The Catskills Comedy Festival 2025 is proud to present our free comedy workshop presentation! Support our local kids as they step into the spotlight, showcasing their talents in stand-up, physical comedy, and storytelling. Join us in celebrating their growth, creativity, and the joy of comedy—this is what the festival is truly about!
MEET OUR WORKSHOP INSTRUCTORS
CHRISTINA THYSSEN | Storytelling
Christina is a writer, teacher, and story coach with a Ph.D. in American literature. She teaches at the University at Albany and in correctional facilities. As a story coach, she works with individuals and organizations to craft compelling narratives. She’s the co-founder and producer of On The Fly, a monthly Moth-style story slam in Catskill, NY, and is currently writing a memoir about raising a daughter with special needs.
CAITLIN LANGSTAFF | Storytelling
Caitlin is an actor, director, story coach, and teacher with an M.F.A. in theatre. A member of Actors Equity and The Actors Studio, she’s created original stage and radio work, including The Mosquito, the Outer Cape’s only story slam. She also produces site-specific theatre in unexpected places—cars, delis, elevators. A former Suffolk University professor, Caitlin now co-produces On The Fly Story Slam in Catskill, NY.
AUREN KINCHELOE | Stand-Up Comedy
Lauren is a writer, teacher, and raconteur. After over two decades in comedy and theater in NYC and LA, she relocated to Kingston, NY in 2019. In 2021, she founded the Squalid Gold Comedy School, where she teaches stand-up to students of all ages. Her alumni regularly pack local venues, with some going on to open for nationally touring acts.
PETER DANIEL STRAUS | Physical Comedy Workshop
You may know Peter as "Pierre the Mime" from Impractical Jokers and Keeping Up With The Kardashians. A lifelong physical comedian, he began juggling on the streets of Georgetown at 14, later training at Sarah Lawrence, the British American Drama Academy, and Ringling Bros. Clown College. Peter has performed everywhere from The Late Show with David Letterman to the Metropolitan Opera, as a Clown Doctor in New York hospitals, and on stages across the globe — from Norway to Japan. He now lives just across the river from Catskill.