About Us
The Story and People Behind "DCX"
Adventure Awaits!
Meet The DCX Cast!
Jesse Theiler
Creator, Host and Game Master
Jesse is the wizard behind DCX. He's been an improviser since 2010 and has played D&D since 1984! He loves games. His gaming claim-to-fame is he has been to over 100 gaming conventions in his lifetime!
As the DM and host of DCX, Jesse keeps the story outrageous yet tight, improvising the entirety of all things he can throw at players.
Brad Knight
Lead Cast Member
Brad is the founder and owner of Monkey Business Institute, the greatest Improv comedy company ever. Brad has been improvising longer than he can remember (like 45+ years) and started playing D&D in 1980!
Brad's an incredibly versatile improvisor, and his range of characters will leave you with Tasha's Hideous Laughter.
Kelly Maxwell
Cast Member
Kelly Maxwell has been an improviser with Monkey Business Institute in Madison, Wisconsin since 2015. She is a co-creator of "Yes Ma'am", the all-woman Monkey Business show that has played in venues across the U.S. Kelly is the producer and host of The Get Up, a monthly first-Thursday improv showcase featuring local and touring teams
Adam Loux
Cast Member
A lover of games of all kinds and live theater, it's no surprise Adam found a home performing improv comedy for over a decade in Madison. His most rewarding experience has been the opportunity to teach "Yes And" to newcomers. In RPGs you can count on him to be wielding purple dice and secretly wishing he was playing a Dwarf
John Steeno
Cast Member
John Steeno has been performing improv for 20+ years and playing TTRPGs for 15+ years. John loves character work and inviting guests in to a scene and is a generous improvisor. He joined DCX as a cast member in season 2 and has performed in Chicago, Madison (WI). John can currently be seen performing in Grand Rapids with The Comedy Project in addition to DCX.
YOU!
Ensemble Cast (Sometimes)
You play a critical "character" in the Dungeon Cocktail Experience! Your suggestions will build the story, reveal monsters and maybe provide the inspiration for a song! You could even be on-stage! We LOVE cosplay players and hope you'll come in-character, but if that's a little much for you, no problem...come as you are to the Dungeon Cocktail Experience where the drinks flow and the laughs never end!
Our Story
It all started on a snowy Wisconsin night in January 2012.
Jesse Theiler turned to his improv partner and fellow Dungeons & Dragons enthusiast, Brad Knight, and asked:
"What if we combined D&D with improv comedy? Like, as players we actually BECOME our characters?”
Brad's response? A quiet but confident:
“Yeah.”
And just like that, the Improvised Role Playing Mash-Up Show (IRPMUS) was born.
With a small but mighty crew—including Aaron Yonda and Jason Stephens—the first show premiered at Glass Nickel Pizza in Madison, WI on July 25, 2012. What followed was a two-year run of sold-out performances across the Midwest, from tavern stages to experimental formats (yes, IRPMUS-Catan was a thing). The audiences roared with laughter. The cast thrived in chaos. A nerdy, comedic legend was in the making.
But in 2014, life called—grad school, family, careers—and IRPMUS disappeared into the mists like a disbanded adventuring party.
Until now.
In late 2024, Jesse messaged Brad again with a new vision:
“What if we brought it back…but leveled it up?”
This time, Brad didn’t hesitate:
“YES!” (His caps lock was intentional.)
Enter:
The Dungeon Cocktail Experience
A high-fantasy, high-spirits, high-laughter immersive show where Dungeons & Dragons meets craft cocktails and no two adventures are ever the same.
With an experienced cast, an entertaining minstrel, themed cocktails, and audience-driven storylines, DCX is the ultimate night out for comedy lovers, fantasy nerds, and curious adventurers alike.