SHANNON MCCORMICK
BOARD CHAIR
SHANNON is a thirty-year veteran of stage and screen, as well as a writer and director. He has appeared in films and TV shows such as Breaking Bad, Les Misérables, Day 5, Red vs. Blue, RWBY, and Camp Camp. He has been involved with Out of Bounds since its inception in 2001, serving at various times as producer and now on the Board of Directors. He remains active in the local in the Austin improv community, with troupes Get Up and Just Be Sweet as well as many limited run improv productions.
ELLEN is a mom, molecular biologist, ceramic artist, and improv comedian who was almost on Jeopardy once – so yes, she knows things.She has been performing and practicing improv since 2010, and has appeared in the Ocean State Improv Festival, Big-Little Improv Festival, and of course, Out of Bounds. Her previous longform improv appearances shows include God vs. the Devil, Doctor When, Off the Reef, Tall Tales of the High Seas, and Mischief Managed. She also co-created, directed, and produced FLOW: Funny Ladies of Wrestling. Ellen has been part of the Out of Bounds staff since 2017. She loves secrets, pizza, and can name all the U.S. presidents in order…so she’s basically your weirdest and most delightful trivia night ringer.
ELLEN PIZAREK
Co-Producer
ASAF RONEN
Co-Producer
ASAF is the author of Directing Improv: Show the Way by Getting Out of the Way. He regularly performs, teaches and produces in Austin where he is the Founder/Dean at the improv school, The Seed,. He has been the Education Director at The Institution Theater for eight years and the Conservatory Director at ColdTowne Theater.He has taught and performed improvisation in Canada, Great Britain, Norway and in twenty-eight of these United States with such groups as the B. Iden Payne Award winning Confidence Men (improvised plays in the style of David Mamet), Immigrants: The Musical (a Hamilton-inspired longform that explored the cast’s immigrant experiences), and imp (mostly silent improv). He was also producer on Trust Us This Is All Made Up, a documentary on legendary improvisers TJ & Dave that premiered at Austin’s South by Southwest Festival in 2009 and helped develop the improvised film Days of Delusion with director Scott Myers. In 1999, Asaf founded the improv website, YESand.com of which he was Editor-in-Chief.
SARAH is an actor & comedian working in Austin, Texas. Festivals include Altercation Comedy, Laugh Riot Grrrl, LGBTLOL Comedy, Lysistrata Comedy, Austin Sketch Fest, and the Del Close Marathon in NYC. She started TexAss Comedy, a stand up show featuring queer comedians from around the country, with a commitment to pay queer comedians for their performances. You can catch them live telling jokes around Austin (and other cities!), performing with their improv group Switchblade, or skating with Texas Roller Derby with Las Putas del Fuego.
SARAH SPEAR
Marketing director
CLIF HIGHFIELD
Technical
Director
CLIFTON is a current of the Harold Team Candy Necklace and has been teaching, performing, directing and producing improv comedy for 20 years. He taught long form improv formats and techniques to hundreds of Austin students at The Institution Theater (2010-20). Performance highlights include The Out of Bounds Improv Festival, Chicago Improv Festival, New York Fringe Festival, San Francisco Improv Fest, Michigan Improv Laugh Festival, Improvaganza (Hawaii), Toronto Improv Festival, and Miami Improv Festival. Clifton achieved a B. Iden Payne for ensemble work in both The Suitcase (2013) and Sextet (2024). He originally trained at ImprovOlympic (iO) in Chicago, at iO West in LA, studied at The Second City and taken classes at Upright Citizens Brigade in LA. Clifton is quoted in the book Theatrical Improvisation by Jeanne Leep, created creature voices for the feature film I Am Legend, and was an extra on It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia. Locally, he has performed with improv teams at The Hideout Theatre, Coldtowne Theater, Fallout Theater, ComedySportz, a handful of coffee shops, a couple closed bars, and a backyard.
SIDDARTH DESAI
Venue director
SID has been doing improv since 2015, and is currently a teacher at the Hideout Theatre. They have been a part of Gigglepants and the B. Iden Payne Award-winning, Butterfly Defect. They’ve directed multiple shows including Swashbuckled, Killertown, and The Bollywood Improv Show. You can read more about their improv style on their blog.
MARCIA ANDREA
VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR
MARCIA has been involved in the Austin comedy community for more than 10 years as a performer, producer, technician, and coach. She is passionate about community building and creating positive experiences for performers, audiences and staff. Marcia is excited to help connect people with opportunities to get involved and ensure everyone has a fun, welcoming, and rewarding experience at Out of Bounds.
CRAIG has been in the thick of the Austin improv scene since the late 1990s, starting with Austin Theatresports/Heroes of Comedy, which built the Hideout Theatre. In 2004 he co-founded the multi-award winning troupe the Knuckleball Now which still plays every first Thursday at Coldtowne Theater, as well as other fine venues in the ATX area. When not on stage, he can be found pushing pixels as a professional Graphic Designer, which includes doing OOB graphics for more than two decades. Craig spends the rest of his time manicuring and watering his plants in the backyard, with a guitar always within reach.
CRAIG KOTFAS
GRAPHICS DESIGNER
KEITH RUCKUS
Events director
KEITH has been creating unforgettable events in Austin, Texas for over 13 years. A veteran purveyor of live experiences, Keith’s work in macro-scale productions earned him a singular honor in 2017 when Mayor Steve Adler proclaimed it “Keith Ruckus Day” in recognition of his contributions to the city’s cultural zeitgeist.
In 2025, Keith was named a Finalist for the Austin Under 40 Awards in the Arts, Music, & Entertainment category. He’s also one-half of the duo behind Butt Stuff Bingo, Austin’s longest-running adult-themed comedy game show, and the owner of Ruckus Karaoke, a fan-favorite nightlife staple and two-time Austin Chronicle “Best Of” finalist.
From bold concepts to seamless execution, Keith brings energy, creativity, and a deep love for Austin to every event he touches.
IRIELLE WESLEY
Production assistant
IRIELLE is a comedic performer and writer based in Austin, Texas. She performs weekly with Austin Chronicle Best Troupe nominees Garage. Irielle is also a part of local comedic supergroup Big Fart, who won Austin Sketch Fest’s 48-hour sketch competition and recently performed in UCB’s Del Close Marathon this summer.