The Nest Theatre

Founding (2016)

Tara DeFrancisco and Rance Rizzutto, both veterans of Chicago's iO Theater and The Second City training programs, founded Nest Theatre in Columbus, Ohio in November 2016. Drawing on their Chicago formation, they built a school and performance program centered on Harold-tradition long-form improv.

Programming

Nest Theatre runs a structured curriculum from introductory through advanced long-form levels, graduating students into house performance teams. Regular shows feature both house ensembles and visiting performers, establishing Nest as a significant hub for long-form improv in Central Ohio.

Nest Theatre brings Chicago-trained long-form methodology to Columbus through a structured curriculum and Harold-rooted performance program founded by iO and Second City alumni.

HERE: The (Improvised) Musical is the Nest Theatre's signature production, a two-person fully improvised musical play created by co-founders Tara DeFrancisco and Rance Rizzutto from a single audience suggestion. Named a Critic's Choice by the Chicago Tribune, rated A-LIST by the Chicago Sun-Times, and called 'Nothing Short of Genius' by NPR, the show has toured to more than 24 countries and 80 cities. The Nestival, running annually since March 2017 and described as the longest consistently running comedy festival in Ohio, brings improv ensembles from Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Nashville, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Dallas, and other cities across two weekends each spring, offering workshops alongside competitive and showcase performances. The company also programs 40 or more rotating shows per season spanning Chicago-style long-form, short-form, scripted sketch, stand-up, and musical formats.

The Nest Theatre was founded in November 2016 by Tara DeFrancisco and Rance Rizzutto, a husband-and-wife team who each spent more than a decade performing and teaching at iO Theater and The Second City in Chicago before returning to Columbus, DeFrancisco's hometown. Rizzutto had performed on the Second City mainstage aboard Norwegian Cruise Lines and at iO Chicago, and also served as a Guest Professor at Ohio University's School of Performance. DeFrancisco had accumulated more than 6,000 shows across iO, Second City, and ComedySportz stages before co-creating HERE: The (Improvised) Musical and founding The Improv Retreat in 2012, an annual gathering that now draws hundreds of improvisers each year. The Nest established itself as Columbus's first dedicated long-form improv training center, offering a four-level professional curriculum alongside hobbyist programs. The Nestival, which pivoted to become what the company describes as the first virtual improvisation festival in the world during 2020, has operated every year since 2017 as a not-for-profit event that pays small stipends to participating ensembles. HERE remains in residence at the Nest while continuing to tour internationally, giving Columbus a recurring world-class production with documented critical recognition from Chicago's most prominent outlets.