PIT PRESENTS – Fresh Faces!

Rebecca is an actor, improviser, writer, and director that Harolds from the sloshy swamp that is South Florida. Her performing arts background has given her leverage in the business world when paired with her administrative and management skills. While going to school for her B.S in Environmental Science & Policy, she was working in Vacation Realty and escaping to rehearsals whenever there was anytime left in between. Her professional acting career was known to blossom around 4pm (primetime dinnertime) where you would have been able to catch her acting in {insert farce here} at The Early Bird Dinner Theatre. Still following? Ok, great. She studied long-form improv and sketch comedy writing through St. Petersburg’s American Stage Theater Company and went on from there to complete the UCB core improv curriculum. Becs likes to fondly reminisce about having gotten to share the stage alongside her now 16yr old bichon-poo, Buttercup. She infamously played ‘Cheeky’ in her HS senior year spring production of Anything Goes. More things she likes? She likes playing with big characters, voices, and accents/dialects. Funky earrings. She also likes plants. A lot. Too much?

Sean Christian Taylor @schristiantaylor (Artistic Team The PIT) started producing original work with the renowned narrative theater group Voices of the South in Memphis, TN.

For 10 years the Peoples Improv Theater (New York, NY) has been home.

Sean received his BFA from the University of Memphis, where he teaches as a guest artist.

Currently, Seans directorial work includes the solo show Kid In Church which has received critical acclaim at NYCSketchFest, Chicago Sketchfest and has garnered interest from The LookOut Series at Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago. Executive Producer for Love is Live! NY’s newest hit dating show w/ Producers and Hosts Caroline Becker, Erin Gonyeau and Olivia Benedict.

He is a director and producer for Old School Sketch Show! one of the  longest running sketch shows in New York – with a rotating cast of New York’s best comedians.

Also as an artistic team member of The PIT, Sean’s focus is original Pit Programming like 2 Min Drill! Tv Sketch Show Audition Show, Unfinished Business, Free POC Series, Wolfs Lair, Characters, Characters, Characters! PITizens Showcase, Fresh Faces and Duel with founder of The PIT and Ali Farahnakian.

Director credits include, resident Sketch House Team – RunDMV. Guest Director of Road Pizza, Old School Sketch Show, TreeHaus: A Latent Coming of Age Story, Virginian Brides, and Back Door BBQ.

Sean also has developed and promoted new material for, Timmy Barron (Chicago, IL @timmyhartbarron), PitTv, Jen Clark’s Mein Kunt Kult and BoomShot Productions (New York, Ny, Nashville, Tn).

He is a founding member of improv and sketch groups Vivian Delano, OSSS B-Sides, Food Fight, Caldwell & Taylor, Blonde Roast, and RunDMV.

Seeking to amplify voices, and be an asset to developing new work!

Ali Reza Farahnakian was born in Esfahan, Iran in the fall of ‘68. He came to America in the summer of ‘69. He is an immigrant. He is not eligible to seek the office of the presidency in America and is therefore a second class citizen in this country. Maybe that’s why he got into “comedy”. His teachers include Michael McCarthy, Charna Halpern, Del Close, Maryanne Thebus and Wynn Handman. He is an alumnus of ImprovOlympic, The Second City Chicago and SNL. He was a founding member of UCB and The PIT. He has acted at The Steppenwolf, BAM, and Playwrights Horizon. He has been in numerous TV shows, commercials, films and voiceovers. He has been doing this work for over three decades because he loves it and because it doesn’t seem like work. We started The PIT in 2002 in New York City.

You can check out his website at www.AliRezaFarahnakian.com.

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Sunny Atwal has over a decade’s worth of public speaking experience and currently operates as a professional emcee for Showbiz Talent & Primetime Dance. He is a former State Champion in poetry and has written, acted, produced several shows for the Indy Fringe festival as well as his own 45 minute Solo Show, Taxi Cab Driver, at SOLOCOM 2019. Sunny has also hosted for the Indy Visitor’s Channel which played throughout Indianapolis hotels explaining tourist attractions. He’s been featured on Spotify’s The Get Up Morning show & the BrainsOn Podcast! Additionally, he produces an all South Asian casted Comedy show for The People’s Improv theater. Performing is his passion and he also loves Sour Skittles.