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    The Nest Theatre Continues to Expand in Old North

    When Tara DeFrancisco and Rance Rizzutto signed a lease on a new home for The Nest Theatre in December 2019, they had little idea what the future might hold. And while the coronavirus pandemic proved difficult for all event-based organizations, the husband-and-wife duo recently announced a second expansion for their improv performance space in Old North.

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    “We both spent about 15 years performing and teaching and training in Chicago, so we saw how big theaters like iO Chicago or Annoyance can get,” explained Rizzutto. “Once we decided on our current location, we knew it would be big enough for where we were at, with the potential to handle immediate growth.”

    The main stage within The Nest seats 70, and a secondary space called Bluebird Studio — which seats another 20 — was opened last November to accomodate growth. But The Nest is ready for more.

    “When the upstairs business left, the landlord gave us first dibs,” added Rizzutto. “The new expansion, which we’re calling The Birdhouse, gives us an extra classroom space and an experimental space for a sketch project that we’ve been wanting to do for years.”

    The third performance stage will provide another speakeasy-style space that seats approximately 35 to 40, which DeFrancisco says has become critical for the growth they’ve experienced.

    “Part of our mission was to create a place where people can gather under one roof, no matter the medium of their comedy,” she stated. “Since our start, we have sold out over 50 sessions of our multi-week series classes in a row. At first it was probably because the community here had seen us performing in Chicago or trusted us with training we did when home here in Central Ohio over the years — then eventually because word of mouth spread from those students & performers that this place was the real deal, created good shows, and everyone made it a priority to amplify the community.”

    In addition to the expansion, DeFrancisco and Rizzutto are hard at work on their seventh annual Nestival Comedic Arts Festival, which takes place March 28-31 and April 4-7.

    “Primarily, it will feature some heavy hitters in improvisation featuring touring artists coming in, like Susan Messing from Chicago, John Lehr from Los Angeles and various other teams from Indianapolis, Denver, Cleveland, Detroit and local Columbus teams too,” said DeFrancisco.

    In the meantime, the new Birdhouse stage is slated to open on February 17th with the debut of a new experimental show called Kismet.

    “It’s so wild and unlike anything else here,” explained DeFrancisco. “A half-improv and half-scripted show where the audience plays a critical part. It’s really invigorating to think that comedy and art are really thriving under our roof, and we’re so motivated to keep creating joy for everyone.”

    For more information, visit nesttheatre.com.

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    Walker Evans
    Walker Evanshttps://columbusunderground.com
    Walker Evans is the co-founder of Columbus Underground, along with his wife and business partner Anne Evans. Walker has turned local media into a full time career over the past decade and serves on multiple boards and committees throughout the community.
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