Secret Improv Society Members

Alex Berg’s passion for improv has grown over six years, evolving from student to troupe member and Drop-in teacher at Leela San Francisco. She has performed in troupe programs at Leela (MindCraft) and Endgames Improv (Your F*ed Up Relationship). Currently, Alex keeps the fun going with independent troupe, Required Taste, and various duos. She’s thrilled to join the short-form stars at Secret Improv Society

Andy is a twenty-something artist from Mexico who has been improvising her whole life (even though she only started in 2023). To survive in this economy, she works in PR/marketing and yearns for the day she’ll be able to earn a more creative living before the apocalypse. She loves cats, word games, film, hot chips, history, rock climbing, quirky fashion, and making lists. She hates seafood, slow walkers, mansplainers, and capitalism.

Basel Al-Naffouri fell in love with improv at BATS improv shortly after moving to the Bay Area. He has performed with the BATS Company Players, taught and performed in Germany, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and Japan, and produced, directed, and acted in “Improvised Arabian Nights,” an improvised show in the style of “A Thousand and One Nights.” Basel joined the Secret Improv Society in 2015 and has been a part of their unique and fast-paced show ever since.

Chet, a naive San Francisco-phile, has performed with Secret since its founding and served seven years as Managing Director at BATS Improv. His favorite part of improv is when we all see it coming, but somehow, not exactly. He once brought home the wrong cat. If you're reading this bio, you should try improv!

Goose is an imported American. He started improvising last millennia, and he thinks he is being funny. He has played with Flash Family, BATS Improv, Liquid Soap, Underdog, Emotional Hospital, and Secret Improv Society. Author of several worst-selling word-search books, he spends his spare time wandering and wondering: what would one do with a wonderful wooden wand?

Some audience report visions of a young, hilarious, attractive, and exceedingly humble imaginary being we affectionately call Jess. She is NOT real!! Legend has it that this incorporeal sprite has haunted the Groundlings and Second City Hollywood and might have earned a Theater Arts degree from Cal Poly SLO. Authorities are perplexed by this phantom vigilante. We warn you to please stop Venmo-ing her $20 (jessica-sater), as this only seems to increase her mysterious, unexplainable presence.

Joël (Jojo) began his improv career at Second City in Chicago. Since then, he has trained and performed with various groups, including the Groundlings, Flash Family, BATS Improv, and Big City Improv. For more than 15 years, he has served as the producer and artistic director of the Secret Improv Society.

Judith Asséo, a Boston native, has been cracking up audiences for over 30 years. A founding member of Exxit Only and Big City Improv, she’s also performed with Improv Boston, The Skits, and Impro Melbourne. Her past includes a sketch group with “Chicken” in the name and a surreal bus tour with “Popcorn” in the title, featuring a half-naked kabuki performer and a show near oil tanks. For the last decade, she’s happily kept things fuel-free with Secret Improv Society.

Kristian Ruggieri, aka “Bing Bong” (yes, there’s a story there), started improvising with Flash Family in 2000 and never looked back! Since then, she’s brought her unique flair to Improvalicious, Fosse Posse, and Big City Improv. Now, she's thrilled to be part of the Secret Improv Society and looks forward to seeing YOU at a show!

Hailing from Italy, Martina’s love for life, drama, and pasta is woven into every performance. With a background in scripted theater, Martina quickly realized that remembering lines wasn't her strong suit, but luckily, improv allowed her to embrace her dramatic side without memorization. Her love for improv comes from its ability to celebrate spontaneity, creativity, and — of course — the chaos of being herself.

Matt (pronounced 'Matt') has been an improviser extraordinaire for almost a decade if rounded inaccurately. From his humble Saxon beginnings, Matt has always reveled in conversational tomfoolery, only to codify it formally on stage as a gratuitously tall but funny performer for Yum! and Required Taste. His feigned ignominy includes long and short-form improv performances at notable festivals, including the San Diego Improv Festival, SF Sketchfest, Utah Wasatch Festival, and Corgi Convention.

Sunaina was born at a very young age, and it has all gone downhill from there. One night. in a dream, a 6 ft tall Tom Cruise on a burning motorbike told her to take the stage and delight the masses. That she did, and Sunaina has been performing across the country in troupes like Yum!, Required Taste, and Wakeup Wyoming ever since. In a likely final stroke of genius, she has joined the Secret Improv Society, where she captures audiences with her alarming antics, only rivaled by her unrivaled wit.