Minneapolis’ HUGE Improv Theater to close in October

HUGE Improv Theater, the Minneapolis company that has provided a home for improvisational comedy in the state for 19 years even as it gained a national reputation and helped scores of performers discover their funny bone, is closing at the end of October.

Theater officials shared the news late Thursday with stakeholders in a private Facebook group. HUGE, which stands for Hey U Get Entertainment, is dissolving because of dire financial straits after moving last fall into a $2.4 million home on Lyndale Avenue, Board Chair Amy Derwinski said Friday. HUGE has faced unexpected expenses that pushed it to the brink.

She pointed to a surprise $250,000 relocation of the company’s heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system mandated by the city of Minneapolis. “Because of the move from the HVAC, we lost an additional teaching space that hurt us financially,” Derwinski said.

Additionally, an art supply store that was a tenant moved out unexpectedly, depriving the company of rental income.

HUGE has raised funds through grants, loans and various fundraisers. A campaign in May hauled in $100,000, for example. But the efforts were not enough, Derwinski said.

“What would save us would be if someone stepped forward with a $2 million check, no joke,” she added.

The shutdown comes after leadership turmoil at the company spilled into public view. In August, co-founder Butch Roy and artistic director Becky Hauser abruptly resigned.

Much beloved in the niche world of improv theater, HUGE has its own lane in a performing arts ecology that includes comedy, straight plays and musicals. Minnesota’s most venerable comedy shop is the Brave New Workshop, whose sketch comedy is scripted and rehearsed. While improv performers also rehearse and practice, they earn their laughs entirely on the fly.

“HUGE created a community where we were allowed to build out what improv could be,” said Mike Fotis, who co-founded HUGE in 2005 and would later go on to help build Strike Theater. “It’s a home where you could work and experiment on different types of shows in a theater space instead of in bars and coffee shops. That grew improv in the city and gave us a reputation on par with bigger cities like Chicago or L.A.”

The company also gained a global reputation. Co-founder Jill Bernard has performed in Europe, South America, Australia and New Zealand.

Many diehards are tied in knots over the impending loss of HUGE. Joy Dolo, a noted Twin Cities performer and podcaster, earned her improvisational sea legs there.

“When I first started doing improv, I was so scared and terrified,” Dolo said. “HUGE provided this place where anyone who wanted to hone their skills could show up, watch rehearsals, join a team and jump into a show.”

The theater has a full calendar of shows through closing, including “The Doldrums,” a pirate-themed comedy that opens Friday, and “Star Trek: The Next Improvisation,” which opens Saturday.

Previous versions of this story misidentified the theater in a photo.