Rita Boersma is an actor, writer, storyteller and 20+ year improv veteran. She is the former Artistic Director of HUGE Improv Theater and can be found performing weekly with improv mainstays, The Mess, and with the holiday favorite, Family Dinner. She is a longtime company member of ComedySportz-Twin Cities and a PA for the St. Paul Saints. Sometimes she's also trusted to memorize scripts like Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged for Daleko Arts, Shame of Thrones: Stupidity War with Brave New Workshop, and several Minnesota Fringe favorites including Finger Lickin' Good and Kind of Funny But Also A Little Sad. She is super excited to make her debut with Mystery Cafe.
Rita Boersma
Jay Bee has been performing since the tender age of 5. He has done numerous musical productions and has shared the stage with and toured with numerous National acts such as New Edition, Bobby Brown and Run DMC…and was also at a historic Minneapolis Bar playing with a band (Dr. Mambos Combo) where Prince would frequently come and jump on stage with them. James is currently working on his 2nd CD project due in August. He sings every Wednesday at the Minnesota Music Cafe in St. Paul.
James Brown
Josh Carson is an occasionally employed actor/comedian in the Twin Cities. He has performed with the Brave New Workshop, Actors Theater of MN, History Theater, as well as producing his own shows independently, including the perennial holiday favorite "A Very Die Hard Christmas," now in its tenth season at the Bryant Lake Bowl.
Josh Carson
Fred Cheng is a lifelong Minnesotan who went to college on the East Coast and film school on the West, doing improv all along the way. So he’s pretty much annoyed the whole country. You might have seen him in shows, workshops and classes through Mystery Cafe, Stevie Ray’s, The Theater of Public Policy, and ComedySportz. According to 23 and Me he’s mostly East Asian and a little bit Neanderthal.
Fred Cheng
Markus Clegg has been with the Mystery Cafe since 2017. Serving as Production Manager and sometimes actor, he has been involved in shows such as Mobsters Inc., DeathThrows a Curveball, Let's Kill the Boss and I'll Be Homicidal for Christmas.
Markus is also a professional magician who performs over 100 shows per year in and around the Twin Cities. During the off season he is the official magician for MiLB's Saint Paul Saints entertaining the crowds as his alter ego; The Shark.
Markus Clegg
When he first moved to the Twin Cites in 1992, Pete started work with The Mystery Cafe, in their production of “Let’s Kill The Boss.” Since then it’s been a long journey, but Pete is very happy to once again be a part of the The Mystery Cafe family! Some of his time on stage includes work with Twin Cities Theaters: The Jungle, The Brave New Workshop, Troupe America, The Children’s Theatre, Open Window Theatre, and many others. After 40 years in “this business we call show”, Pete’s had the good fortune to perform in the world premier of “Dolly Parton’s: A Smokey Mountain Christmas Carol,” as well as productions of: “Greater Tuna,” “The Pirates of Penzance,” “Ghost Stories,” and many more. You can also catch him in episodes of TV’s “Criminal Minds” and “The Mentalist,” (but only if you don’t blink.)
Pete Colburn
Shanan Custer is a theater maker, actor, director, writer and improviser who has worked with the Brave New Workshop, Interact, Strike Theater, Theatre Pro Rata, DalekoArts, HUGE Improv Theater, Special When Lit, Mu Performing Arts, Full Circle Theater, Park Square Theatre and Theater in the Round, where she recently directed The Book Club [Play]. Shanan is part of the Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society that creates recreations of classic radio mysteries at Crooners as well as new works monthly at the Bryant Lake Bowl. Shanan’s own original works include The Bungalow Loft (produced with Fearless Comedy Productions), Not Fair, My Lady (with Colleen Somerville and Anita Ruth), At Christmas (with Jim Robinson), and Sometimes There’s Wine and 2 Sugars, Room For Cream (with Carolyn Pool). She is currently writing and producing a new series called Songversations with Rhiannon Fiskradatz that features storytelling and song to amplify intersectional feminism. Upcoming April 2024: Directing 9 to 5 The Musical at Lyric Arts!
Shanan Custer
Tim is an actor and improviser who can be seen on many stages in the Twin Cities. He’s appeared at HUGE Theatre, The Brave New Workshop and The Chanhassen Dinner Theatre. Tim has also done several scripted shows with Actors Theater of Minnesota. He’s also appeared as Master of Ceremonies for several events around the Metro including; Minnesota Boychoir, the St. Paul Winter Carnival and the Minnesota State Fair. As a cast member wit the Mystery Café, he’s excited to perform with this talented group of actors!
Tim Dybevik
Brad Erickson is excited to join the talented roster at The Mystery Cafe! After majoring in Theater and Art at Concordia College, Brad relocated to Los Angeles, CA, working as an actor, artist, and tour guide for the world famous Universal Studios Hollywood. Since moving back to Minnesota, Brad has been involved with numerous Twin Cities productions including the Minnesota Historical Society, Guthrie Theater, Hennepin Theatre Trust, History Comes To Life, Saint Paul Saints, TPT Twin Cities PBS, and countless productions at the Bryant-Lake Bowl Theater including The Saved By The Bell Show, HAMLUKE (yes, a Star Wars version of Hamlet) and A Very Die Hard Christmas.
Brad Erickson
Adam is excited to be returning for his 10th season at The Mystery Cafe. Adam has been acting in Minneapolis for over 20 years in theater, film, and improv. He volunteers at Catholic Charities teaching improv classes and is half of the improv duo Police Cop Detective PI.When Adam isn’t working his day job as a corporate trainer, you can also see him at Actors Theater of Minnesota, in local films and commercials, and presenting workshops to local businesses and organizations. Originally from Chicago, Adam enjoys cooking, woodworking, and listening to vinyl. What Adam doesn’t like is slow drivers in the left lane…unless there’s only one lane…then he’s more understanding.
Adam Fielitz
Michael stumbled into theater 30+ years ago with ComedySportz Twin Cities. Since then, in addition to performing ComedySportz locally and in other cities, he has a few assorted stage and TV appearances. But mostly he performs in front of semi-interested teenagers in his day job as a high school teacher.
Michael Franssen
Wini has performed for the Mystery Cafe since 2005 in productions such as: The Svensano’s, Murder by Chicken, Let's Kill the Boss, Death Throws a Curveball, Alma Murder, I'll be Homicidal for Christmas, Across A Crowded Zoom, Hollywood's Most Wanted and this years The Xmas Files! In her weekly life she works as a program specialist at Mill City Museum for the MN Historical Society. She has been onstage locally with TigerLion Arts, Freshwater Theater, Full Circle Theater, Wayward Theater and most recently in Fargo Allegro at the MNFringe Festival. She is always grateful for theThe Mystery Cafe and YOU the playful audience, she hopes you have an amazing time!
Wini Froelich
This is Dave’s ninth year performing with Mystery Café, and he loves every minute of it! You might have seen him in “Murder By Murder,” “Let’s Kill the Boss,” “Death Throws a Curveball,” “I’ll be Homicidal for Christmas,” or possibly “The eX-Feds”. He has performed with many area theaters including Park Square Theatre, Torch Theater, Jungle Theater, Walking Shadow Theatre, Theatre Pro Rata, Pioneer Place, Theatre L’Homme Dieu, and Paul Bunyan Playhouse. Prior to moving to Minneapolis, Dave lived in Los Angeles and appeared on the TV shows Angel, Freaks and Geeks, and The Andy Dick Show.
Dave Gangler
Alisa is a Mystery Café on and off for 7 years, and is honored to be taking the field with this team. Alisa has appeared in the Theater People web series, sported cinna-buns in her role as Princess Leia for A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Death Star for the MN Fringe Festival, and has performed with Gremlin Theatre, Theatre Pro Rata, Shakespeare & Co and Theatre in the Round. When not seeking out the truth, Alisa can be found working undercover behind a desk from 8-5. She sends an embarrassingly large amount of love to her saint of a husband, Dustin and her two tiny humans, Henry and Jo for letting her out of the house to play.
Alisa Gingerich
Brian is an educator and improvisational actor based in the TwinCities. He’s thrilled to join the talented cast at The Mystery Cafe.Brian has performed with many groups over the last 15 years includingat the Brave New Workshop, HUGE Improv Theater, Strike Theater, andthe Bryant Lake Bowl, among others. Most notably he has enjoyedperforming and directing Creature Feature (HUGE) and with the improvgroup BAEGS.
Brian Hodge-Rice
Brian has been performing with The Mystery Cafe since 1994. In 2016 he took over as owner and artistic director. For The Mystery Cafe he has written or co-written ““I’ll be Homicidal for Christmas,” “Alma Murder – A Killer Class Reunion,” ““Death Throws a Curveball,” “The Private EYE in TEAM” “Hollywood’s Most Wanted” and “Til Death Do Us Die.” His monkeyshines have also been seen in Triple Espresso, Tony & Tina’s Wedding, ComedySportz, and numerous TV & Radio commercials (including the damn donor spot which is still probably running at your local DMV). Brian served as Entertainment Director for the St. Paul Saints from 2013-2018 and continues to perform as an on-field master of ceremonies.
Brian Kelly
George is proud to be from Minneapolis and has been a professional actor for over 30 years. She was last seen in HURRICANE DIANE with Rough Magic Performance Co., EMILIA with Ten Thousand Things and MISERY AT Yellowtree Theatre. She has worked for many local theaters including Penumbra Theatre, Guthrie Theater, Children's Theater Company, Mixed Blood Theater, The Jungle, Huge Theater, Pillsbury Playhouse, Theatre Novi Most and Park Square Theater. Her favorite genre to perform is comedy. She performed in Tony ’N Tina’s Wedding for over 2000 performances in two different cities over 10 years. George also has appeared in movies (Halloween Town, Rose Red, Into Temptation...) and you can frequently hear her voice in radio and television commercials. When not performing she mainly talks to Myrtle and Wanda (her black kitties), Bear her big black dog and her newest addition Gaia a mixed breed rescue puppy. So…she’s exhausted.
George Keller
Kathy has been working with the Mystery Cafe since 2005. Recent notable performances include Romeo & Juliet at Park Square Theatre, and as one of the Real-ish Housewives of Edina in the hit Hennepin Theatre Trust collaboration with Second City of Chicago. A Twin Cites-based theatre, film and voice actor, Katherine has performed lead roles in two recent Ivey Award winning productions: 2012’s all-female Julius Caesar (Mark Antony) with Theatre Unbound, and 2015’s Gabriel (Jeanne Becquet) with Walking Shadow Theatre Company. She has also performed with Penumbra, Old Log, Theatre Pro Rata, Gremlin and Actors Theatre of MN.
Kathy Kupiecki
This is Sam’s first time at the Mystery Café. As an actor in the Twin Cities, he’s performed at History Theatre, Yellow Tree Theatre, Nimbus Theatre, Park Square and Sandbox Theatre. He’s also written shows for the Twin Cities Horror Festival, the Minneapolis Fringe and, back in 2015, he wrote 52 one-acts for a project called (you guessed it) One-Act-A-Week. Sam’s also created (and sometimes performed) one-person shows such as “Sam of All None,” “Welcome to Musicland” and “Lilac Drive.” He’s currently in the early stages of writing a horror script about a Goth band and is writing/shooting sketches for a “comedy” group called Plaza del Mall. As far as improv, he’s been part of HUGE’s “Family Dinner” cast for many years and was also cast in an improvised show about grief called “Wish You Were Here” at Strike Theater. Interestingly enough, he’s DJ’d quite a bit under the name GustAvocados.
Sam Landman
Gene has worked with Mystery Cafe since the last millennium, and with many theaters including Frank Theater and the Brave New Workshop. He has worked in commercials and feature films and most recently can be seen beating up on Woody Harrelson in “Wilson,” directed the 2017 Southwest Summer Theatre production of Urinetown the Musical.
Gene Larche
Ann is a long time Mystery Cafe vet. I mean, a LONG time. She is long in the tooth we like to say. Jason Bateman says Ann is the funniest and most talented actress he has ever had the pleasure of working with (unverified). Ann has been involved in various theater, film, and TV projects in the Twin Cities that have won her hundreds of awards, too many to mention here. Ann now spends her days as a chaplain at Catholic Eldercare in NE Mpls and her nights with her family, unless she’s here with you which she loves a whole bunch! Enjoy the show!
Ann Lees
Casey Martin recently moved back to MN with her two cats Henry and Birdie. Casey was living in New Orleans, where she started her own improv theater “Two Friends Improv Theater”. Casey has been performing improv since 2010, and is thrilled to be back with her Mystery Café family!
Casey Martin
Heather Meyer is a playwright and performer in Minneapolis. She is an alum of the Brave New Workshop and improvises at The Theater of Public Policy and HUGE Theater. Her plays have been performed 20 states. She is the creator of the sketch comedy game show Women's History Month: The Historical Comedybration (with fabulous prizes). She has an MFA in playwriting from Spalding University and a MA in Sustainable Design from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. She was a resident artist in the Horse and Art Research Progam in Hungary in 2023.
Heather Meyer
Nissa Nordland is an actor, writer, producer and musician in the Twin Cities. She is the Artistic Director of the Twin Cities Horror Festival; produces original work as Special When Lit; company member of Theatre Pro Rata; member of the Playwright's Cabal and is an alum mainstage cast member/writer of the Brave New Workshop. Nordland is represented by NUTS, ltd and Ruggiero Models and Talent. She lives in Minneapolis with her woodsy husband Zach and their two kitties Delilah and Ozymandias.
Nissa Nordland
Brittany is thrilled to be in her fourth year with the Mystery Cafe! She spends her summers entertaining St. Paul Saints fans as the Ushertainer, Dawn Under. During the day she can be found running the show at a software company in Minneapolis.
Brittany Oberstadt
Dan has performed in over 50 Mystery Café productions since 1994. His other theatre credits include Chanhassen Dinner Theatre, Old Log Theatre, Brave New Workshop, Hennepin Stages, Paul Bunyan Playhouse, and a national tour with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.
Dan Rooney
By day, a mild-mannered IT professional for the world’s largest social services organization.
By night, a boring, TV watcher with few hobbies or future prospects. Once, a player in ComedySportz Minneapolis. Once, a founding member of Happy Fun Time Industries. Once, voted most embarrassing Dancing Dad at an Omaha RedHawks game.
Dave Scharnhorst
Randy Schmeling has been performing in the Twin Cities since 2001. Notable productions include: Jesus Christ Superstar, Damn Yankees, Annie, A Christmas Story, The Pirates of Penzance, The Sound of Music, and The Broadway Songbook at Ordway Center; A Christmas Carole Peterson, Violet, Floyd Collins, Gypsy, and The Full Monty with Theatre Latte Da; The World Over at Open Window Theater; The Defeat of Jesse James, Glensheen, The Great Society, and Orphan Train at History Theatre; Beauty and the Beast, Hair, and West Side Story with Chanhassen Dinner Theatres; Urinetown at Jungle Theater; Dancing at Lughnasa, The Miracle Worker, and Macbeth with Torch Theater; and Power Balladz with Producing House. Randy has performed the role of Riff Raff in three separate productions of The Rocky Horror Show; at Ordway Center, The Lab Theater and Park Square Theater. He toured Japan in 2011 with Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and has toured the US and Canada with All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914. In addition to his stage work, Randy is an accomplished voice over artist and has appeared in many regional commercials and industrial videos. He is also a highly regarded singer, performing with many bands across the metro area.
Randy Schmeling
Jonah is excited to be making his debut with Mystery Café. Some of his favorite previous roles include George Gibbs, (our town), Benedick (much ado about nothing), and Captain Hook (peter pan: the musical adventure). Jonah can also be seen in the upcoming fantasy miniseries Hidden Falls, set to release late this year.
Jonah Smith
A native of Waseca, MN, Paul earned his B.S. in Theatre Arts from Mankato State University. Recent roles include John Adams in 1776 with The Merlin Players (of which he is a founding member), and Capulet in Romeo and Juliet at Park Square. He has performed in Triple Espresso since 2003, performing all across the country as well as in Dublin, Ireland. Other theater credits include the Jon Hassler Theater, Lake Pepin Players, Urban Samurai Theater, and Guthrie Theater Lab. He has also toured recently with Deer Camp: The Musical. Paul’s favorite role is that of father to his four (that’s right, FOUR) sons Jack, Gregory, William and Alec, without whose love and support this performing thing would not be possible.
Paul Somers
Eric Webster has performed at the Guthrie Theater, Mixed Blood Theater, Parksquare Theater, the Playwrights' Center, Hennepin Stages, Hey City Theater, The Lowry Theater for Actors Theater of Minnesota, Theatre L’Homme Dieu, Bryant Lake Bowl Theater, Paul Bunyan Playhouse, Pioneer Place Theater, Minneapolis Theater Garage, Bloomington Civic Theater, Jerome Hill Theater, and Camp Cabaret Theater.
He is a founding member of the "Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society", which does original and recreations of radio drama.
Mr. Webster Directs Theater programming in the Centennial school district at both the Middle School and Highs school since 2003.
Other Highlights:
In 2010 he received the "Twin Cities Best Actor in a Musical 2010" for his role as Stone in "City of Angels".
Hosted, wrote, and produced "The Big Bad Movie" which earned an Emmy Nomination.
Hosted and wrote the national Television Show “Big Events” for DIRECTV
Spent 6 seasons with the St. Paul Saints Baseball Club as the Master of Ceremonies/Announcer, and Director of Gameday Entertainment.
Extensive national and local voice-over work and hosting.
Was a talk show host on KFAN and KSTP AM
Eric Webster
Jessika has enjoyed performing her whole life. This is her second season with Mystery Cafe (Patina Munson, Alma Murder) She danced ballet for 12 years and was in various musical theater productions growing up. Her favorite was playing Annie in Annie in a youth production at the Renton Civic Theatre. More recently, Jessika spends her summers at CHS Field as Ushertainer "Paula Bunyan" at St. Paul Saints games. During the week, Jessika is a program director and occupational therapist specializing in cancer rehabilitation. She is ecstatic to be back with Mystery Cafe this season!
Jessika Wheeler
