MEMBERS
Find out who's who in the Merry Men! Print this page and cut out the pictures and you've got your very own set of Merry Men Trading Cards.
CURRENT MEMBERS
Sir Anisha of Jagannathan
Anisha “Pumpernickel” Jagannathan was born and lived a long time in Sunnyvale, California (real town). She loves to act, improvise, sing, and comedy because she sold her soul to the devil at age 5 and the only way to literally stay alive is to receive laughs and attention, and because it’s super fun! She became a Merry Man in 2014, and A-D-O-R-E-S it as much as 5th grade Anisha adored Aaron Carter. Other than solving the drought, she likes to write poetry, get up then sit down again, listen to Miguel’s caressing tunes, watch Gilmore Girls (OMG Jess, right?), and flail. If you ever meet her, giver her hot chocolate w/ whip cream and a chance!
Sir Bennett of Saltzman
Bennett's first memories are of running in the forrest with the wolf-parents who adopted him. At age 5 two infertile farmers living on the outskirts of Didier Farms IL took him in. At age 6 he discovered he could breathe underwater, at age 9 he accidentally burned the house down upon discovering his control of radiation blasts, by high school his human parents taught him to assimilate through theater, he assimilated even further when he became a Merry Men in 2014. No one will know. No one will ever know.
Sir Kristen of Garrett
Kristen Garrett is a junior theatre major/screenwriting minor at USC. Born in Chicago, Kristen’s adolescence was a haze of cocktails and cotillions. Floating from social engagement to social engagement, Kristen spent her highschool years at the top of the social ladder. At her debutante ball, multiple people said Kristen looked, “fine,” “a little tired, but okay,” and “like a human toilet.” Awash in a sea of similarly glowing peer character assessments, Kristen confidently navigated her high school life with grace and dignity. However, upon graduating and moving to California, Kristen realized that she had no true skills or talents, and little to no common sense. As such, she turned to improv. Peers have described Kristen’s improvisational ability as “fine,” “a little tired, but okay,” and “like a human toilet.” She likes listening to podcasts, nuzzling kittens, and making unaspirated “P” sounds with her mouth-hole.
Sir Cecily of Breaux
Cecily is a BFA acting major in the School of Dramatic Arts and a proud member of the Merry Men (aka her “real” home since 2013.) She originally sprouted from the swamps of Louisiana, but officially grew up in The Woodlands, Texas (Arcade Fire’s inspiration for their Suburbs album… don’t be jealous.) Her other interests outside of improv include living and learning with her good friends. Not to mention her real love-- making up new words such as bleep, blarp, and bloop. Cecily has been called the millennial of her generation , an #artist, and may or may not have inspired Fergie’s “Fergalicious.”
Sir Alex of Silva
Alex is from New York City, where the rats are gigantanormous. She loves improv and became a Merry Men in 2012. The Merry Men are her favorite part of USC. She wishes that more restaurants were open for 24-hours in Los Angeles.
Sir Parker Huseby
Michael "Parker" Huseby is that kind of guy with the nickname in quotations. He was confirmed in the Protestant Church so he's pretty sure you can ask him questions about the Bible, and sometimes he has problems with eczema on his upper arms, though it's mostly gone away. He loves saying "LOL" in his head and is curently contesting with his frienemy Satan over control of all technology. He's tall, and has cells in his body that contain mitochondria (which is the powerhouse of the cell). He has a dog; he used to have two others that his mom gave away. He was born a mile above the Earth's crust in Denver, CO and spent the rest of his giant life on Long Island, NY (which is an sland shaped like a fish). He's learned a lot in his life but the most educational experience was viewing the film Pulp Fiction -- oh and being on The Merry Men.
Sir Ava of Abdoulah
Sir Georges of Saba
Georges is Screenwriting Major at USC. He joined the Merry Men in 2015. He is a very good boy. Yes he is. Yes he is. Give him a treat. Take him for a walk. Throw frisbee with him. Go to the park. Kiss him on the mouth. He is very loyal. He is your best friend.
A middle child: the forgotten backbone of every family unit. Oh, and I'm also a screenwriting major: the forgotten backbone of the "Industry", as my parents keep calling it."
Tom Truax
Ava Abdoulah is a sophomore transfer student majoring in Communication and minoring in Marketing. She moved from Las Vegas, NV, where she grew up in a hotel and went to casinos on school field trips. She plans to have comedy, dance, and theatre continue to be a part of her life for as long as possible.
ALUMNI
Sir Alden of Derck
Alden is a Writing for Screen and Television major in the School of Cinematic Arts and has been a member of the Merry Men since that year there was supposed to be an apocalypse. He hails from the mountains of Colorado, where he enjoys skiing and hunting Yetis. Apart from improv he enjoys writing, piano, and cooking, and he is afraid of both clowns and people in animal mascot costumes. He once took a "Which Sex and the City Character Are You?" quiz online and got "The Taxi Cab from the Opening".
Sir Nicola of Carreon
Raised in Las Vegas, Nicola always knew she was destined to live in locations with a less lethal temperature. After moving to LA to attend The University of Southern California, Nicola faced her biggest fear when she auditioned for the Merry Men in 2011. Luckily, they liked her goyish charm and let her on the troupe, where she served her 3 years as the token "Girl Who Eats Everything in Sight". (Note: If The Merry Men ever had a reason to have a "Beware of Dog" sign, it would be Nicola.)
Sir Andrew of Glick
From Cambridge, England, Andrew joined the merry men his sophomore year and
hasn't looked back since. Literally. He can't look back due to an injury he sustained while performing. After being a member and director of the USC troupe, Andrew graduated in 2013 and continues to perform improv in LA, especially with teams The Hold Up and The Plus Ones. He acts, writes and dances in his room, then pretends to be looking for something
when someone walks in.
Sir Jennica of Hill
Sir Jennica of Hill is an Idaho potato by birth. She joined the Merry men in 2009 instead of taking a nap, and thank goodness for that! She spent much of her time on the troupe as a creepy old man named Henry. Ask, and he will clap for you. Improv is the shiz. Jennica graduated from USC in 2012 and is now just being a baller out there, yanno, in life. Peace!
Sir Chris of Schulz
Sir Chris was an original member of the Merry Men, and, naturally, told an off-colour Blaise in their very first show. It's still perhaps the best Blaise he ever did. Chris graduated in 2010 with a BA in theatre, and is prouder of the Merry Men than probably anything else he did while in college. After graduation, Chris worked as the production manager at the Odyssey Theatre Ensemble. After a year there, he left Los Angeles for a job at the Atlanta Shakespeare Company, where he still is, doing real Shakespeare like a real actor.
Sir Daniel of Rashid
Daniel Rashid was born and raised in Evanston, Illinois: home of Daniel Rashid. While growing up in Evanston, he discovered his love for acting, music, and girls who don’t love him back. Does he regret saying that? No, Daniel has no regrets. Daniel became a Merry Man in 2012, but not a married man -- not to worry ladies. Okay, he might regret saying that. When Daniel was 10 years old, he starred as Ned Redd on the children’s CD “Ned Redd World Traveler.” Check it out on Spotify.
Sir Justin of Boisvert
Justin has loved improv ever since they met serendipitously in an elevator in a Katherine Heigl movie in 2007. Since then he performed with his high school improv group the ChImps, their longform extension the Green Bananas at io West, and joined the merry men in 2011. He has studied at the Groundlings, UCB LA, and at IO in Chicago. He's never seen snow. Seriously.
Sir Evan of Moore
Evan began his life-long interest in comedy and performing when doing a spot on impression of Bill Cosby in utero during his mother's first sonogram. Since then, he's mastered countless other impressions, been born, and has surprisingly survived almost countless years on this Earth. After performing improv and sketch comedy in high school,
Evan became a member of The Merry Men from 2009-2012. Since graduating and leaving the troupe, Evan continues to write and act whenever possible, even if only in his mind. In lieu of flowers, Evan would like... wait, sorry, he thought this was for something else.
Sir Hayley of Huntley
Sir Hayley of Huntley is a founding member of the Merry Men. She served as the group's director (2010-2011), becoming the first female director of a USC improv troupe. Originally from Reno, Nevada, she now lives in Los Angeles and writes/performs regularly with sketch and improv groups around the city. She can be caught looking through old Merry Men photos with misty eyes several times per year.
Sir Kelsey of Bullock
Bio pending...
Sir Mark of Jacobson
Bio pending...
Sir Michael of Conoscenti
Bio pending...
Sir Joe of Soto
Bio pending...
Sir Jay of Lee
Jaemyeong Lee is really great. He loves ice cream. Sometimes he says things he didn't mean to say. Yesterday he missed his dog "Rafiki." He joined the Merry Men in 2011.
Sir Ian of Newman
Sir Ian of Newman's life started like every other - coming out of a lady's swimsuit area. Since that time, he has taken the world by storm with his wit and charm, but mostly just wit. Leaving his cowpoke beginnings in Texas behind him, he came bright eyed to Hollywood with dreams of making it big or selling out. Sir Ian spent four wonderful years on the Merry Men, laughing, peeing, crying, peeing while crying, laughing while peeing, etc. Looking back on his time on the troupe, Sir Ian says, "Well that could have gone better." However, the Merry Men will always hold a special place in Sir Ian's heart. Make sure to catch Sir Ian in his new one man show "Not This Guy Again: Sociopaths Have Feelings Too!" that he is performing under random overpasses throughout the greater Los Angeles area.
Sir Leanna of Spear
Leanna began her performance career as a competitive water-skier living in Potomac Falls, Virginia. After being cast as the African Cinderella in her fifth grade musical "A Cinderella Trilogy" (a stretch for her both emotionally and ethnically) she realized her days of ripped hands and bathing suit wedgies were behind her. At fifteen she moved to Los Angeles and has since played characters within her appropriate ethnic boundaries, with the exception of a fairy but she’s not sure if that counts.
Sir Ian of Littleworth
Nobody dast blame this man. You don’t understand: Ian Littleworth was a salesman. And for a salesman, there’s no rock bottom to the life. He don’t put a bolt to a nut, he don’t tell you the law or give you medicine. He’s a man way out their in the blue riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back- that’s an earthquake. And then you get yourself a couple spots on your hat and your finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream boy, it comes with the territory.