Buy Tickets
Donate
Calendar
Who exactly is The HI Line? Scroll down to learn a little more about our talented resident improv troupe.
GET YOUR SHOW TICKETS HERE!
Dan McCoy
Dan McCoy likes hanging out with awesome people. You, reader of this awesome bio, are also awesome, so let’s hang out. Dan got his improv start with Monkey Business Institute (MBI) in Madison, Wisconsin in 2014. He was a regular cast member for the scene-based podcast It Came From the Headlines (check it out!) and on MBI’s House team Throne Together. Dan then abandoned improv, moved to Hawaii to pursue a career in filmmaking, and found improv again with The Alohahas. Dan has appeared on the Aloha Theatre’s stage… er, screen… in The Laramie Project, It’s a Wonderful Life, and Theatre Inside Out. When Dan is not improvising or making movies, he’s surrounded by beautiful women. You’ll probably find him hanging out with his wife and three daughters. They’re the most awesome.
Janemarie Singer
Janemarie’s debut role on the Aloha Theatre stage was as a Phantom in the 2005 production of Rocky Horror Show. She then managed to sing and dance her way into several musicals, as well as land an actual speaking part in Women Behind Bars. Currently, she can be found in several local bars, sipping cocktails and chatting with barflies. Her varied interests include saving the environment, speaking up for endangered animals, and lowering her carbon footprint. She enjoys the antics of Stephen Colbert, David Sedaris, Fran Lebowitz and Bob Dylan. Inspired by Robin Williams, Janemarie has made the leap of faith into improv, as she can no longer memorize lines due to the challenges of an aging brain.
John Holliday
John was born in Indiana. Yes, and he taught special education for most of his adult life. Yes, and he founded a camp for people with special needs in 1983 that is still thriving. Yes, and he has been in more than a dozen plays at the Aloha Theatre, including his most recent performance in Clue: On Stage. Yes, and he knows that it takes at least 10 years to be any good at improv. If you find him just slightly amusing tonight, he says to come back in five years and he’ll knock your socks off.
John Palmer
John Palmer began his improv journey in Phoenix, AZ in 2015. He graduated from the Torch Theatre Academy alongside his child John II. They performed as the duo BFIO. John played in the duo Dead Man’s Pants and after completing the Second Beat Theater’s Improv program was a founding member and player with PLUNK!. John is a veteran camper attending Improv Utopia’s East, West and Yosemite improv camps. Since 2019 John has lived in Kailua-Kona and been involved with Aloha Theatre’s improv shenanigans. John is a recovered alcoholic, clean and sober since June 19, 1989. He is a volunteer with the Reef Teach program at Kahalu’u Bay.
Ken Ledford
Ken trained at Piven Theater in Evanston, IL and Second City in Chicago. He also performed in plays and did improv throughout the 90’s. One of his most notable roles was the lead in Chekhov’s The Bear, which he played on Broadway (Street – in Chicago)! He also portrayed Oliver Hardy in Hollywood (Casino – in Aura, IL)! Offstage, Ken pursued a career in the tech world and moved to Kona in 2015. His love of improv was rekindled when he joined improv troupe The Alohahas. Ken is delighted to be a member of The HI Line at the Aloha Theatre.
Kerry Matsumoto
Kerry has been involved with the Aloha Theatre for over ten years in productions such as Clue: On Stage, Harvey, and Arsenic and Old Lace. When she isn’t in a show, you can usually find her in the Aloha Theatre box office. Kerry got involved in improv through a class at the Aloha Theatre in 2011. After the class ended, a small handful of those students decided to carry on and formed The Alohahas in 2012. Over the last several years, Kerry began taking improv classes offered through the theatre and began to LEARN improv! And here we are… Thanks for coming!
Michael Friedman
Michael began improv classes in February 2021 when the mantra was “Yes, and… wear a mask.” He’s been a volunteer at the theatre for many years as a stage manager, stagehand, and usher. Michael’s first on-stage production was this year’s Clue: On Stage, where he played the drink-spilling, slo-mo running Mr. Green. Outside of performing, Michael enjoys jobs as a mental health therapist, cat dad, Ola Brew Quizmaster, and vegan food server at Journey Cafe. Many thanks to the other Hi Line members for their support and laughs and to all of you for sharing in the madness. Especially you.
Natalie Lalagos
Four years ago Natalie came to see a Jiu-Jitsu match on the Aloha Theatre’s stage and saw an advertisement for Quinton’s first Improv workshop. Ever in pursuit of novelty, Natalie signed up and has been “yes-and-ing” ever since with great appreciation for her hilarious and supportive teammates and coach. Natalie has volunteered at the theatre in various roles and has performed in several Unstaged productions such as War of the Worlds, and Almost, Maine. Off-stage, Natalie is deeply passionate about her work as a high school teacher where her improv skills come in handy daily. You can find Natalie volunteering outdoors, out on her SUP, camping, and reading books.
Rich Mears
Rich was born deep in the Amazon jungle and raised by a nice herd of alpacas. He began his improv career in 2011 at the Aloha Theatre and is a co-founder of The Alohahas improv troupe. He ran for President of Nicaragua in 2014, but was disqualified when they discovered that he is not, in fact, Nicaraguan. He has performed in Waiting for Godot, Arsenic and Old Lace, and most recently The Two Musketeers at the Aloha Theatre. He is a member of the APAC Board of Directors. He credits all his success to his invisible friend, Hank… and his alpaca mom. IRL, he is a Nurse Manager at Kona Hospital and enjoys traveling with his wife, Jolene, son, Ryan and, of course, Hank.
Satyam Ehinger
For what can you practice but never be prepared? This improv show! For Satyam, improv is a zen koan, an impossible task that traps you in a state of fun and fascination. As a yoga and meditation teacher at Konalani Yoga Ashram, he deeply appreciates that improv is a practice of presence— a true test of finding and re-finding the flow amidst a sea of possibilities. Thanks for being a part of this practice with us tonight!
Shraddhadharma Judd
Shraddha Judd started doing improv following menopause, when she lost her mind and realized she could no longer memorize anything. She has also been active in many productions at the Aloha Theatre as an assistant director, stage manager, light board operator and costumes/prop support. Shraddha wants to thank her husband, Rich, for all of his support through her many journeys and for being her partner in adventures.
Tori Sanford
Once upon a time a now fellow troupe member named Natalie asked Tori if she wanted to join her for an intro to improv class offered at the Aloha Theatre. It was on her 30 Things To Do Before You’re 30 list. And so they went.. and fell in love with improv! Since then they both have taken all the classes available and honed their craft to be in the troupe as some of Quinton’s very first students at the Aloha Theatre! Tori has played throughout her pregnancy and has recently welcomed her new baby, Leon, into the world. She is excited share her heart and perform for all of you!
Quinton Loder
A 26 year veteran of improv, Quinton cut his teeth doing short form with Topeka Civic Theater’s Laughing Matters. Then it became all about long form with studies at Second City, and Upright Citizens Brigade before committing to the Magnet Theater. There, Quinton played for 10 years with his beloved team: The Boss. Now in Hawaii, he has written improv curriculum for the Aloha Theatre and has started Kona’s own resident improv team: The HI Line!
There is a burning inside you that even penicillin can’t cure. A want Santa Claus can’t meet. An itch Freddy Krueger can’t scratch. A hole John Holmes can’t fill. Quinton knows it’s to be seen as though James Webb himself is looking into you. It’s to get that laugh from your date, for your company to be desired. And improv can do that for you and more. So ask your doctor if improv is right for you.*