Executive Director

Nicole Hastings McKendrick

Nicole has been with Full Tilt for three years, before which spent a decade as a performer, teacher and director in the Chicago comedy scene. She has taught all levels of comedy arts at The Second City, in The Improvisation Program, The Conservatory and the Music Improv Program. For Full Tilt, she teaches all levels, but predominantly advanced electives and specialty classes. She relishes sharing what she has learned and what she loves with students. She has directed and coached scripted and improvised ensembles. She is a native of Northern California and a graduate of Columbia University in New York.

Nicole’s performing credits include: Blank! The Musical (Off-Broadway), Thrones! The Musical (Edinburgh Fringe festival), Baby Wants Candy, The Deltones (iO), The Second City Touring Company and Fast, Loud & Funny (The Second City) and The Improvised Sondheim Project. Nicole lives in a Victorian house in Elk Rapids with her husband, three kids, one cat and zero level floors.

Founder, Board President

Lisa Thauvette

Lisa is a performer, improviser, and co-founder of Full Tilt Comedy. After years in musical theater, she found improv and never looked back—more stage time, more freedom, and the ability to cast herself in multiple roles every ten minutes.

Her initial training was in Brussels, Belgium, with other training at The Annoyance Theatre (Chicago), iO Theater (Chicago), Second City (Toronto), and Boom Chicago (Amsterdam). Lisa performs with the teams A Touching Affair (musical improv), LL Cool Slay (multi-character duo), and Mom’s Friends (a rotating guest show with Nicole McKendrick). She’s performed across Europe and the U.S., including the Amsterdam Impro Festival, Oslo Impro Fest, and Detroit Women of Comedy Festival.

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Lisa coaches Montessori schools and serves on nonprofit boards—same game, but offstage: connect fast, collaborate hard, and make humans better.

Communications

Madison Meter

Madison grew up on the stage participating in high school and community theater productions. After completing her undergrad, she hopped across the pond to perform like a monkey for small French children as she attempted to teach them English. Years later she returned to Traverse City as an even weirder, more adult version of herself. She was itching for a form of comedic expression she could not yet name. She found it when she joined Full Tilt in 2022. She’s picked up additional improv training at the fameux Annoyance theater in Chicago and through guest instructors from around the country and world. 

Today she performs, steers communications, produces shows, and facilitates beginner and intermediate classes for Full Tilt. You can find her on stage with one of her improv teams– singing made-up tunes with A Touching Affair, solving fake crimes with Red Trillium, getting weird with Super Special– or hosting! Her festival appearances include Grand Rapids Improv Festival, Lass Laugh, Traverse City Comedy Fest, and coming in 2026, Detroit Women in Comedy, Yes, Ann (Ann Arbor), and Improvazza (Malta). 

Above all, Madison loves the community that rallies around the art form and thinks improv has the power to change the world, one “yes, and” at a time. 

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Youth Programming, Community Engagement

Dave Thomas

Dave’s versatile career is fueled by three decades of weaving sketch, improv, and storytelling into the fabric of community work. A graduate of Spring Arbor University, he recently honed his comedic edge through the ranks of Full Tilt Comedy, and he has trained at Chicago’s legendary Annoyance Theater. He has collaborated with local staples like the National Writers Series,  Northport Performing Arts Center, Leland’s Old Art Building, and Northwestern Michigan College to unleash the power of improv on middle and high school students. Whether he’s directing high-energy kids shows and workshops in schools and community centers or teaching adults in a Full Tilt cohort, Dave thrives on the spark of human connection.

Dave performs onstage with Full Tilt Comedy throughout Northern Michigan, specializing in sharp improv and original sketch. As a core member of the production team, he crafts the chaos behind Full Tilt’s regular shows and special events, and serves as the architect and host of The Comedy Lab.

When he’s not building community or crafting comedic chaos, Dave can be found trying to convince his neighbors that improv is a life skill and not just a very loud hobby.