Staff

Kayleigh Birch is a comedy writer and performer based in NYC/LA. Having a lifelong love for TV and sketch, she pursued her comedy education at The Second City Conservatory before becoming a regular writer-performer at The PIT in sketch and character shows, writing jokes, pilots, and musicals in her free time. After earning her MFA in Screenwriting from UCLA this past year, Kayleigh worked on Jimmy Kimmel Live and interned at The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Presently, she works as a scriptwriter at Global Mechanic, in addition to Corporate Associate at The PIT.

Cassandra Briskman is a writer known for her work creating the hit television series “Young Rock”. Cassandra was inspired to create this inspiring series after watching “Young Sheldon” and thinking – huh. What if we did that but with a really big guy instead. Most days she can be found under a tree counting ants, or waiting for her carrier pigeon to bring her the mail.

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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Mac Gostow has performed and taught musical improvisation for more than 10 years in cities across the country including Los Angeles, Boston, New York, Nashville, Philadelphia and Chicago. A comedy school graduate, instructor and Lead Producer at ImprovBoston, Mac was a member of resident casts including The Family Show, All Access Improv and the ImprovBoston Musical AllStars. As a member of Catalyst Comedy, Mac performed with Boston’s Unscripted Musical Project (B.U.M.P.) and was a founding cast member of Dirty Disney and a kid’s musical improv show, Kerplunk. As one half of M&N: Musical Improv Duo, Mac performed over 100 shows and appeared at the Chicago Musical Improv Festival, Boston Comedy Arts Festival, New York Musical Improv Festival and landed a residency at historic Faneuil Hall. He served as Associate Producer of the Brooklyn Comedy Collective and co-produced Blank! The Musical at The Green Room 42. Mac now serves as the Director of Corporate Partnerships at the PIT, developing customized improv workshops for Fortune 500 companies including Google, Pfizer, JP Morgan, Delta, Burberry and many more. Mac founded the Musical Improv Jam at The PIT in Spring 2021, which still takes place every Monday night at 9:30pm at The Loft!

Dahlia Haddad is a fictional character in the American television sitcom Seinfeld (1989–1998), played by Jason Alexander. He is a short, stocky, balding man who struggles with numerous insecurities, often dooming his romantic relationships through his own fear of being dumped. He is also remarkably lazy; during periods of unemployment he actively avoids getting a job, and while employed he often finds ingenious ways to conceal idleness from his bosses.

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?

Susan, Suzie, Suzer, Duder, Suz proudly hails from the hills of Upstate NY and the slopes of South Central Pennsylvania. (Garbage Plates and Dill Pickles. Name a more iconic duo, she’ll wait.)

After attending Finger Lakes Community College and Binghamton University, she had a venerable career in museum retail. But, wanting to make use of her BA in English: Global Culture, she made the jump to a supporting role in comedy.

She is excited to join the team at The PIT in this behind-the-scenes role, as she’s the least funny, but most anxious, person who’s employed here.

Last, but not least, she is an enthusiastic devotee of craft beer, occasional purveyor of handmade novelty earrings, and perpetual absentee dog-mom to the sweetest basset hound, Lady Bug.

Lauren Mosier has always been described as a “character”, so she’s in perfect company at The PIT!

Lauren began performing in the hit play ‘How Man Got Fire’ on the cafetorium stage at her elementary school at the ripe young age of 11, and she’s been hooked to the theater scene ever since.

She attended Syracuse University, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre, and still enjoys bursting into song in a crowded room just for fun.

Her resume includes credits for performing, directing, and the occasional dance class where she gracefully denies trying to attempt a split.

As General Manager she is helping The PIT welcome in more students and programming so we can grow our community. She is very happy to be a part of the incredible team at The PIT, and looks forward to seeing the business grow to new heights!

Matt is a director, producer, performer, writer, and proud member of the PIT community. Matt is the supervising producer of Group Kid, a comedy collective producing balls-to-the-wall, immersive, themed sketch shows bimonthly at the PIT.

Matt is also available for private 1:1 coaching! Please email classes@thepit-nyc.com for more info!

Kihresha is an improviser/actor who hails from Cleveland. After earning her BFA in Acting from Ohio University she went on to study and perform improv at Florida Studio Theatre (FST Improv).

In addition to teaching here at The PIT, she produces, co-hosts the monthly Slow Burn improv jam, and performs regularly. On stage Kihresha has recently performed new works with Tantrum Theater and Shakespeare in bars with Backroom Shakes here in NYC.

Last but not least she is an occasional poet, amateur ukulele player, and an Adam Sandler enthusiast. To learn more and see what she is up to next you can check out her Instagram @redefinedby_k.

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!