Nashville Improv Community

Last Tuesday night I had the honor of performing with three other improv groups in Nashville at Zanies. The line-up was Nashville Improv Company, Sprocket Improv, LOL!Nashville, and Tongue N Cheek Improv (or TNC as their fan page bills them). It was a super fun night and it was very nice to get together with some improvisers who I hadn't really gotten a chance to talk to before. Also we all brought in a lot of people and started practically zero fires, so we'll probably be invited back!

Nashville is known primarily for its music scene, but improv and live theater have really been coming alive there in the past few years. I've only really been a part of the scene since 2012 but it's been rapidly expanding even since then. We went from only having a few groups who would perform shows somewhat erratically to having at least six troupes performing regularly all around town. It might not sound like much if you're already in an improv mecca like Chicago, but it sure does feel like some really great progress to me.

The most important thing about this Zanies show is what it did to actually put a bunch of Nashville improvisers in the same place. Groups have been holding improv jams together and hosting groupwork and teaching classes and we go to each other's shows, but there's a special bond that gets formed when you perform a set with a group of people. We're all so busy with our lives outside of improv and our own specific groups that it's tough to make it to many other events in a week. Not to mention there's a much different vibe when you're in a venue representing your improv troupe and not just yourself.

Maybe last Tuesday was the first step we needed to take towards getting a Nashville Improv Festival off the ground. I sure hope so, because I know that our community has a lot to offer the rest of Nashville and each other. I think 2015 is the year we get on the same page and really become a scene worthy of an arts-town like Nashville.