a semblance of reality to ourscenes.She's the proud mother of her daughter Carson and has been performing improvinthe Northwest for more years than she cares to count. |
| KEN BALLENGER - Our fearless leader founded THE EDGE and as such books improv gigs all over the Northwest. He is frequently seen in films and industrials and national commercials in addition to his endurance in insurance. |
| CYNTHIA LAIR Cynthia has worked as an actress in commercials, film, radio and stage in New York and in Seattle since it was cool for guys to wear gold chains. She has a double life as part of the nutrition faculty at Bastyr University and is also the author of two cookbooks. Actually she has a triple life thanks to her beautiful daughter Grace and kind husband Michael. |
| JOHN ELLIS Former member of Seattle Theatresports, he's most recentlyon stage in Noises Off, Annie, Born Yesterday and Guys and Dolls at The Playhouse.He has been acting since grade school. John co-wrote (with Andrew Shields) the extremely popular melodrama Harry Tracy, which debutedon Bainbridge Island inthe Summer of 2004 at the Playhouse. In high school his drama teacher assigned improv exercises as a punishment for tardiness, Of all things. He was frequently late. |
| BHAMA ROGET - They say the manner in which one is born says alot about them. Bhama was born ass first in a Salvation Army hospital with her 24 year-old father screaming, "it's a boy!" She had a proper white trash upbringing in Garland, TX (although you wouldn't know it, given she talks good) and sometime therein decided that if leaving the planet wasn't an option, she'd be an actor. |
| ANDREW SHIELDS - Andrew is, in fact, a medical doctor. But he has a more important talent than saving lives. He can play the piano! He wrote the score for a musical version of Reefer Madness and was seen on this stage in the title role in The Music Man. He recently was the music director for Scott Warrender’s Happy Pants and co-wrote (with John Ellis) and composed the music and lyrics for Harry Tracy at BPA. |
| ÓRLA Mc GOVERN - Hailing from Ireland, and has been known to occasionally wander back there to tread the boards and refresh her accent. There she worked with a bunch of folks, from the Abbey to the Flying Pigs. In Seattle she is a company member of Seattle goga, Baba Yaga, and has a fondness for both the funny and the sad. She is often called upon to do posh English voices which one uses to sell expensive products to the public. |
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