Meet The Team

Player

Janet Atherton

Born in Burnley, Lancashire, North West England, and following her family's tradition of
"treading the boards", Janet's love of theatre and performing blossomed from an early age.
Her first professional gig was dancing Irish jigs on her grandad's "magic carpet". She explored
acting and singing in school productions, on Blackpool Theatre stage, with Burnley Light Opera
Company, and with a folk music group.
Upon fulfilling her dream of circumnavigating the world, she settled in Mendocino. Janet has
since enjoyed performing with the Mendocino Music Festival choir, acting in stage and radio
productions for Mendocino Theatre Company, and taking part in independent films.
Her Hit and Run Theater improv journey began in 2016, with lots of laughter and learning along
the way. Janet may be found several nights a week honing her improv skills on the Cafe
Beaujolais "stage".

Player & Producer

Mindy Ballentine

Mindy’s love of theater started in high school. Years later, she and her brother created a show that aired on local Atlanta, GA television. The Feature from the Black Lagoon was a forum for content creators to share their short films (pre YouTube) Mindy and her brother Jeff created comedy skits between the films. She is a graduate of the improv group Upright Citizens Brigade and joined Hit and Run around 2018.  She has coached The Mendocino High School Improv Club with Doug Nunn since 2019 and has taught Improv at Three Rivers Charter School for 5 years to students from 3rd grade to 8th grade.  “I am thrilled to be a part of the great institution of Hit and Run!" 

Musical Director

Joshua Raoul Brody

Joshua Raoul Brody has been accompanying improv since 1979 when he was on Robin Williams’ first tour. He has been BATS Improv’s musical director for virtually its entire 40 years, and has worked with just about every other Bay Area improv group, as well as accompanying and teaching around the world. When asked to describe himself in one word, he replies “Unable to follow instructions."

Player & Producer

Sara Bulakowski

Sara's improv antics started at age 14 with Comedy Sportz at Mission Viejo High School and continued with the Multicultural Drama Company (MCDC), a riotous activist theater group in Santa Barbara, in the early 2000s. After a two decade break from performing, she is delighted to find herself amidst such supportive, silly, and skillful teammates. Offstage, Sara enjoys working with families as a child & adolescent therapist here on the Mendocino coast. At home, she can be found strumming the guitar so she has an excuse to sing or traipsing through the woods on a mushroom walk with her son, husband, dog Kita, and cat Fern. 

Player

Joel Ginsberg

Joel Ginsberg is new to improv comedy, working out with Hit and Run Theater since 2023. Having grown up in Albion, he returned in 2020 after 40 years away. His theater career began with the role of Amahl in Amahl and the Night Visitors with Judy Mayhan in Mendocino in 1975. He played the role of Pippin and performed in a Rogers & Hart review in college productions, as well as performing classical voice in recitals. He has performed with many singing groups, from Renaissance music to barbershop to contemporary choirs, including the Mendocino Music Festival Chorale. He appeared in the Mendocino Theatre Company's production of In A Word in 2022. In addition to Hit & Run, Joel plays folk guitar and is always on the hunt for musicians to jam and sing with.

Player

Ken Krauss

Ken Krauss joined Hit and Run Theater in 2010 after several years in their community improv workshops. Working with Doug Nunn, he was narrator and segment producer for the podcast SnapSessions! for five years. He has been active in the Mendocino Theater Company since 2003, appearing onstage and working on numerous productions as Sound Designer, as well as recording, producing, and performing in MTC’s "One Minute Radio Theater” and “Readings on the Radio”, broadcast on radio station KZYX. He is a voice artist, and has worked on commercials, audiobooks, and animation. Ken has had roles in several film productions by local filmmaker Peter Dorn-Ravlin. He enjoys music, photography, and films, his cockatiel Gimpy, and his award deserving wife Bessy.

Player

Jill Lemos

Jill's great grandfather came to Mendocino from the Azores in the 1850s. Six generations later, her family still lives on the Mendocino coast. Jill grew up singing and dancing and performed for many seasons with Gloriana Opera Company. She was a charter member of Nona Baker's Derby High Tap Troupe and can still be found today dancing with her Fosse grandkids. This retired Postmaster can't remember lines anymore, so she has enjoyed playing with the Hit and Run improv team for the past couple of decades.

Player & Producer

Doug Nunn

Doug Nunn has been part of Hit and Run Theater since 1979 and worked as one half of the comedy team, Burns (Tracy) and Nunn from 1985-92. Doug began coaching improv in the late ‘80s, working with actors and drama students in the western US and Europe, most extensively in Germany and Britain. He has coached the Improv Club at Mendocino High School in Northern California since 2000, has produced improv and comedy shows from Mendocino to L.A. to London, and worked as an animator on The Simpsons Movie in 2007. Since 2017 Doug has been interviewing artists and activists for SnapSessions! podcasts. First called “a knucklehead” by his Dad as a youth, he continues to hold the title proudly.

Player

Kathy O'Grady

Kathy O'Grady has been a part of Hit and Run Theater since its beginning.  She has performed, directed and designed costumes for Warehouse Theater and the Mendocino Theatre Company.  In Santa Barbara, she worked in a number of plays, before heading to Mendocino. For years, Lorry Lepaul and Kathy worked together to create student productions, performed at the Mendocino High School theater as well as MTC. She is ready to roll into the next improv shows!

Lighting

Sallie Werson

Sallie Werson originally is from Berkeley, CA. Her theater career began in the 4th grade when she had the lead role as the littlest angel in a play by the same name. She then took a break from the stage until her thirties, when she was part of the SF Women’s Street Theater, Lilith. After her move to Mendocino with her partner Eileen, she took a class from the notorious Burns and Nunn, and she was forever hooked on improv. Since the early 90s, she’s enjoyed lighting most of Hit & Run’s shows, being on stage for a few shows, and stage managing when needed, including the award winning The Boys of Hit & Run. She’s also been found at other venues—MMF, MTC, Gloriana in the tech booth or backstage. Sallie works as an addictions therapist and also at Arrowhead Ranch as a rehab specialist. She has a passion for swimming and singing (usually not at the same time).