LISA JOLLEY

“I’m pretty sure I was the first cast member coming straight from NYC, with no ties to Chicago. Boom had an ad in Backstage for auditions in Chicago, and I jumped. I was auditioning for musicals during the day and doing improv at night – UCB had just gotten to town, and I wanted this job, bad.

Our audition sesh was amazing; Allison, Seth, Pete, Phill, etc. They were these brilliant babies!

I learned so much during my time at Boom; performing for such diverse crowds, having be so much more physical onstage, not relying on pop culture references for easy laughs, Despite being a bit of a curmudgeon in Amsterdam, I also managed to have some fun just living in this beautiful city.

Boom taught me crowd work! Being comfortable doing intros and outros, working from the audience, handling hecklers — that training was invaluable to me as a solo performer, and especially as a teacher!

I went back to New York and studied with Armando Diaz and the four founders of the UCB, was in the original cast of Evente!

While performing with Chicago City Limits, I met Frank Spitznagel, and started performing my solo musical improv show, Jolley On the Spot in NYC, the Chicago Improv Festival, the Del Close Marathon, and a run in L.A. I was also lucky enough to be the regular improviser at the Moth during its early years.

I made my Broadway debut in Hairspray in 2006, and got to play with fellow improvising Broadway peeps in Don’t Quit Your Night Job at Joe’s Pub. Got my Law & Order: SVU, my Sex and the City, had a baby, and moved to North Carolina.

I’ve performing and teaching musical theater, voice, and improv in Raleigh and over Zoom for many years now, and I pop up on screen every now and then (The Staircase, HBO Max). I’m happily married to (composer) Mike Yionoulis, and our son George is 15, and an emerging DJ and EDM artist in his own right. At 9, he made a video about his experience being autistic that went viral – if you Google ‘George Autism,’ you’ll find it.” See more!

Years Active at Boom

1997

Boom Chicago Show Credits

boomchicago.nl: the internet and other modern frustrations (1997)

Boom Chicago’s 25th Anniversary Show at Carre (2018)