I don't know what you'd call me. I co-founded the troupe five years ago with Will Burdin and the help of the ever-awesome Julane Sullivan. Since then, my role has changed quite a bit. I've always written, and with each and every show, I became more and more of the director. But I also have to do all the backstage junk that no one else wants to do. I'll settle for Executive Director, but that, to me, sounds a little too fancy and/or important to truly fit my role. 
      The Acid Reflux Five Year Spectacular closed last night, and with it, Acid ended its fifth season. FIVE YEARS! Can you believe it? That's quite a significant amount of time in my life considering I turned twenty today. I've known the troupe longer than some of my friends have known their siblings, husbands or wives, or pets. Acid Reflux is all of the above for me. 
      There are a bazillion people that played a role in the amazing success that Acid Reflux has found over the last half-decade. Obviously without Will and Julane, it never would have found its feet, and without the organization expertise from Erika Davidson, we never would have learned to walk. Without the other insanely talented cast members that we met over the years, we would have never found our voice, and without the solid guidance from sketch comedy pros Eric Peter Schwartz, Millie Collins-Schwartz, and Steve Lord, we never would have left the front door. Special thank yous go out to Shawn and Brenda Renaud - who have done everything since the beginning from box office, concessions, treasury, video producing, and providing a storage unit - to cleaning up a space when we were still rehearsing at the last minute. More thanks to Betty and Ray Inman as well as Irene Robinson, who volunteered their time and possessions when we needed a friendly, welcoming body or a pot to brew Apple Cider in because our performance space was negative twenty degrees. Additional thank yous to the people who let us be heard - including Kristin Ostarello (who has acted as our Director of Publicity for just over two years), and Beth Sterkel (who bent the rules of a high school intercom). There is also YOU - the fan - who showed up time and time again despite the fact that we were performing in a gym or basement with no heating in the winter and no cooling in the summer. YOU stood by us through thick and thin, and hopefully, that journey is still just beginning.
       So many amazing people lent their talents to the troupe, on stage and off, but a select few names took their responsibilities and continually went above and beyond. Thank you to Ben Tennant, who for years fought his scheduling issues to be one of the most memorable performers with the troupe. To Kasey Ostarello, who is always willing to show up twelve hours early to make sure the furniture is painted and the props have been bought. To Emily Schmidt, who gave Acid Reflux a completely new flair in our material, and has acted as my personal assistant for the past year and a half. Without every name in this (far too long) message, our history would never have happened. 
      Acid Reflux has been a huge part of my life - and it helped me through the good times and bad. As one would expect, dark times were to be had for the troupe as well. However, whether we were laughing, crying, or eating our own hair due to stress - every last moment was memorable. For that, there aren't enough thank yous in the world. 

With all of the love in my heart, 

Bryan A. Renaud
Executive Director-Like Person