Meet Our Team

Gina Trimarco Klauder

Gina's journey in the world of entertainment, hospitality, and tourism led her to establish Carolina Improv Company in 2008. As the founder, she orchestrates all facets of the company's operations, from adult classes to corporate training programs and the direction and production of improv shows.

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Her relocation to Myrtle Beach, SC in 2007 marked a pivotal moment after more than ten years of honing her skills in Chicago's vibrant industries. Before making her mark in Myrtle Beach, Gina served as the General Manager of the Navy Pier IMAX Theatre, a notable attraction akin to Broadway at the Beach. With a background in television production, she held pivotal marketing roles with Spirit Cruises, Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding, and Butterfields’ Auctioneers, while also contributing to public relations endeavors with the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce and City Colleges of Chicago.

The genesis of Carolina Improv Company stemmed from Gina's realization that Myrtle Beach lacked a hub for improv entertainment and instruction. Faced with job loss amidst the economic downturn of 2008, she seized the opportunity to cultivate a thriving improv community by initiating classes herself. Fueled by passion and determination, she transformed adversity into opportunity, leveraging the proceeds from selling her Chicago condo to establish the company's first theater space within a mall.

In 2016, Gina revamped the corporate training arm as Pivot10 Results (P10), focusing on improv-based methodologies to enhance businesses in sales, customer service, leadership, culture, and ideation. P10's mission revolves around transitioning businesses from personnel challenges to performance excellence, utilizing improv as a potent tool in their training arsenal. Beyond her corporate engagements, Gina traverses the globe as a motivational speaker, trainer, and coach, complemented by her role as producer and host of two podcasts: The Pivotal Leader and Women Your Mother Warned You About.

Originally hailing from Chicago, Gina earned her Bachelor of Arts in Communications from DePaul University. During her collegiate years, she delved into the realm of improvisational theatre at Players Workshop of the Second City and The Second City Training Center, laying the groundwork for her illustrious career in the world of improv.

Gina's multifaceted career extends beyond her roles as a founder and corporate trainer. She is also celebrated as an international best-selling author, with her acclaimed work "Ignite Your Courage" inspiring readers worldwide. Renowned for her expertise, Gina is in constant demand as a business coach and trainer across diverse industry verticals, offering invaluable insights ranging from operational excellence to driving sales growth.

Adding to her literary repertoire, Gina eagerly anticipates the release of her upcoming book, "Improvised Intelligence," slated for publication in late 2024. With her profound understanding of improvisational techniques and their applications in various spheres, this forthcoming work promises to be a definitive guide for leveraging improvisation to enhance professional intelligence and decision-making prowess.

Marilou Cook

Improv Instructor & Founding Member

Marilou was affectionately persuaded to assist Gina in launching Carolina Improv in 2008 and holds the distinction of being the company's most enduring member. Marilou often jokes that she’s busier now in retirement than when she was working full time as a schoolteacher in Fairfax County, VA.

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With 25 years of classroom experience teaching at various levels, including preschool, middle school, standard high school, and adult education, Marilou has a rich background in English, Speech, Theatre, and Math. Her theatre curriculum included “theatre sports” (improv) for children and teens. Marilou boasts over 35 years of experience directing and producing theatrical productions, ranging from one-act plays to comedy productions, cabaret acts, and variety shows. Her expertise extends to festivals, touring companies, improv troupes, theatrical competitions, and professional development workshops, involving cast members of all ages and experience levels.

Additionally, Marilou excels in one-on-one presentations and appearances before large audiences, alongside personal performances in theatrical productions encompassing classic theatre, comedies, musicals, cabaret acts, USO tours, summer stock, dinner theatre, and variety productions. Locally, she has performed at Theatre of the Republic and the Castaways Repertory Theatre and has her own one-woman show about being a Southern Belle. Her education includes a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre/Speech in addition to post-graduate studies in English, Directing, and Acting.

Brett Simpson

Improv Instructor

Brett was raised on the frozen tundras of South Dakota, where he received proper Scandinavian training in various arts such as staring at snow, shoveling snow, wounding oneself in snow, and developing a slow-burning hatred of snow. Despite his frosty origins, Brett displayed an early interest in theater, chorus, and band.

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His first stage appearance as a bible-thumping preacher in a Methodist church play garnered rave reviews from close friends and family. Although he was well received in the Singing Boys Choir of Sioux Falls until puberty drove him away, Brett continued to surround himself with the necessary nerd and geek friends in high school. As college arose, he had to step away from the arts to focus on his studies of chemistry.

He obtained a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Augustana College, followed by a PhD in chemistry from Iowa State University. In hopes of a warmer life, he sought refuge in Myrtle Beach in 2002 when he took a teaching position at Coastal Carolina University. He has had a productive teaching career but was often restless and forlorn and felt something was lacking in life. He was introduced to improv by some friends and quickly realized that the group was in need of someone to add a proper creepiness factor to shows. Although hesitant at first about joining a cult, he accepted a position in the Carolina Improv Company as a player in December 2015. Currently, when not at the theater, you can find Brett enjoying time reading, playing the latest video games, and wandering aimlessly across the CCU campus talking to himself.

Angela Robinette

Improv Instructor

Angela Robinette hails from Virginia, where she taught high school English and coached the drama and forensics teams. Although she loved her new life in Myrtle Beach, she experienced “drama” withdrawal until Carolina Improv Company filled the void.

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The company opened her eyes to a unique type of theater arts, and she was hooked. Angela became a CIC player in 2015 and took her skills overseas in 2016 where she became a player and a director for the Improvables and dabbled in stand-up comedy. From there, she started her own improv troupe Hold My Karak. The six-member team performed in many clubs and coffee shops on the island of Bahrain.

Since her return to the States in 2019, Angela has performed in short-form shows, directed classes and showcases, acted in Long Bay Theater plays, and participated in stand-up comedy. Her greatest joys have come from living in the moment and living in laughter.

Bobby Hardin

Improv Instructor

Bobby Hardin, our official "wearer of the kilt," or as some affectionately call him, "the man with the drafty pants," joined the CIC team from the Boy Scouts, where his talents for handling unruly mobs and starting fires without accelerants were considered a benefit. Noted for his wealth of knowledge about comic books and Renaissance fairs, Bobby also boasts a mean Yoda impersonation. Also known as "Mr. Energy," Bobby can frequently be found bouncing across the room, raising the energy level of everyone he runs over.

Meet Our Team

Gina Trimarco Klauder

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Marilou Cook

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Brett Simpson

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Angela Robinette

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Bobby Hardin

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