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Meet the cast

Proudly introducing the cast of Smelling Elon's Musk

Lauren Anderson

Lauren Anderson (Performer)

Lauren began as an actor and writer for The Brave New Workshop in 2004 and has starred in more consecutive shows than any other performer in Brave New Workshop history. You can also find her on YouTube as the creator and host of Noodle Pie Island, an interactive children’s show, and performing with other improv groups such as Five Man Job, FOTERSON, and Mud Coven. In addition, Lauren is a founder and co-producer of the Twin Cities Improv Festival and Improv-A-Go-Go.

Denzel Belin

Denzel Belin (Performer)

Denzel is marking his 16th comedy revue with the Brave New Workshop. Denzel’s work as a playwright and writer has been featured in New York’s Queer Window Comedy Festival, Washington’s Blackness Is… Festival, AWF Magazine, and the Fearless 5 New Play Festival. Denzel continues to work with Twin Cities Gay Men’s Chorus, Minneapolis Musical Theater, and Mixed Precipitation, and he serves as the Artistic Director of Threshold Theater.

Isabella Dunsieth

Isabella Dunsieth (Performer)

Isabella is an actor, writer, and improviser in the Twin Cities. Since receiving her BFA at the University of Minnesota/Guthrie Actor Training Program she has made her way into the world of improv and sketch comedy. She is a co-founder and player with the group Latins On ICE, which premiered a show of the same name in January of 2020. She recently made her Brave New Workshop debut with This Show is Cheaper Than Gas and was recently seen in Walking Shadow Theater Company’s Cabal.

Ryan Nelson

Ryan Robert Nelson (Performer)

Ryan has appeared on stages across the Twin Cities including Children’s Theatre Company, Jungle Theatre, Yellow Tree Theatre, Daleko Arts, Stages Theatre, Park Square Theatre and Huge Improv Theater. Ryan has also appeared in multiple national commercials and short films both on camera and as a voice-over artist. Ryan voiced dozens of different characters for the Duluth-based live theatrical podcast, Take It With You. He also performs at the Science Museum of Minnesota, where he puppeteers a life-sized juvenile T-Rex and hosts corporate events with Sassy Lassy Events Company.

Jon Pumper

Jon Pumper (Music Director)

Jon has been with the Brave New Workshop since 2017. In addition, he served as the music director for Stevie Ray’s Comedy Cabaret at the Chanhassen Dinner Theatres. He also works as the director of music for Grace Lutheran Church of Northeast and runs a successful music/comedy YouTube channel that has garnered over 180K subscribers and 87M views as of January 2023.

Matthew Vivlach

Matthew Vichlach (Technical Director)

Matthew designs lights, sound, images, and videos for each Brave New Workshop production. He also serves as the technical director for The Hennepin event center. He has been working professionally in theatre for almost twenty years doing sound design for theatres in the Twin Cities including Yellow Tree Theatre, Theatre Mu, Theatre Pro Rata, Commonweal Theatre, and many more.

Caleb McEwen (Director)

Caleb began as a performer on the Brave New Workshop stage in 1996, hired by the legendary Dudley Riggs. Caleb directed his first show on the mainstage in 2001 and became Artistic Director the same year. Since then, he has directed all Brave New Workshop productions except three. In his time at Brave New Workshop, he has performed in over half-a-dozen countries and most of the fifty states.