Gnu Tales

The second Saturday of every month, Gnu Tales has been delighting audiences with brand-new, never-before-seen, improvised fairy tales created before your very eyes! Our shows are recommended for ages 2-102 (but especially geared toward ages 3-8), so bring anyone you know who’s looking to add a little childlike wonder to their world—it’s only $10 for the whole family! And don’t forget the camera—the kids are welcome to join the cast on stage to help create the adventure! Come out to our shows and let us add some magic to your Saturday morning.

Please note: for the safety of all, unvaccinated children must wear masks while inside Third Coast.

Run time is about 60 minutes. Come early for coloring, and potential appearances by a mischievous puppet crew!

MEET THE CAST:

Austin Sanders, Gnu Tales
Austin Sanders is an actor/writer/director/comedian who just moved back to Tennessee after living in New York City for 13 years. Austin works as an Artistic Director/Writer/Producer/Ensemble Member with creative writing non-profit (and Webby Award-winning!) The Story Pirates. He has over ten years of improv experience having performed Advanced Level improv at the Upright Citizens Brigade in Vantage Point and The Overachiever. He is both a member of Entirely From Memory with Ten Bones Theatre Company as well as the improvised 1940’s sci-fi radio show X Plus One. He has also performed musical improv with [title of team] at The PIT and Happy Karaoke Fun Time at The Annoyance Theater. Recent Off-Broadway theater credits include The Big One Oh! with Atlantic For Kids and Wicked Frozen at St Luke's Theatre. Austin directed the sketch shows The Outer Zone at The Tank, New Wave Mixtape at the Magnet Theater, and Mint's Hints at Littlefield. He is the Producing Director/Co-Founder for Glamsmash LLC and a graduate of MTSU.

Dana Daniele, Gnu Tales
Dana Daniele wants everyone to know she’s from Wisconsin. She's been acting since the fourth grade and you might recognize her from roles such as Amelia Earhart in her high school production of Chamber Music, King Midas in the Children's Theater of Wauwatosa Teen Troupe's production of King Midas and the Golden Touch, or Tree in Cinderella. Her favorite pizza is tiny triangle piece, her favorite Disney character is Totoro, and her favorite household core is nap. When she’s not on stage you can find her dancing with her son, Leo, or thinking about bringing her sourdough starter back to life.

Joe Mobley, Gnu Tales
Originally from southeast Missouri, Joe Mobley is a recent graduate of Belmont University where he studied theatre and coping with sleep deprivation. When he's not putting beans on a plate at Calypso Cafe, he's probably teaching at the Nashville Children's Theatre or playing a board game. Or a video game. Or a word game. You know what, he's probably just playing a game. Joe is new to improv, but he's trying his best!

Katy Hennen, Gnu Tales
Like most children, Katy started playing make-believe at a young age, specializing in such creative characters as “sister” and “Hermione Granger.” However, unlike most of her peers, Katy never outgrew this pastime. She likes to think her younger self would be impressed that she has learned how to play more than two characters, and has somehow found a way to get people to pay for what she used to do at home for free.

Kelsie Craig, Gnu Tales
Kelsie moved to Nashville from Arkansas in 2011. While in Arkansas she was part of Improv Little Rock! She loves improv and telling stories. While in college she traveled to New York for a Second City intensive. She teaches 4-18 year olds at Nashville Children’s Theater and Centennial Performing Arts. She especially loves the little ones and their vast imaginations. When Kelsie is not on stage you can find her around town attending births as a certified birth doula, napping with her cats, and helping folks at The Turnip Truck Natural Market. She’s happy she’s found a home with Gnu Tales at Third Coast.

Kirsten Jacobsen, Gnu Tales
Kirsten is a cast member of Cherry Bomb and Gnu Tales. She loves telling (and singing) made up stories with her friends on stage! She tried improv on a whim by taking classes at Third Coast and is incredibly glad that she did. She often says that improv makes her a better attorney and an all-around better person. Beyond improvising and advocating, she loves cooking, learning new things, and her dog Lillian.

Mary Claire Reynolds, Gnu Tales
Mary Claire grew up in Nashville, so it’s unsurprising that her first professional acting gig at age 14 was playing a mermaid in a country music video. Many moons later, she got her start in live improv while she was in Chicago for a commercial casting & decided to sign up for a Second City intensive on a whim. Hooked, Mary Claire went on to train at UCB Theatre in Los Angeles. While in LA, she performed with her long form team Bacon Marmalade all over town including the iO West and the Clubhouse stages. Upon her return to Nashville, she jumped into all the improv she could find and now she’s super excited to be playing the Third Coast stage with Freak Pony and Gnu Tales. When Mary Claire is not on stage, she can be found chasing her two preschool age daughters around and/or staring into an empty mug, wondering why the coffee’s already all gone. And she always double knots her sneakers.

Max Kemp, Gnu Tales
Max is a Nashville transplant from a small town in northern Connecticut. She caught the improv bug over a decade ago and hasn't been able to shake the habit since! She performs with various groups at Third Coast and teaches classes at the Third Coast Training Center. Working with and helping kids has always been a passion of hers, from serving at camps to working at a preschool company to volunteering with the foster care review board. She's excited to have the opportunity to positively impact the lives of young children through the magic of improv with Gnu Tales.

Mike Garvin, Gnu Tales
Bio coming soon!

Sam Brewer, Gnu Tales
Sam is a Computer Scientist (he has been called a Mad Computer Scientist in the past). He currently teaches Computer Programming at the high school level. He’s been studying and performing improv since 2018 after he moved to Nashville from his hometown of Memphis, TN. His hobbies include Video Games, Tabletop Games, Card Games, Board Games, and… wait… it’s just games isn’t it. Sam is a Nerd, and proud of it!

MEET THE CREATOR:

Dylan Kinney, Creator
Dylan accidentally began his improv career in 2003, when he registered for (and won) the first annual "Mr. Star Wars" contest at Dragon*Con in Atlanta. In the fifteen years that followed, he performed hundreds of shows with multiple teams in the Nashville area. He met his wife while he was performing improvised Shakespeare at the Tennessee Renaissance Festival. His daughters were his inspiration to create the improvised fairy tale show "Gnu Tales" for families with young children of their own.