Planet Ant welcomes four new members to its board of directors

May 28

HAMTRAMCK, MI – Planet Ant Theatre recently welcomed four new members to its Board of Directors during its September board meeting. Get to know them below!

Planet Ant Theatre, a beloved cornerstone of the Metro Detroit comedy and live performance scene located in Hamtramck, MI, is thrilled to announce the expansion of its leadership team. During a recent board meeting, Planet Ant officially welcomed four highly talented and dedicated individuals to its Board of Directors. These new members (Will Curry, Kara Sellentine, Jared Simard, and Robyn Whitelaw) bring a diverse, powerhouse mix of creative, financial, and marketing expertise to help propel the historic theater’s mission forward.

Our new board members:

Will Curry has been part of the Planet Ant community since 2015, finding his creative voice under the guidance of its legendary teachers. Over the years, he has contributed to numerous improv troupes, sketch shows and theatrical productions as a performer, writer and director. Passionate about passing that craft along, Will loves teaching sketch writing and improv in a fun, supportive environment. He lives in Royal Oak with his wife Claire, their unhinged dog, and an ever-growing pride of cats.

Kara Sellentine brings a unique combination of creative, business and performance experience to the Planet Ant Board of Directors. With more than 35 years onstage, beginning at Warren Community Theatre, she has trained in improv at Planet Ant and the nationally recognized Groundlings Theatre in Los Angeles. Her comedy experience also includes serving as a producer for the Motor City Comedy Festival, venue coordinator for the Traverse City Comedy Festival and associate producer for The Jerry Springer Show. She has worked alongside comedians including Pauly Shore, Josh Blue and Dave Coulier.

Outside of comedy and television, Kara is an innovative marketing professional. Her one-of-a-kind career has led to a feature in Forbes and appearances on global automotive podcasts, including CarStories: The Petersen Automotive Museum Podcast. She also spearheaded Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake activations for the U.S. Formula 1 Grand Prix races and emceed the team’s 2023 Las Vegas livery reveal. Kara is proud to bring her marketing expertise, event-production experience and lifelong passion for live performance to Planet Ant and its creative community.

Jared Simard is an improviser, writer, actor, director and finance professional who has been part of the Detroit improv community since 2017. He has performed across the region and has been a member of two developmental Farm Teams at Planet Ant, Go Comedy! Improv Theater's Resident Company, and has written, performed in, and directed a variety of improvised and scripted live shows, primarily at Planet Ant and Go Comedy!

Jared attended the University of Michigan, where he double-majored in Economics and German. He currently works in healthcare finance, where he focuses on budgeting and forecasting for a large nonprofit healthcare system.

Robyn Whitelaw has been part of the Metro Detroit comedy community since 2014 as an improviser, writer, director, producer and performer. At Planet Ant, she has been a member of three Farm Teams: the One-Act Farm Team, Improv Form Team, and Improv Farm Team. She is also a resident performer at Go Comedy! in Ferndale. Robyn has taught improv to students from third grade through high school and has produced and directed numerous sketch comedy shows.

Outside of the theater, Robyn works as an office manager and Detroit tour guide. Having previously served on other boards, she is excited to bring her experience, enthusiasm and a fresh perspective to the Planet Ant Board of Directors and to support the theater’s mission and creative community.

Mike McGettigan