MICHAEL JASTROCH joined Act II in 2024. He is a comedic actor, writer, and acting teacher based in Philadelphia, PA. As the founder of ColdTowne Theater and the Austin Sketch Comedy Festival, he played a crucial role in the explosive growth of the Austin, Texas comedy scene from 2005 to 2020. As the theater’s Executive Director, Michael led fundraising initiatives and corporate outreach, producing leadership programs for numerous Fortune 500 companies, including Whole Foods, Dell Computers, Indeed, and many others. He has received numerous awards for his work, including “Best Comedy Group” in the Austin Chronicle Readers Poll and the B. Iden Payne Award for “Outstanding Improv Ensemble.” His projects have won Best of Fest at the Lone Star Sketch Festival and the Frontera Fringe Festival, and he has earned a Critic’s Pick in the Austin Chronicle Readers Poll. His podcast, Victrola!, was named one of Austin’s “Best Comedy Podcasts” and has been featured in Splitsider and the Huffington Post.