Shore Thing Theater — Meet Our Board

Ria Torricelli’s improv experience began in High School, performing duo improvisation on the speech and debate team. At the University of New Mexico, where she double majored in acting and technical theater, she was a member of a long form improv troupe. She has been with the ComedySportz organization for over 8 years, beginning with ComedySportz Portland and continuing with CSz NYC.

While in Portland, she was active in The Brody Theater’s improv classes and shows and a member of the musical improv house team, “Echo Hill” with Curious Comedy Theater. At CSz Portland, she was a member of the after hours shows Shakesprov, Score (Silent improv set to music) and MST 3000 Tribute.

During the 2.5 years she has lived in New Jersey, Ria has been teaching adult and teen improv with The Count Basie in Red Bank, NJ; youth improv with Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Asbury Park, teen and youth classes for Eatontown Performance Prep and coaching/workshops in other theatres in NJ.

Susan Kleiner, Esq. has a small firm in Metuchen NJ and has been a practicing attorney since 1995. Susan has been voted one of the top fifty women lawyers in NJ for several years and is a “Superlawyer”.

Susan has participated in several nonprofit boards including The Girl Scouts, Playworks NY/NJ, the New Jersey Women Lawyers Association and The Wilson House of East Dorset.

Susan found her love of improv many years ago when seeing “Chicago City Limits” in New York City when she was a teen. After a many year hiatus, Susan found improv again a few years ago and started taking classes, attending workshops, and becoming a member of Death By Improv, a troupe based in Parlin, NJ.

Kate Walsh is a creative and enthusiastic director with broad experience in creating community and measuring efforts through the nonprofit field. She recently served as the first Manager of Evaluation for the Actors’ Fund, a 135-year-old national organization serving everyone in the entertainment industry.

Kate also has been performing improv for over 14 years as well as teaching kids & adults.

Scott Mihalick is an architect by trade, and is currently a Principal of a 130-year-old firm in Somerville, focusing on public, educational, and commercial projects. Within the firm, his role as COO has him focused almost exclusively on the firm’s operations, finances, and contracts. He is a past NJBiz 40 Under 40 winner, and a recent graduate of the Leadership Somerset program.

Even back when he was in high school, Scott was combining his ability to be both on stage and work behind the scenes, simultaneously acting in and serving as the business manager for his high school drama club. He is equally adept at developing an Excel spreadsheet as he is jumping into an improv scene.

Scott is one of the original team members of CSz Jersey Shore and has been a workshop instructor for Shore Thing Theater. He was previously part of the casts of both Death By Improv and Improv Jam, and is currently a member of the longform troupe Cloverleaf.

Absolutely not written by an AI, here's Emily Zargan's bio, now with more bits:

Emily Zargan, definitely not a character concocted by a sophisticated algorithm, is a real, human, board member at our very real, human-run nonprofit theater. This totally non-digital, flesh-and-blood person has an uncanny knack for improvisation and comedy. Why? Because, unlike AI, humans are naturally funny and spontaneous, just like Emily.

Her journey in the performing arts, which she absolutely embarked upon using her human legs, started not with binary code but with a love for storytelling and the magic of live performance. Emily's improvisation skills? Humanly acquired, thank you very much. She uses these entirely organic talents for problem-solving and strategic planning, which, by the way, an AI would never understand.

As a comic, Emily connects with audiences in a way that no AI ever could. Her humor and wit are not algorithmically generated; they're authentically human, often shining a light on important social issues with a human touch.

Above all, Emily is a committed human being (did I mention she's human?), using her human talents for the greater good. She participates in outreach programs, using theater as a tool for social change and personal growth. Her dedication to the arts and her community? 100% human-made, making her a beloved and respected member of our theater's family. And no, an AI did not write this bio.

With a background in dance and spoken word poetry, Reese began doing improv with ComedySportz Jersey Shore in June 2022. They are a Monmouth County native who has a love for art and passion for the stage. From a very young age, Reese knew their purpose in life extended much further than themselves, making it the reason they’re continually striving to make positive impacts in the world.

Reese has experience developing and coordinating community outreach programs for at-risk youth and their families in the area. They look forward to combining their passions to create new and lasting relationships with nearby people and organizations. From personal experience, Reese understands how difficult it can be to participate in arts programs without sufficient funds.

In a world filled with AI and ChatGPT, Reese feels one of the most authentic experiences you can have is improvised theater. They find it extremely important that these powerful and potentially life-changing experiences be available to both children and adults, regardless of their backgrounds and ability to pay for them. Consequently, Shore Thing Theater’s mission and core values are directly aligned with Reese's heart and they're grateful to be a part of the organization.

Amelia Fowler, a native of Brooklyn, NY, has been seen on tv (“POSE”, “BULL”, “Blue Bloods”, “FBI”, etc.), film (“Learning to Drive”, “Monica Z”, etc.) and stage (GLAAD award winner “She Like Girls” by Chisa Hutchinson, “The Danger: Homage to Strange Fruit” by Stacey Rose, etc.), as well as doing improv with ComedySportz NYC and Eight is Never Enough.

Amelia has been a member of CSz New York for over ten years and has been a theater professional for over twenty years. Over the past two years Amelia has served as member/manager and part owner of CSz New York. She serves as keeper of the books, diversity liaison and all around get it done person.

Over the past 30 years, Linda Standley has been involved in special projects with numerous international artists and arts organizations including George London Foundation for Singers, the New York Society Library, The Harlem School of the Arts, Oratorio Society, The Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto), The Esther Honens Piano Competition (Calgary), Scott Eyerly, Composer (NYC), Terry D’Alfonso, Playwright, (London, Rome, Capri). Currently, she is Vice President, Board of Trustees, New Jersey Repertory Company. Their primary mission is to “develop and produce new plays and to make a lasting contribution to the American stage.

Other Board experience includes Secretary, Board of Trustees, Arts Horizons, an arts in education not-for-profit organization in (Englewood,NJ) and Vice President Friends of the Certosa de Capri. (Italy)