Introducing DeBono's Fall 2011 Team!

Hello all,


This semester we were super excited to let on two brand, spankin' new improvisers, Kimi Arquines and Jessica Shyrock! We are all looking forward to another year, especially now with some fresh energy and faces.


So, without futher ado, here's the Fall 2011 team!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (waaaaa! wooooO! yeeeah!)

Kimberly (Kimi) Arquines is a sophomore transfer student from Illinois State University and is really happy to have made the switch to U of I. She used to study Theatre Ed/Acting there but now studies Psychology. This is her first year on the team AND the first time she's ever done anything with improv (besides watch Whose Line religiously). Other things she's a part of here: the Alpha Delta Pi sorority, Cutting Edge Show Choir and PSA (The Philippine Student Association). On a chill day you can find her playing Pokémon, falling off her longboard and/or spending time with her husband, Zachary Levi.

Robby Boyer is like oxygen: everybody needs him, but too much of him will blind or kill you. So take him constantly, but in moderation. Robby is Debono's musical accompanist and damn proud of it. He has played with Debono since the Spring of 2009. In his spare time, he is working toward a PhD in Regional Planning. He hopes this biographical sketch is never seen by future employers, but it in case it is, please understand that he's trying to be funny here.

Julie Brady is a sophomore studying Recreation, Sport, and Tourism, not because she is a slacker or an athlete but because she really likes baseball, so lay off, ok?! Jeez. You don't have to be so judgmental about it. When Julie is not trying to entice everyone around her to talk about baseball for several hours, she is... that's about it actually. She does manage to find time to be DeBono's Official Guitar Protege in addition to performing in Potted Meat Sketch Comedy and the Titanic Players team PK BARNJAM.

Clare Cutler, like the Goddess Athena, was born 19 years ago when she sprung from Zeus’s head. She is now a Sophomore at the University of Illinois where she majors in Urban Planning and hopes to minor in landscape studies. She has been performing with Debono now for the last 1.5 years of her life and has enjoyed every minute of it. Blessed with a very low center of gravity, Clare is great at standing still and not falling over.





Nicholas Dietrich is a 19-year-old sophomore in political science, and a pretty okay guy. He has been a part of De Bono since the Spring of 2011. He enjoys doing improv with De Bono and The Titanic Players Team PK BARNJAM, as well as playing piano (badly), playing guitar (badly), and playing drums (well). Someday he will make politics better and everyone will be happy.

Michael Gaschler is a senior majoring in Egyptology. Once he graduates, Michael will spend his next few years in a PhD program through Brown University working at an archeological dig to try and discover new pre-unification literature from Upper Egypt. In his free time Michael is an enthusiastic collector of miniatures, and served as a consultant for the 2009 restoration and cleaning of the J.W. Thorne miniature collection at the Art Institute of Chicago. He has also written occasionally for Miniature Collector Magazine and Dollhouse Miniatures.  More than anything, however; Michael's favorite activity is a long and peaceful Sunday afternoon constitutional. He has been doing improv since high school and has every intention of continuing once he gets to Egypt, though being funny while speaking Arabic ought to prove quite daunting.

Jordan Lange is 20 year old junior studying Molecular and Cellular Biology. In his spare time he likes to watch tv shows online, play video games, and hunt for the elusive Sasquatch. One day, he hopes to have a successful medical career, all the while making people laugh and smile. Also, his favorite food is seafood. Red Lobster gift cards are accepted.

Amy Leahy is a senior in Psychology and LGBT/Queer studies. She has been with DeBono for 3.5 years, and has witnessed its evolution to the amazing team it is today. She is also on Spicy Clamato and Titanic Players Team PK BARNJAM. In her spare time, she watches too many crime dramas and enjoys vegetarian cooking. She likes Amaretto Stone Sours if anyone ever wants to buy her a drink at Murphys

Jaime Lemens is a pre-med junior studying molecular and cellular biology with a double minor in music and chemistry. She has been a member of DeBono since spring 2011. DeBono is her first improv performance experience. She loves anything having to do with music, food and/or science. Her favorite color is green (like, definition crayon green), her favorite superhero is easily batman, and she is currently obsessed with the movie The King's Speech.

Jessica Shryock is a freshman who has just joined DeBono. She is currently in Atmospheric Science. While she has no idea if that's what she actually wants to do, it's what she's doing for now. That's the beauty of being a freshman. In her free time apart from DeBono, she loves improvising with the new Incubator Titanic Team (we don't have a name yet), singing, listening to jazz, pretending to be classy, and using sign language whenever she can!

Brendan Sweeny is a psychology major with a philosophy minor. He plans on going to law school after he graduates. He is am a junior from Elmhurst, IL. This is his third year on DeBono. His favorite ice cream flavor is dulce de leche. He is a member of Alpha Kappa Lambda fraternity. He has always enjoyed improv more than any of the other performing arts. He finds it to be more chill, yet exciting and, at times, therapeutic. He has continued to do improv for the past six years of his life because he thinks it is a fun activity.

Simeon Tzolov is a 21 year old student in the Christian gregorian calendar and a 32 year old rabbit in the Chinese lunar calendar. Simeon undwent some physical changes in 2008 and now he is a man, prior to that he was legally considered a "boy". After college, Simeon looks forward to weekends, holidays, and retirement. Something unique about Simeon is that he has 2 grandma's and 2 grandpa's, 1 mom and 1 dad. 










That's our team this semester, stay posted and we'll begin posting videos of our performances and rehearsal so you too can stay in the loop with DeBono!  

Cheers!