About Thea & Mike

Thea Deley
Thea Deley

Thea Deley performed at the national 2014 American Atheists Convention in Salt Lake City and has been profiled in Freethought Today, Denver’s Westword, the Aspen Times, and several Colorado radio stations. Metro State University’s student newspaper rated her show “RAD!”’

She’s also on the Speaker’s Bureau for the Secular Students Alliance and American Humanists Association.

Hailed as Paonia’s “Queen of Comedy” by the Glenwood Springs Post Independent, Thea has written and performed sketch and musical comedy with several improv troupes, a film collective, and as a solo performer. She occasionally opens for much cooler atheist comedians like Jon Dore or Eric Schwartz.

Thea studied improvisational comedy at Second City in Hollywood and performs with several troupes in Colorado and Nevada. A highlight for Thea was teaching AmeriCorps members across California how to use improv games to engage with the kids they mentored.

“What energy and versatility! I haven’t seen anything like Thea’s show since Lily Tomlin on Broadway!”
—Elaine Brett

Her short film, “SonShades,” won Best Comedy at the 2012 Paonia Film Festival. She wrote the script for High Country News’ promo video, “iDemand an iPad App,” a mockumentary about techno-loving subscribers who resort to sit-ins and picket lines. (That’s her screaming, “HCN is full of crap! We deserve an iPad app!”) The Poynter Institute says the video “raises bar for clever mobile promotions.”

One of Thea’s greatest joys is performing comedy songs like her cultural masterpiece, “Redneck Sexy for Accordion.” Thea is sometimes compared to Carol Burnett and Lily Tomlin for her physical comedy and characters. A social satirist at heart, she loves to make people laugh. If they laugh so hard they wet themselves, her time on earth will have had meaning after all.

A proud military brat, Thea lived in 11 places by the time she was 14 — and attended 13 different denominations of churches. Living in Germany influenced her tremendously. Thea believes the most patriotic thing an American can do is challenge cultural institutions like religion and government. “If we buy the illusion that any doctrine—including Christianity—is sacred, we won’t question it,” she says. “I think that’s dangerous, irresponsible even.”

Thea currently tackles the most sacred of topics in her satirical solo show, Jesus Loves You! (but hates me). 

Mike Maxwell
Mike Maxwell

Mike Maxwell loves being a behind-the-scenes kind of guy, although he recently made his stage debut in Vegas. (Beware raising your hand during an improv show!)

He first fell in love with all things audio/video during his time at what was then known as CareerTrack, a seminar company based in Boulder. He engineered audio recordings, put microphones on people, and edited a lot of “ums” out of audio programs.

During the day you’ll find him at his desk job at High Country News, where he works as the Director of Operations overseeing IT, Circulation, Marketing and Sales.

Mike loves guerilla filmmaking, and exploring videography, green screen, special effects, directing, storyboarding. He directed and edited all the spoof films in “Jesus Loves You! (but hates me),” also running camera for several of the videos.

Lately he’s been able to combine his love for short filmmaking and his job by producing, directing and editing a recent promo for High Country News.

Over the years he has co-owned several marketing/web companies, which have now morphed into a video production company that specializes in spoofs.

Mike co-founded the Delta County Film Collective and the Paonia Film Festival. He has run sound for bands and several improv troupes, including the Ship of Fools and Cage-Free Comedy.