23_HERE the improvised musical_Main Image
HERE: The (Improvised) Musical
HERE: THE (IMPROVISED) MUSICAL (Columbus, OH) is one of the most celebrated shows globally in the artform. HERE is the original two-person improvised musical with Tara DeFrancisco and Rance Rizzutto. Chicago Tribune Critic-Recommended (the highest-ranked improv show), Chicago Sun Times “Not to Be Missed,” and deemed “Nothing Short of Genius” by NPR, this show has been brought to 24 countries and 80+ cities worldwide so far. HERE is known for two residencies in two theatres: iO Chicago in Illinois, and The Nest Theatre in Columbus, OH, as a featured mainstage act around ongoing tours. In HERE, Tara and Rance get one suggestion to create a theme through an opening number, design characters and storylines inspired by that theme, and effortlessly weave the strings together to discover one piece. Funny, beautiful, and charming, HERE “has shown something new and amazing is possible in improvisation” and has been called "groundbreaking" by audiences around the globe.
The Cast
Tara DeFrancisco
Rance Rizzutto
TARA DEFRANCISCO is a veteran performer of 6000+ shows on multiple world-renowned stages, including The Second City (TourCo, Dysfunctional Holiday Revue, Mainstage/etc), ComedySportz (Chicago + CBus ensembles and AD), and iO Chicago (Chaos Theory, The DelTones, defrancisCo, Armando, & HERE). HERE: The (Improvised) Musical has been called “Nothing Short of Genius” from NPR and rated 4 stars by The Chicago Tribune, and has been brought to 24 countries and 80+ cities worldwide to headline. Additionally, she is the Co-Founder, Artistic Director, instructor, and mainstage performer for beloved The Nest Theatre (Columbus, OH), a leading performance & educational community in Ohio, producing 35+ original mainstage shows and teams year-round, a space with active COE & "no-paperwork" scholarships for those under-amplified in the arts (LGBTQIA, BIPOC, persons with disabilities, vets, and those over 65). As an artist, you may also hear her in voiceovers (Sirius, Rocky Rococo, Crocs, 7 Little Johnstons), in commercials or industrials (Sheetz, Dish TV, Vegas.com, US Cellular, Sears, SunTrust), in movies (The Life and Death of An Unhappily Married Man), on Internet Game Shows (One Hot Dollar), and here and there in television (ABC Family, LOGO TV).
RANCE RIZZUTTO has been professionally improvising since 1999 on stages all around the world. Starting in Portland, OR, with ComedySportz, Rance soon found his calling as a mainstage performer after a big move to Chicago to work professionally in improvisation. He has performed in multiple tours with Second City Theatricals aboard Norwegian Cruise Lines, heading to Hawaii, the Caribbean, and multiple countries throughout Europe. In Chicago, he most connected with iO Theatre, where he became an adored mainstage performer and host featured on such beloved teams as Chaos Theory, The Deltones, Armando – and later, the lauded two-person touring duo, HERE: The (Improvised) Musical. He is the Co-Founder, Training Center Director, instructor & mainstage performer at revered The Nest Theatre in Columbus, OH. He is a mainstay at The Improv Retreat, a summit running for hundreds each year to invite adults to reinvigorate their joy for the arts. In addition to his hosting hundreds of live industrials, you can catch him on an internet game show (One Hot Dollar), and you may have seen Rance in television commercials for Hewlitt Packard or Sears, or heard his voice in animated commercials for Sears as well (as a bear, in case you’re wondering).
More Festival Performances
Festival Workshops
Dive into your own spontaneity with Sarasota Improv Festival Workshops! Our offerings allow you to learn from the experts with intimate trainings led by Festival artists from across the country and around the world. Featuring workshops in a wide range of improvisational styles and techniques, there is something for improvisers of all experience levels at the 2023 Sarasota Improv Fest. All workshops take place Saturday, July 22.
