Today we’d like to introduce you to Maree Chmelik.
Hi Maree, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I officially started in comedy about a year ago, after I got let go from a job I really cared about. I found out I was being let go around the end of July, and went through the typical stages of grief for about a month.
My best friend told me I needed to stop staring at my bedroom ceiling and get out of bed, to do something I enjoy and get out of my head. We brainstormed and did some Google searches: ColdTowne Theater was the first result that came up for progressive comedy. It just so happened that they were about to begin their UCB Improv Class series (UCB bought ColdTowne I believe either in 2025 or 2026).
I applied for the internship to get a class discount (I mean, c’mon, I was recently unemployed) and to become more involved with the local improv community. My teachers were absolutely brilliant, and the people I met and joy I experienced made me think: “Fuck it. Let’s try to make a career out of comedy.” I’ve always had a passion for writing, and my dad’s side of the family provided me an appreciation and delight for theatre.
I would say so far, it’s going well. I’m a part of four improv troupes performing regularly at ColdTowne and Fallout Theaters, and on top of that I have my own monthly live-play TTRPG/D&D Show. And I usually perform stand up once or twice a month. And I’m not looking to stop – I’m just getting started.
I’ve always struggled with determining if there was ever a “perfect” job or purpose for me – and to be honest, I still haven’t found it. I don’t know if I ever will. I don’t know if it even exists. So in the meantime, I’m going to try and have fun and give others a chance to have fun, too.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
In life? Absolutely fucking not. I typically save that for therapy, though. The short of it: abuse, neglect, threats of poverty and homelessness, consequential and genetically predisposed mental illness.
But in comedy I’d say, comparatively, yes! I’ve had so much support from ColdTowne’s teachers and fellow performers, as well as from the improv community at large. People who are here come from all over, and for the most part people just wanna gab and joke and express themselves creatively. I’ve been given a space to do that, and I’m grateful for that space.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a writer and a performer. I currently specialize in improv comedy, but I’m looking to branch out into stand up and sketch comedy. I’ve already made headway in the former, as I’m performing stand up sets roughly once or twice a month at various venues across town.
I am currently in four different improv troupes, and I produce my own live-play TTRPG/D&D Show once a month at ColdTowne Theater.
Here’s some details about the troupes and shows:
– TEMPTRESS. It’s a nine-player improv troupe that performs a modified Harold (a style of long-form improv) on Fridays at ColdTowne Theater (now once a month, last Fridays of the month). We try to start with grounded, two-person scenes up front and slowly devolve into more and more absurd comedy by the end.
– On Air with FKRD 101.2. This is a variety show offering improv and stand up comedy as well as karaoke on the last Saturdays of every month at ColdTowne Theater. It’s hosted by my troupe FKRD 101.2, a group of seven performers who fashion themselves as staff of a local radio station. We build up our characters throughout the show, doing bits as we introduce guest comedians and audience members who sign up to sing fun karaoke numbers.
– Lab Partners. It’s a musical improv troupe that performs the first Sundays of every month at Fallout Theater. We’re a part of the Musical Comedy Laboratorium, an endlessly entertaining revue hosted by the talented Yuki Desouza. The troupe is led/directed by Yuki and the equally delightful Danielle DaVerona. We started off just performing short-form, musically-inclined improv games every show; but now we’re performing more improvised musical narratives (which is challenging but rewarding because I’m performing with very skilled and supportive comedians).
– License to Giggle. This is the most recently formed improv troupe I’m a part of. I grabbed a couple of classmates to join me when I was invited to sub in by Forestt Randall for their show S’moregasbord at Fallout Theater. The show went spectacularly (my favorite part was when I played out a Shakespearean tragedy between different species of bugs during a visit from an exterminator), and we all wanted to be silly together more often. We typically play a montage of scenes inspired by a few words or stories from the audience at the beginning of a show. We try to perform at least once a month, and have been performing mainly at Fallout Theater.
– A’Dulting with Dragons. Takes place the last Sunday of every month (next show October 25) at ColdTowne Theater. This is the project I’m most proud of, in all honesty. This is a show I created, produce, and host. Aidan Caughran, a fellow comedian and fantasy/D&D nerd, is the Technomancer for the show. Will Cleveland, ColdTowne’s Artistic Director, took a chance with me considering I’m barely a year in (and that’s including just taking classes and being annoying shadowing people around the theater). But the three shows we’ve completed so far have had full audiences in our Cabaret venue, and nothing but positive feedback. What’s the most important for me when putting together each show is that we have a diverse cast, and that those a part of the show have a good time.
This show is a live play of D&D (or, more accurately, a slightly modified version of the TTRPG system “Kids on Bikes”). The game typically involves challenges that adults deal with on a daily basis: taxes, bills, car issues, healthcare systems, the list goes on. But there’s always a fantastical perspective of the ordinary life.
Three comedians who have built their characters and have gotten to know each other’s characters in advance play a one-shot game in a world that’s essentially an alternate universe of our own – except for the fact that magic exists, and all fantastical creatures and things that come with it. We’ve had players play elves and gnomes. We’ve also had players play sentient cows and turtles. I try to be as open as possible during the character creation process that takes place before the show. The players help build the world with me; that way they have more of a stake in the game when we’re playing in front of an audience, and the fantasy world just becomes bigger and more beautiful with more brains collaborating to build it.
In terms of what sets me apart from others, I would say my life experience and background helps me stand out. I’m a bit of an oddball, and can get obsessed with random subjects and details. I’m academically-inclined thanks to what I used to want to shape my life into, and I think that preference for research and peer-review gives my comedy and creativity some depth. I’m mentally ill, which I believe usually puts the humor in humanity – or maybe it’s the other way around. But I’m friendly and always looking to grow (both personally and professionally), as well as collaborate with others creatively.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
Reach out to me through Instagram (@chmelik_madik) or email (mareechmelik@gmail.com). That’s honestly all it takes. Let’s talk about what you want to work on or create and schedule a time to just talk as people to see if we want to work together!
In terms of support, follow my attempts at a career in comedy and writing by following my Instagram, and checking out my Linktree in the bio. Come to one of my shows! Say hi before or after said shows!
Pricing:
- $13 – A’dulting with Dragons @ ColdTowne Theater
- $15 – TEMPTRESS @ ColdTowne Theater
- $13 – Lab Partners (Musical Comedy Laboratorium) @ Fallout Theater
- $13 – On Air with FKRD 101.2 @ ColdTowne Theater
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/mareechmelik
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chmelik_madik
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1Djub68waB/
- Email: mareechmelik@gmail.com
