Eric Angell

Eric Angell is an American improv performer and actor based in Las Vegas, Nevada. He trained at iO, Second City, and the Annoyance Theatre in Chicago before establishing himself in Las Vegas, where he has been a core member of Bleach, a long-form improv ensemble, since 2015. He has been described as the troupe's 'wild card' for his gift at inhabiting unexpected characters.

Angell trained in improvisation and sketch comedy at three of Chicago's primary training institutions: iO Theater, Second City, and the Annoyance Theatre. That combination of training exposed him to the distinct pedagogical approaches associated with each institution: iO's long-form Harold tradition, Second City's revue-based sketch and character work, and the Annoyance's commitment to experimental ensemble performance outside conventional improv structures.

He subsequently relocated to Las Vegas, where the comedy landscape is structured primarily around stand-up and tourist-oriented entertainment rather than long-form improv. In 2015 he joined Bleach, a Las Vegas improv ensemble formed in 2013 on the recommendation of comedian Paul Mattingly, who observed that Angell and his collaborators performed well together. The original ensemble included Neil Corso, Kimberly Faubel, Philip Kotler, and Tommy Todd, with musical accompanist Faustino Solis. The troupe takes a single audience suggestion and develops it into a completely improvised hour-long play in front of a live audience.

Bleach performs monthly at Vegas Theatre Co. in Las Vegas's Arts District, having also performed at Art Square Theatre and other city venues since their founding. Within the ensemble, Angell is characterized as the group's most unpredictable performer, with a particular talent for creating vivid character portrayals from unexpected sources. The troupe developed a signature visual identity by performing in white shirts and black pants, a deliberate inversion of the informal all-black 'improv uniform,' which also gave the group its bleach-themed name.

Alongside his improv work with Bleach, Angell has toured in theatrical productions including Sex N The City: The Unauthorized Musical Parody.

Historical Context

Angell's career trajectory follows the documented pattern of Chicago-trained improvisers who established themselves in regional markets outside the major improv centers after completing training at the city's primary institutions. Las Vegas's comedy market, historically dominated by stand-up and entertainment-industry adjacency, has been an unconventional home for long-form improv practitioners, making Bleach's sustained decade-plus presence there a notable institutional achievement.

His triple training background at iO, Second City, and the Annoyance gave him exposure to three pedagogically distinct approaches to improv: the Harold-centered long-form tradition of iO, the character and revue work of Second City, and the Annoyance's anti-traditional ensemble experimentation. That synthesis is visible in Bleach's hybrid format, which combines long-form scene structure with musical accompaniment and a strong emphasis on character commitment.

Legacy

Angell is a core contributor to Bleach's decade-plus presence as Las Vegas's primary long-form improv ensemble. His character-driven performance approach has been a defining element of the troupe's comedic identity, and his Chicago training background has brought iO, Second City, and Annoyance-lineage improv discipline into a market that would not otherwise have sustained access to those traditions.