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After returning from San Francisco with a Best of Fringe Festival Award for the original play Hamlet vs. Zombies, the crew at Springfield’s Skinny Improv will be getting another change of scenery. KSMU’s Matthew Barnes reports.
After spending several years in the quant little theater space at Park Central the Skinny Improv team will be moving to a different space. The troupe’s new home will be above Nonna’s Italian American Café. While the move seems sudden, front house manager for the Skinny Improv Angel Salvador says it’s necessary.
“We can still stay there but there is just too much maintenance to control. Like we had to raise money for an air conditioner and then we got that fixed. Then every time it rains the roof started leaking so we had to get money to get that fixed and then we got that fixed but it wasn’t fixed completely. So it just a really old building. I mean it’s a beautiful build and we can stay there and keep it up. But, cost effective wise it’s just moving into a better location,” says Salvador.
The new location will give the Skinny Improv more chances to experiment, according to owner Jeff Jenkins.
“You know we are starting our tenth year next year and I wanted to do something really different and kind of shake things up a little bit. And our lease is up and it came at a good time where this space was available. And we get to add food and alcohol and you know people can have a full meal before the show or eat after the show and it just for a much more all around entertainment experience,” says Jenkins.
With the move, Jenkins says the Skinny will be looking into branching out, possibly adding Thursday shows and movies.
“In the past we’ve done like a Mystery Science T heater 3000 thing which was we basically show bad movies and make fun of them. And we are going to start a monthly series that just features Nicolas Cage films. Basically we just show a Nicolas Cage film once a month and just make fun of it,” say Jenkins.
The smaller space will create a more intimate setting, seating about 80 people. The first show will take place at the new location October 14th. For KSMU News, I’m Matthew Barnes.