MEET THE CAST
MATT CASTELLVI
Matt Castellvi is a Chicago native comedian who has been performing worldwide for the past 15 years. He has trained at Second City, iO and CSz Theater in Chicago and performed regularly with The Musical Armando at iO and with Baby Wants Candy at Second City. Matt has headlined comedy festivals all over the world including The Miami Improv Festival, Big-Little Comedy Festival, Omaha Improv Festival, Chicago Musical Improv Festival, Oslo Improv Festival and Adelaide Fringe Festival.
Matt is a stand-up regular at Zanies (Chicago, Rosemont, and St.Charles) Laugh Factory Chicago, Comedy Bar, The Comedy Shrine and was voted best stand-up (runner-up) in Chicago by the voters of the Chicago Reader 2019. Currently, Matt is based in Amsterdam as a cast member with Boom Chicago and recently opened for ILIZA SCHLESINGER at The Royal Carre for 1500 people.
KATIE NIXON
Katie Nixon (she/her) is an American comedian, actor, instructor, host, and writer based in Amsterdam. A Boom Chicago cast member since January 2022, Katie can be seen on stage 5 nights a week high-kicking, singing, and spouting off random bits of trivia. She loves teaching for the Boom Academy and introducing improv to students from around the world. She also hosts the monthly “Queer Community Night” in the Attic.
Before moving to Amsterdam, Katie spent ten years in Chicago where she appeared regularly at The Second City, iO, and The Annoyance. She has written and performed sketch comedy with several groups at festivals across the USA. Named Logansquarist’s Best Comedian in 2016, Katie has appeared solo at The Laugh Factory and the Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival.
LAURA MAYNARD (SHE/HER)
Laura was born and raised outside Chattanooga, Tennessee and always ached to live in a city that had more than one stoplight. She was excited to discover that Chicago fit this requirement and quickly moved there to study Comedy Writing and Performance at Columbia College Chicago. She spent a decade performing improv and sketch comedy in Chicago at The Second City, The iO Theater, Logan Square Improv, CiC, The Annoyance, and countless wonderful little theaters that are now hair salons.
Message and/or follow her on Instagram: @lahrahmaynard
DESHAWN MASON
Deshawn Mason has been delighting audiences for over 13 years using his skills as a performer. Deshawn’s special blend of physicality, sense of play, and love of magic (yes, he’s a magician) have come together to give him a unique perspective on this thing we call improv. Whether it be 1hr Stand-up sets, Dramatic Plays, Magic shows, or yes, improv, he always brings all of himself to the stage. Deshawn is very excited to meet the lovely people of Amsterdam and can’t wait to see what we’ll be able to create together.
MEG BUZZA
Originally from Northern California, Meg’s earliest career dreams were to become either a pro motocross racer or “tour as Chris Brown’s #1 breakdancer” (direct diary pull). She went on to receive Degrees in Modern Dance and Music from Loyola Marymount in LA, and soon moved to NYC to study with the underground House Dance originators while also pursuing “The Great White Way”. After countless failed cattle calls in the snow, Meg was fatefully encouraged to “stop talking so much in rehearsal and try a comedy class”. Quickly dipping her toes into sketch writing at the PIT, Meg’s life was forever changed after seeing her first Musical Improv show at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade.
Completing her UCB training in Los Angeles, Meg began fusing dance, music and comedy as the director, choreographer and host of sold-out show “Thunder Bulge”: A Male Comedy Strip Revue (Moms love us!). She is celebrated for her Handmaid’s Tale parody music video: “Praise Be(ats)”, and was an official selection at the Hollywood Fringe in 2023 for directing and choreography. Meg fulfilled her long-awaited comedy dream by joining the UCB Main Stage as a musical improviser in 2024, and she can’t wait to kick-ball-change her way into Amsterdam this year as the newest cast member of BOOM!
Outside of comedy, Meg is deeply passionate about human development and works as a “Breakthrough” Coach for Artists and Entrepreneurs. She prides herself in helping clients build happier, more-meaningful and authentic careers through one-on-one virtual coaching and personal branding.
SIMON LUKACS
Simon Lukacs has made his great escape from Brexit Britain to join our cast in booming Amsterdam. He has been improvising for 7 years, and has performed with some of the best improvisers in the UK and beyond. He trained with The Second City, The Free Association, Monkey Toast and The Spontaneity Shop. He has taught improv for The Free Association, one of London’s premier improv schools/ theaters, and is a member of their house Harold team The 838, as well as performing with them at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
His main improv squeeze is The Petting Zoo (“Improv supergroup” Time Out London) – he is a founding member and with them has performed at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival, The Del Close Marathon, The Brighton Fringe, The Comedy Cafe Berlin, and their London residency at The Free Association theatre, London. He’ll bring them out to Amsterdam, you mark his words!
As a character comedian, Simon has taken two shows to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival – Kayfabe in 2015 and Simon Lukacs Shows His Range in 2016. He has written for ITN in the UK, and appeared alongside critically acclaimed sketch act Massive Dad for BBC3.
STACEY SMITH
With over a decade of experience, Stacey Smith is a vibrant force in comedy, music, and theater, known for her infectious positivity, high-energy performances, and exceptional work ethic. Currently, she is a mainstage cast member and Artistic Director at the renowned Boom Chicago Theater in Amsterdam, a role she has held since September 2022. Stacey is also the creator of Stacejam, an acclaimed improvised solo musical extravaganza.
Originally from Long Island, New York, Stacey grew up immersed in music and musical theater. She pursued further studies in theater, speech, and music at university before relocating to Chicago to focus on comedy. Balancing work as a nanny with improv classes at The Second City, iO, and The Annoyance, Stacey landed her first full-time role touring on cruise ships with The Second City in late 2012.
Her performing career includes notable tours with The Second City and starring roles in Life Hacks and DateMe. Stacey has shared the stage with stars such as Jason Sudeikis, Brendan Hunt, Taran Killam, Arjen Lubach, Chris Redd, Amber Ruffin, Terry O’Quinn, Kevin McDonald, Jelka van Houten, Rayen Panday and Dickie Smothers.
As a teacher and education director, Stacey has developed programs for various schools and created specialized workshops, including S.H.E. (Sisterhood Humor Empowerment) for young female-identifying students. Prior to joining Boom Chicago, she managed and taught at training centers in Chicago and Boston, including ComedySportz Chicago, ImprovBoston, The Second City, and iO Chicago.
In addition to her teaching, Stacey is a skilled comedy producer. In 2015, she founded The Chicago Musical Improv Festival at iO Theater. She has also assisted with major festivals such as the Chicago Improv Festival and Chicago Women’s Funny Festival. Stacey continues to shape the comedy scene as the Artistic Director of The Boom Chicago Comedy Festival.
ROB ANDRISTPLOURDE
Rob AndristPlourde has been professionally performing and teaching short form improvisational comedy since 1989. After three years of performing with Comedy Sportz Chicago, Rob moved to Amsterdam to work, improvising, writing and teaching comedy with Boom Chicago. In addition to his solo shows “Rob It Like it’s Hot!” and “Legends of Rob”, Rob is one of the creators of “Yo! Here We Go”, Boom Chicago’s longest running, hip hop freestyle piece. Bringing a serious sense of joy and wonder to comedy, Rob loves short form, beat boxing and watching students get improv. When not doing comedy, Rob pursues the music scene and recommends music you will like.
PEP ROSENFELD
Known for his humorous, disarming approach to just about any business situation, Pep Rosenfeld is one of the industry’s most sought-after event hosts, keynote speakers and trainers. Pep does it all, both in person, digitally and of course hybrid. Everything’s hybrid these days.
He hosts high profile events like the Nordic Business Forum where he made Barack Obama laugh. Pep also hosted The Next Web, Brand Minds, the Accenture Innovation Awards and TEDx Amsterdam… in the old days when it was magic. His interviews with thought leaders like Simon Sinek, Brené Brown and Malcolm Gladwell get rave reviews. He’s great to work with too.
Pep hosts high stakes business events for international companies like Johnson & Johnson, Ahold, KPMG, ING, IBM, Software AG, Netflix, Google, Adyen, Novartis… There are more than a thousand. We could do this all day. He injects humor and energy into each event, making it more unique and engaging.
As Co-Founder and Director of Content for Boom Chicago for Business, Pep gets to follow his passion daily: Using comedy to make hard-to-communicate messages land and stick. You can see this in his TED talk, ‘Fight, Flight or Make Your Opponent Laugh.’ His interactive keynote, ‘Humor Makes Business Better (Yes, even yours)’ is in high demand.
Pep knows and lives humor. Combined with his kind, honest communication, he helps companies put that philosophy into practice all over the world.
ANDREW MOSKOS
Andrew Moskos is co-founder and an active partner of Boom Chicago who loves big ideas. Recent themes in his comedy productions include artificial intelligence, US politics, and 90s sitcoms that are having an unlikely renaissance.
Andrew hosts, writes for and performs at international conferences. Over the past 25 years, he has worked on high stakes corporate events for most major companies in the Netherlands. Yes, ‘most’ as in a majority of them. He coached Prime Minister Mark Rutte and co-wrote his ‘most successful speech ever’ for the Dutch Correspondents dinner. Unlike his partners Pep and Saskia, he has never given a TED talk.
MICHAEL DIEDERICH
Cast ManagerCalifornia-born Michael Diederich came to The Netherlands in 1993 to do comedy for 6 months—and never left! Michael has over 48 years of performance experience from musicals to theater to television.
Michael became friends with Boom Chicago in 1993 and wrote songs for them, choreographed numbers, and was a promoter before becoming an understudy and workshop trainer for Boom. In 2006 he became a full-time member of the cast until 2018.
Michael has directed, translated, and performed in countless musicals in The Netherlands—most notably as Mary Sunshine in Chicago, DJ Monty in Saturday Night Fever, and King Herod in Jesus Christ Superstar. In 2001 Michael wrote and directed Rocky over the Rainbow, a critically acclaimed show that went from a summer project to a national tour!
Michael is well known in the Netherlands as the critical jury member on RTL4’s “ALL TOGETHER NOW”, and features in the Adidas Ajax shirt prank on YouTube, with over 1 million views. He married over 450 couples in one night during the gay games, and has functioned as Justice of the Peace 14 times, marrying couples with a comical, emotional and unforgettable ceremony. He appeared on the Dutch version of The Weakest Link in 2000 and won!
He is excited to be back at Boom where he will bring some old-school magic to this talented cast!
MEET THE FOUNDERS
SASKIA MAAS
Saskia is CEO of Boom Chicago and Boom Chicago for Business. In that role she is responsible for business development, production of global corporate programs, strategy, finance, sales and public relations. Saskia has a Masters degree in linguistics from Tilburg University and completed Nyenrode’s prestigious one-year Executive Management Development Program. She was also a participant of the leadership program at THNK, the school of Creative Leadership.
Saskia is also one of the founders of Inter-Acting, teaching children with autism social understanding and skills through improvisation. Inspired by her youngest son, she designed the program to help autistic students break out of their patterns and routines to embrace the unexpected with improvisation. Watch her TED talk on that project here.
PEP ROSENFELD
As Director of Creative Content, Pep does it all: high level event host & facilitator, writer, stand-up comedian, public speaker, coach, and developer of innovative corporate programs. A co-founder of Boom Chicago, Pep’s passion is using comedy to make hard-to-communicate messages land and stick, as featured In his 2012 TED talk, ‘Fight, Flight or Make Your Opponent Laugh.’ Pep hosts events like The Nordic Business Forum, The Next Web Conference, Accenture Innovation Awards and TEDx to rave reviews, and he was nominated for an Emmy for his writing on America’s long-running television show, Saturday Night Live.
ANDREW MOSKOS
Andrew Moskos is co-founder and an active partner of Boom Chicago who loves big ideas. Recent themes in his comedy productions include artificial intelligence, US politics, and 90s sitcoms that are having an unlikely renaissance.
Andrew hosts, writes for and performs at international conferences. Over the past 25 years, he has worked on high stakes corporate events for most major companies in the Netherlands. Yes, ‘most’ as in a majority of them. He also coached Prime Minister Mark Rutte and co-wrote his ‘most successful speech ever’ for the Dutch Correspondents dinner. Unlike his partners Pep and Saskia, he has never given a TED talk.
MEET THE PRODUCTION TEAM
SACHA HOEDEMAKER
Sacha Hoedemaker has been involved with Boom Chicago’s Music Department for over a decade. As the Music Director at Boom Chicago, he is responsible for the selection and production of (original) music for live shows and other creative projects. You’ll also see him play live during our shows!
In 2010, Sacha was introduced to improvisational theater and was hooked right away. His professional experience combined with an eye and timing for theater made him a highly sought-after Musical Director and improviser across Europe. He is considered one of the best Music Directors in Europe. Sacha loves teaching, playing live, producing and working with people on creative and/or musical projects! He is an improviser at heart and always looking for new stories to tell, through his music.
In 2020, he became the head of our Tech Department and made sure Boom Chicago was brought into the future with a live stream setup.
In 2020, he started releasing music under his own name on streaming services and his music is being streamed by more than 300,000 listeners on a monthly basis. He is the bandleader of the Frenchcore orchestra, Dr. Peacock, in Concert, playing on major Hardcore festivals like Defqon.1. Oh, AND he won an Emmy for HitRECord’s #CreateTogether.
EMIL STRUIJKER BOUDIER
Emil has been adding lights, music and sound to improv shows for years, from small rooms to Boom Chicago’s main stage. He started honing his skills at Easylaughs in Amsterdam and kept going.
In addition to his work at Boom Chicago, Emil is also the head technician at the international festival, IMPRO Amsterdam. There, he is an integral part of their shows and the first call for visiting improv groups. He was the first improv tech in the festival to be asked to create his own show. An improvisor in his own right, he is a master with the light and sound faders.