Michelle "Maxine" Aldridge is a Chicago-trained comedian, actor, & writer specializing in comedic dialogue… and awkward moments. This queer Michigander has been honing her improv, sketch, writing, & stand-up skills for nearly a decade at comedy theaters (and basements) in Chicago, Tokyo, and DC. 

Michelle has performed stand-up at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in her one-woman show The 30-Year-Old Virgo, Chicago Women’s Funny Fest, Sh*thole, Dreamboat LGBTQ+ Show, and At What Cost.  Pre-pandemic she also performed improv & sketch comedy as a part of the iO Harold Team Mothership & Second City’s Severn Darden house & musical house ensembles. 

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Michelle has written (too many) heartfelt Midwestern comedies, upped her pitching game with Roadmap Writers Career Writer Program, and earned accolades for her comedy pilot EXPOSURE. As a queer person with OCD who has gone through mental health adventures with exposure therapy herself, EXPOSURE is a “combo-pack” of Michelle’s experiences with a grandma-murdering hotdog and the time it took her to realize that there is no quick-fix for OCD. Please tell her therapist she said this instead of “I’m cured now!” 

Her ultimate goal is to write on a comedic, emotional, inclusive, & female-driven show like PEN15, INSECURE, SHRILL, ABBOTT ELEMENTARY, or HACKS. She is currently seeking representation.

Fun fact about Michelle: she was a Rotary Peace Fellow in Tokyo so she’s really good at handling conflict in her scripts and in her personal life. Her new standup stage name, Maxine, is in honor of her grandma. 

Michelle is always writing, sometimes funny, and never awkward. 

who is she?