Meet Your Instructors/directors
Tony Rielage
Tony is Theatre Momentum's Artistic Director and Head Instructor. He has been performing, directing, and producing improv theatre since 1992, with the past 15 years focused entirely on dramatic/grounded improv. He has trained at iO Theater, the Annoyance Theatre, and the Playground Theater, and founded TM’s predecessor workshop, Workshop-in-Progress. His training style centers around an outside-in approach focused on neurology and psychology, leading to improv about vulnerable human beings acting naturally, bravely, and honestly.
Alyse Dionne
Alyse Dionne is a Chicago based actor, writer, director, and improviser who has been improv-ing through life since the teenage years. During the pandemic they took the dramatic improv courses at Theatre Momentum to expand on the craft, and not only learned a lot, but got to meet people from around the world. They also directed improv shows with OLIAO, and the 24 hour Play festival. When not directing an Anthology, you can find them at iO a part of Malarkey Comedy's Expo League Sundays at 6PM! as well as running around town as an Influenza, with Influenzastheseries on Instagram and TikTok. Follow for upcoming projects @A.M.Dijon
Matt Elwell
Matt Elwell has spent the last 25 years gallivanting across the Chicago and U.S. improv scenes. He has spent most of his artistic career with ComedySportz where he played, taught, directed, and did all sorts of leaderly things. He taught at Second City and performed with Second City Theatricals and GayCo. He also performed at places like iO, the Playground, WNEP, and in Theatre Momentum’s own Porch Play.
Joe Sergio
Joe Sergio has been with Theatre Momentum since 2017. Chicago Credits; Romeo & Juliet-Shakespeare All-Stars, El Stories: Holiday Train-Waltzing Mechanics, Twelfth Night, Hamlet-Midsommer Flight. Regional Credits; HAIR, Sweeney Todd, A Funny Thing…Forum-Venice Theatre, As You Like It, Henry IV, Part 1-Long Island Shakespeare Festival.
Jamie Custer
Jamie Custer is a writer and performer directing their first show with Theatre Momentum. A long time player with the theatre, Jamie has been seen in The Porch, The Golden Age, and Mixtape. As a writer, their work, including "Daydream Damsel", "Ghost Tour", and "The Guard (The One Who Dies)" has been performed by Forward Theater, in Madison, WI.