Outside In Theatre

Carla Cackowski is a writer and improviser living in Los Angeles. She regularly tours across the country with her two-pe...
12/19/2024

Carla Cackowski is a writer and improviser living in Los Angeles. She regularly tours across the country with her two-person improv show, “Orange Tuxedo”. Carla toured on boats with Second City and performed on Harold Teams at both iO West and UCB Los Angeles. She directed the International Ensemble at the Vancouver Improv Festival in 2018 and has traveled all over the world teaching and performing in comedy festivals. Carla was an improv teacher at The Second City in Hollywood for twelve years, is the former Artistic Director at Mi’s Westside Comedy Theater in Santa Monica and the former Co-Artistic Director at Curious Comedy Theater in Portland, Oregon. Some recent improv Das Improv Festival (Berlin), Copenhagen International Improv Festival, Detroit Improv Festival, Sarasota Improv Festival, Last Best Comedy Fest (Bozeman, Montana), and The Last Word Comedy Festival (Williamsburg, Virginia).

You can currently see her performing monthly at Outside In Theatre with her four-person team, "Weird Tuxedo" (Craig Cackowski, Bob Dassie, and Stephnie Weir).

outsideintheatre.org/training/
orangetuxedoimprov.com
carlacackowski.com

This Saturday at 8 PM is the last chance to catch our holiday show called Breaking Bread! Join us at the metaphorical (a...
12/19/2024

This Saturday at 8 PM is the last chance to catch our holiday show called Breaking Bread! Join us at the metaphorical (and literal!) table as this show serves up hefty portions of holiday cheer and laughter! ❄️☃️❄️

Breaking Bread is about a family gathering for their annual holiday celebration, full of all the delightful dysfunctions that come along with it! Fueled by secret suggestions provided by the audience, this show culminates in a second act where dinner - with actual food - is served along with the hilarity that clashing family dynamics might bring forth! Because with family, anything can happen…

The cast members who will help us break bread for this upcoming (and FINAL!) show on Saturday are Eric Carthen, Kari Vanegas, Mateo Mpinduzi-Mott, Matthew Pitner, Monica Alquetz, Nikki Zapanta, Paul Hungerford, and Quinn Alquetz with host Arlo Sanders and Technical Improviser Alex Lee!

A portion of every ticket sold will support the trans community. If you’d like to offer additional support, please consider donating directly to Trans Lifeline or another trans charity of your choice.

Ticket link in bio!

Today's "Meet the Cast of Breaking Bread" post is about Mateo Mpinduzi-Mott! We asked Mateo a couple of questions about ...
12/18/2024

Today's "Meet the Cast of Breaking Bread" post is about Mateo Mpinduzi-Mott! We asked Mateo a couple of questions about what the holidays mean to him, and here's what he shared!

Question: What is one of your favorite holiday memories?

Answer: Definitely road-tripping with my cousins. 10 hours from Texas to Tennessee every year. And the three of us little ones, in the back of Abuelo's van playing these old Sega Genesis games!

Question: What is your favorite holiday food?

Answer: My dad and I used to make sweet potato pies for the holidays. We’d sit in the kitchen chopping up oodles upon oodles of sweet potatoes. I learned how to sift sugar to make it the finest thing imaginable. And we would make so many that he could give them to everybody in the neighborhood and we’d still have too many to finish eating.

Come and see Mateo in the upcoming and *final* Breaking Bread show this Saturday, December 21st, at 8 PM!

Today's "Meet the Cast of Breaking Bread" post is about our phenomenal Technical Improviser, Alex Lee! We asked Alex a c...
12/17/2024

Today's "Meet the Cast of Breaking Bread" post is about our phenomenal Technical Improviser, Alex Lee! We asked Alex a couple of questions about what the holidays mean to him, and here's what he shared!

Question: What is one of your favorite holiday memories?

Answer: Friends and chosen family were always important parts of my life. Several years ago my friend Michael and I went hiking and geocaching along the coast on Christmas day. We went to an Indian restaurant for lunch and a Thai one for dinner, and saw some beautiful coastal scenery. It was great.

Question: What is your favorite holiday food?

Answer: Tamales! Growing up in Los Angeles, I would get invitations from friends to make tamales with their extended families, so it’s not just a delicious food, but memories of being with friends.

Come and see Alex's terrific technical improvisational skills in action during our upcoming and *final* Breaking Bread show this Saturday, December 21st, at 8 PM!

Today's "Meet the Cast of Breaking Bread" post is about Paul Hungerford! We asked Paul a couple of questions about what ...
12/15/2024

Today's "Meet the Cast of Breaking Bread" post is about Paul Hungerford! We asked Paul a couple of questions about what the holidays mean to him, and here's what he shared!

Question: What is one of your favorite holiday memories?

Answer: Traversing into the woods behind our house, so we could cut down a 'wild' Christmas tree. Only to travel so deep into the woods, that my dad took about two hours to cut and drag the tree back to our house. We never did that again.

Come and see Paul in the upcoming and *final* Breaking Bread show on Saturday, December 21st, at 8 PM!

Today's "Meet the Cast of Breaking Bread" post is about Nikki Zapanta! We asked Nikki a couple of questions about what t...
12/12/2024

Today's "Meet the Cast of Breaking Bread" post is about Nikki Zapanta! We asked Nikki a couple of questions about what the holidays mean to her, and here's what she shared!

Question: What is one of your favorite holiday memories?

Answer: Making and shipping rum cakes for all our relatives one year.

Question: What is your favorite holiday food?

Answer: Prime rib and using the leftovers to make beef stroganoff.

Come and see Nikki in the upcoming and FINAL Breaking Bread show on Saturday, December 21st, at 8 PM!

Today's "Meet the Cast of Breaking Bread" post is about Kari Vanegas! We asked Kari a couple of questions about what the...
12/10/2024

Today's "Meet the Cast of Breaking Bread" post is about Kari Vanegas! We asked Kari a couple of questions about what the holidays mean to her, and here's what she shared!

Question: What is one of your favorite holiday memories?

Answer: One of my best holiday memories happened during a family vacation when I was six years old. My family celebrated Nochebuena (Christmas Eve) in El Salvador. We spent the night setting off loads of fireworks with a group of cousins, including some fireworks that looked like dynamite sticks. At midnight, we celebrated with the entire family to ring in Christmas.

Question: What is your favorite holiday food?

Answer: My favorite holiday meal is my mom’s panes con pavo—Salvadoran-style turkey sandwiches.

Come and see Kari in the upcoming and FINAL Breaking Bread show on Saturday, December 21st, at 8 PM!

Today's "Meet the Cast of Breaking Bread" post is about Eric Carthen! We asked Eric about what the holidays mean to him,...
12/08/2024

Today's "Meet the Cast of Breaking Bread" post is about Eric Carthen! We asked Eric about what the holidays mean to him, and here's what he shared!

Question: What is one of your favorite holiday memories?

Answer: My Sibling, Cousins, and I were crammed in a sedan (6 kids) and we sang Jingle Bell Rock six times in a row acapella. Not too sure if we knew any words outside of the chorus!

Come and see Eric in the upcoming and FINAL Breaking Bread show on Saturday, December 21st, at 8 PM!

Today's "Meet the Cast of Breaking Bread" post is about Ryan Austin! We asked Ryan a couple of questions about what the ...
12/05/2024

Today's "Meet the Cast of Breaking Bread" post is about Ryan Austin! We asked Ryan a couple of questions about what the holidays mean to him, and here's what he shared!

Question: What is one of your favorite holiday memories?

Answer: Favorite holiday memory is my grandmother, who has never drank alcohol, doing a shot of vodka during our first annual "Reindeer Games" (silly TikTok trending family games). I have the polaroid someone took and it is epic.

Question: What is your favorite holiday food?

Answer: Favorite holiday food is turkey stuffing. I don't even need the turkey. The stuffing is the star.

Come and see Ryan in the upcoming Breaking Bread show this Saturday, December 7th, at 8 PM!

Join us this Saturday at 8 PM for Breaking Bread, a holiday show that is guaranteed to get you in the festive spirit by ...
12/04/2024

Join us this Saturday at 8 PM for Breaking Bread, a holiday show that is guaranteed to get you in the festive spirit by serving up hefty portions of laughter and cheer! ❄️☃️❄️

Breaking Bread is about a family gathering for their annual holiday celebration, full of all the delightful dysfunctions that come along with it! Fueled by secret suggestions provided by the audience, this show culminates in a second act where dinner (with actual food!) is served along with the hilarity that clashing family dynamics might bring forth! Because with family, anything can happen…

Breaking Bread has two more shows - December 7th and 14th - at 8 PM! And the cast members who will help us break bread this coming Saturday are Arlo Sanders, Andy Hilbrands, Danny Blinkoff, Eric Carthen, Kari Vanegas, Michelle King, Monica Alquetz, and Ryan Austin with host Paul Hungerford!

A portion of every ticket sold will support the trans community. If you’d like to offer additional support, please consider donating directly to Trans Lifeline or another trans charity of your choice.

Ticket link in bio!

Today's "Meet the Cast of Breaking Bread" post is about Daniel Blinkoff! We asked Danny a couple of questions about what...
12/03/2024

Today's "Meet the Cast of Breaking Bread" post is about Daniel Blinkoff! We asked Danny a couple of questions about what the holidays mean to him, and here's what he shared!

Question: What is one of your favorite holiday memories?

Answer: My favorite holiday memories are mostly during my 18 years doing A Christmas Carol at South Coast Repertory. Over that time I have countless moments of young actors discovering themselves, tears of joy, and an endless supply of inspiration from witnessing their courage, their artistry, and the depth of the truths that they shared.

Question: What is your favorite holiday food?

Answer: My favorite holiday food is my family’s “The Broccoli Thing” (It is a secret recipe that I inherited) and of course my famous sweet potatoes that have a lovely top crust of browned marshmallows.

Come and see Danny in the upcoming Breaking Bread show this Saturday, December 7th, at 8 PM!

Today's "Meet the Cast of Breaking Bread" post is about Michelle King! We asked Michelle a couple of questions about wha...
12/01/2024

Today's "Meet the Cast of Breaking Bread" post is about Michelle King! We asked Michelle a couple of questions about what the holidays mean to her, and here's what she shared!

Question: What is one of your favorite holiday memories?

Answer: I have too many favorite holiday memories to think of just one! But favorite holiday food is a no brainer!

Question: What is your favorite holiday food?

Answer: My favorite holiday food are piroshkis - my family makes my great grandmas recipe every Christmas and it takes the whole family to make them. We take up the entire kitchen with an assembly line of rolling dough, stuffing the dough, and then frying it. It's not Christmas if you don't have 4-5 peroshkis.

Come and see Michelle in the upcoming Breaking Bread show this Saturday, December 7th, at 8 PM!

Jane Austen once said, “If a book is well written, I always find it too short…” and we wholeheartedly agree! For this re...
11/28/2024

Jane Austen once said, “If a book is well written, I always find it too short…” and we wholeheartedly agree! For this reason, we wish to create more stories in the style of Jane in our upcoming 2025 production, Austensibly Jane, directed by Monica Alquetz and Paul Hungerford.

Austensibly Jane blends regency-era charm with modern sensibilities wherein audiences will enjoy a fully improvised love story in the style of a Jane Austen novel. Perfect for fans of Jane Austen, Bridgerton, and Mary & George. Select shows will even include a full tea service!

In order to deliver an excellent Austensibly Jane production, the directors are holding auditions on December 16th and December 21st (with the need to attend one date only) at the Outside In Artbox.

Click here for more information and to sign up to audition: https://forms.gle/tSUJFZXBfKFgdUK68

Note: If you are unable to attend either audition date and wish to still be considered for the show, please inform the directors by filling out the form above!

Today's "Meet the Cast of Breaking Bread" post is about Susannah Eckberg! And to help you all get to know Susannah a bit...
11/22/2024

Today's "Meet the Cast of Breaking Bread" post is about Susannah Eckberg! And to help you all get to know Susannah a bit more, we asked her a couple of questions about her favorite holiday memories.

Question: What is one of your favorite holiday memories?

Answer: My favorite holiday memory is when I was five, getting the pink Barbie '57 Chevy car. I was so excited that I slept with it that night.

Question: What is your favorite holiday food?

Answer: My favorite holiday dish is called Giftas. It's a Swedish cranberry dish consisting of layers of whipped cream, cracker crumbs and homemade cranberry sauce.

Come and see Susannah in the upcoming Breaking Bread show this Saturday (aka TOMORROW night)! All shows are at 8 PM, Saturdays throughout November and December!

Thanksgiving is next week! It's true! BUT, we're celebrating the holidays a bit earlier at Outside In Theatre with our h...
11/21/2024

Thanksgiving is next week! It's true! BUT, we're celebrating the holidays a bit earlier at Outside In Theatre with our holiday show - Breaking Bread - this Saturday at 8 PM! We hope you join us at the table for a full serving of laughter and cheer! 🍂🥧🍂

Breaking Bread is about a family gathering for their annual holiday celebration, full of all the delightful dysfunctions that come along with it! During this show, audience members will provide suggestions of the secrets each family member holds and then witness the night’s festivities as everyone mixes and mingles while concealing or revealing these secrets. Breaking Bread culminates in a second act where dinner (with actual food!) is served along with the hilarity that clashing family dynamics might bring forth! Because with family, anything can happen…

Breaking Bread runs Saturdays at 8 PM throughout November and December! And the cast members who will help us break bread this coming Saturday are Bob Dassie, Danny Blinkoff, Kari Vanegas, Michael Villanueva, Michelle King, Monica Alquetz, Paul Hungerford, and Susannah Eckberg with host Quinn Alquetz!

Special thanks and acknowledgment to Molly Ritchie, Huge Theater, and the Minneapolis improv community for their invaluable role in developing key elements and structure of this form, and for inspiring our version of the show this holiday season. Thank you!

A portion of every ticket sold will support the trans community. If you’d like to offer additional support, please consider donating directly to Trans Lifeline or another trans charity of your choice.

Ticket link in bio!

Today's "Meet the Cast of Breaking Bread" post is about Michael Villanueva! We asked Mike a couple of questions about wh...
11/20/2024

Today's "Meet the Cast of Breaking Bread" post is about Michael Villanueva! We asked Mike a couple of questions about what the holidays mean to him, and here's what he shared!

Question: What is one of your favorite holiday memories?

Answer: Street food vendors in Tokyo during cherry blossom season!

Question: What is your favorite holiday food?

Answer: Mulled wine!

Come and see Mike in the upcoming Breaking Bread show this Saturday! All shows are at 8 PM, Saturdays throughout November and December!

Today's "Meet the Cast of Breaking Bread" post is about Bob Dassie! We asked Bob a couple of questions about what the ho...
11/18/2024

Today's "Meet the Cast of Breaking Bread" post is about Bob Dassie! We asked Bob a couple of questions about what the holidays mean to him, and here's what he shared!

Question: What are some of your favorite holiday memories?

Answer: During the holidays, my brother and I would string Xmas lights around our room. These were the bigger bulbs meant for outdoor use, but we strung them inside which, I’m sure, made my mom and day a little nervous. When the inevitable Chicago-suburb blizzard of snow fell on the ground and muted the entire neighborhood, there was nothing cozier than switching on those multi-colored lights at bedtime and drifting off to sleep under the glow of our little indoor winter wonderland. They were always off in the morning, so I’m also comforted that my parents kept a watchful eye over us.

Question: What is your favorite holiday food?

Answer: Nothing beats some freshly cooked gamey fowl with a healthy side of homemade mashed potatoes and gravy!

Come and see Bob in the upcoming Breaking Bread show this Saturday! All shows are at 8 PM, Saturdays throughout November and December!

Today's "Meet the Cast of Breaking Bread" post is about Carla Cackowski! And to help you all get to know Carla a bit mor...
11/15/2024

Today's "Meet the Cast of Breaking Bread" post is about Carla Cackowski! And to help you all get to know Carla a bit more, we asked her a couple of questions about her favorite holiday memories.

Question: What are you most nostalgic for as the holiday season approaches?

Answer: You'll always find me in front of the television, watching the Macy's Day Parade on Thanksgiving morning. I don't need to be there in person, my couch is the perfect spot to take it all in. Give me all the Broadway stars lip syncing, the high school marching bands marching, the morning show stars yapping! The stakes are high -- those float ropes could break at any moment! I never work out before stuffing myself at dinner, my adrenaline starts flowing at 8AM.

Question: What is your favorite holiday food?

Answer: My husband makes an excellent beer bread!

Come and see Carla in the upcoming Breaking Bread show this Saturday (aka TOMORROW night)! All shows are at 8 PM, Saturdays throughout November and December!

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