HUGE Theater

Founding (2009)

Jill Bernard founded HUGE Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 2009, establishing the first dedicated long-form improv venue in the Twin Cities. The company filled a gap in the Minneapolis arts ecology by providing a permanent home for long-form ensemble work and a structured training program for developing improvisers.

Growth and Festivals

HUGE became a hub for the Upper Midwest improv community, hosting the annual HUGE Improv Festival which brought national and international companies to Minneapolis. The training program grew to serve hundreds of students annually, and the company's house ensembles developed a distinctive Minneapolis voice in long-form performance.

Closure (2024)

HUGE Theater closed permanently in October 2024, citing financial pressures including rising operational costs and the lasting effects of the 2020-2021 pandemic closure period on its audience base and revenue. The closure ended fifteen years of operation as the Twin Cities' primary independent improv institution. Jill Bernard announced the closure in a public statement, noting the difficulty of sustaining a small performing arts organization in the post-pandemic landscape.

HUGE Theater was rooted in the Harold and long-form ensemble tradition, offering house team performances and training in Harold-based forms. The company distinguished itself through its festival programming and commitment to accessible training, with sliding-scale tuition and an inclusive recruitment model. HUGE functioned as both a performance venue and a community organization for Twin Cities improvisers.

HUGE Theater was founded in 2009 by Jill Bernard, one of the Twin Cities' most prominent improv practitioners and a nationally recognised solo improv performer, to give Minneapolis a dedicated long-form improv performance and training venue. Over fifteen years HUGE operated from its space at 3037 Lyndale Avenue South in Minneapolis, building a class programme that trained a generation of Minnesota improvisers and hosting annual improv festivals that connected the regional community to national performers and forms.

The theatre served as the primary institutional anchor for long-form improv in the Twin Cities throughout its existence, providing stage time for both emerging and established local performers and functioning as the main venue through which visiting instructors and troupes reached Minneapolis audiences. Financial pressures that had been building through the post-pandemic period proved insurmountable, and HUGE announced its permanent closure in October 2024 after fifteen years of operation. The closure left the Twin Cities without a standalone dedicated improv venue and prompted community conversations about sustainable models for independent improv theatres outside major coastal markets. ComedySportz Twin Cities, a franchise operation, remains active in the market.