About Us

The HUGE Improv Theater is an artist-led company dedicated to supporting the Twin Cities improv community through performance and education.
 
In an effort to raise the visibility of the Twin Cities as a destination for some of the best, unscripted theater in the country, HUGE seeks to establish a home for those who love improv.
 
HUGE supports growth and visibility of our local improv community by producing shows, including Improv-A-Go-Go (now in its eighth season) and the annual Twin Cities Improv Festival.
 
The Twin Cities is lucky to be rich with theater. Multiple smaller venues around town host well-attended solo performances, sketch-comedy, and improv shows. Additionally, there are interested students from all walks of life participating in three well-established schools; the Brave New Institute, ComedySportz and Stevie Ray’s. 
 
But even in this diverse theater landscape, there is no stage devoted to long form improvisation. Long form improvisation is the art of creating performances that are unscripted. It is different than playing improvised "games" or improvising within a scripted piece. HUGE wants to give long form improvisation – and the people who enjoy performing and watching it – a stage.
 
Improv is theater for everybody. The raw material of improvisation is the honest expressions, experiences and passions of the performers and audience. It’s immediate theater.
 
As an added bonus, good improvisation is built on conquering fears and working collaboratively in an accepting environment – skills that can’t help but have a positive effect on those who acquire them. HUGE Theater believes that if people can improvise together and laugh together, they can do anything together.
 
HUGE has big plans, but the first step is building our space. Learn more about how you can help make that happen on our Fundraising page.

History

HUGE Theater began in 2005 with five improvisers – Butch Roy, Jill Bernard, Joe Bozic, Mike Fotis, and Nels Lennes – collaborating to produce “Creature Feature” and a weekly showcase in Southeast Minneapolis called “HUGE Wednesdays.”

Butch, Jill and Nels continue to serve as the board of HUGE, while Mike and Joe have gone on to become educational directors at the Brave New Workshop, the nation's oldest satirical comedy theater.

Working with improvisers throughout the Twin Cities, HUGE consistently produces creative and entertaining performances, such as Ka-Baam!, Punch-Out, and An Evening with Splendid Things. Additionally, members of HUGE have gone on to perform and teach at improv festivals everywhere from Chicago to Miami to Juneau, Alaska.

Today, the members of HUGE have set their sights on evolving HUGE Theater from a group of improvisers into a physical space dedicated to the art of improvisation.