Villain Theater's Big Move
Donation protected
FUNDRAISER ENDS OCTOBER 1ST!!!
Since our inception, VILLAIN Theater ’s goal has been to become a home for South Florida comedy. Thanks to our incredible fans we’ve had enormous success at our test site. The outpouring of love and support from the South Florida community has been inspiring, and now the time has come to move to our very own space in the heart of Little Haiti! We always dreamed of the day when we could have a permanent space and become a fixture in South Florida. Everything we do is with that goal in mind, and now it’s finally happening.
We’ve secured a long-term lease in our new space and are making a big commitment to building a comedy community in Miami. Construction is underway on the stage and lighting in the new space. We’ve accomplished a lot so far, but now we are asking for help from our community. We’re able to get most of the work done thanks to our amazing fans and supporters, but need your help to finish it.
In order to make our space amazing and accessible, we want to install a gender neutral ADA-compliant handicap accessible bathroom and sound proof walls to enclose the theater space.
Who We Are
Villain Theater opened with just eight students in May 2015 at Improv South Miami, With the help of our amazingly supportive South Florida improv scene partners, Just The Funny, Sick Puppies, and Cage Free Humans, we started performing at different venues in Miami before moving into the coworking space, Made At The Citadel, in August 2015. Less than a year later, we have over 160 students and alumni, bringing in audiences five nights a week with shows including Teatro Villano: Impro en Español, TGIF: Sketch & Improv Comedy, Distilled Opera and Saturday Gigantic and our training center offers improv acting, sketch, and video programs.
Villain strives to better the community around them by collaborating with local organizations and small businesses including The Prism Music Group, Halcyon Builders, Reach Design Co., Roots Collective, Distilled Opera, and FEAST Miami.
We have held fundraising and outreach events such as Women in Comedy: A Love Letter To Myself, a women’s networking event and all-female comedy show that raised money for the Chicago based organization, Women in Comedy, which strives to empower and connect women. More recently, Villain Theater’s YAAAS! partnered with Miami’s LGBTQIA+ talent for a benefit showcase, No Fear, We’re Queer, to raise funds for the victims of the Pulse shooting in Orlando, Florida.
We have also brought top comedy talent from around the country to offer affordable workshops to the community and perform on the Villain stage:
Cesar Jaime, iO performer for over 15 years who was directed by Del Close in the first graduation class to have an actual run of shows, and Timmy Mayse, known as a performer in improv groups that include DeepSchwa and Baby Wants Candy, offered workshops and performed at Villain Theater’s inaugural Saturday Gigantic in August 2015.
Mick Napier, Second City director and owner/ director of The Annoyance Theater in Chicago and New York who trained industry greats such as Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, and Bob Odenkirk, offered a three hour workshop with 100 students at Villain Theater and performed on two show nights. His touring improv team, Trigger Happy, accompanied him and also performed on the Villain stage.
TJ Jagodowski, known for his work on Sonic commercials and The Wizard Of Oz, and Dave Pasquesi, known for his work on The Da Vinci Code and Veep, were recently brought down from Chicago. Together, they are known as TJ & Dave and are often cited as the "best improvisers in the world.” Their show was sold out months in advance and their workshop brought in improvisers and actors from across South Florida.
For Villain Theater’s one-year anniversary in August 2016, one of the most respected names in improv, Jimmy Carrane from Improv Nerd will bring his podcast to the Villain stage to interview Villain Theater Artistic Director, Jeff Quintana. His previous interviews have included improv giants Jon Favreau, Nia Vardalos, and Cecily Strong. He will also offer a workshop at Villain Theater that is open to the public.
Villain Theater has been featured in multiple publications including The New Tropic, Miami New Times, and Tropicult . Miami New Times has covered Women in Comedy: A Love Letter to Myself, Mick Napier at Villain Theater , and No Fear, We’re Queer, and in June 2016, Miami New Times crowned Villain Theater "Best New Theater ."
Our professional company is comprised of over 35 actors who rehearse and perform weekly, as well as 160 students who are the future of Miami comedy. The diverse cast and students are comprised of people from all walks of life and professions, showcasing our motto that Improv is for Everyone. The training center curriculum is based on a mix of the best of Chicago-style improv training, culminating in Villain’s own unique approach to improvisational acting and sketch. The Villain curriculum consists of five levels that teach improv, sketch writing, acting, video sketch, and directing. We also have started the Villain Theater Comedy Network on YouTube that produces professional video sketches and filmed improv shows.
Our mission at Villain Theater is to build a supportive, inclusive, and diverse comedy community, create the highest quality theater through our training and performance program, and produce theater that is affordable and accessible for South Florida.
Since our inception, VILLAIN Theater ’s goal has been to become a home for South Florida comedy. Thanks to our incredible fans we’ve had enormous success at our test site. The outpouring of love and support from the South Florida community has been inspiring, and now the time has come to move to our very own space in the heart of Little Haiti! We always dreamed of the day when we could have a permanent space and become a fixture in South Florida. Everything we do is with that goal in mind, and now it’s finally happening.
We’ve secured a long-term lease in our new space and are making a big commitment to building a comedy community in Miami. Construction is underway on the stage and lighting in the new space. We’ve accomplished a lot so far, but now we are asking for help from our community. We’re able to get most of the work done thanks to our amazing fans and supporters, but need your help to finish it.
In order to make our space amazing and accessible, we want to install a gender neutral ADA-compliant handicap accessible bathroom and sound proof walls to enclose the theater space.
Who We Are
Villain Theater opened with just eight students in May 2015 at Improv South Miami, With the help of our amazingly supportive South Florida improv scene partners, Just The Funny, Sick Puppies, and Cage Free Humans, we started performing at different venues in Miami before moving into the coworking space, Made At The Citadel, in August 2015. Less than a year later, we have over 160 students and alumni, bringing in audiences five nights a week with shows including Teatro Villano: Impro en Español, TGIF: Sketch & Improv Comedy, Distilled Opera and Saturday Gigantic and our training center offers improv acting, sketch, and video programs.
Villain strives to better the community around them by collaborating with local organizations and small businesses including The Prism Music Group, Halcyon Builders, Reach Design Co., Roots Collective, Distilled Opera, and FEAST Miami.
We have held fundraising and outreach events such as Women in Comedy: A Love Letter To Myself, a women’s networking event and all-female comedy show that raised money for the Chicago based organization, Women in Comedy, which strives to empower and connect women. More recently, Villain Theater’s YAAAS! partnered with Miami’s LGBTQIA+ talent for a benefit showcase, No Fear, We’re Queer, to raise funds for the victims of the Pulse shooting in Orlando, Florida.
We have also brought top comedy talent from around the country to offer affordable workshops to the community and perform on the Villain stage:
Cesar Jaime, iO performer for over 15 years who was directed by Del Close in the first graduation class to have an actual run of shows, and Timmy Mayse, known as a performer in improv groups that include DeepSchwa and Baby Wants Candy, offered workshops and performed at Villain Theater’s inaugural Saturday Gigantic in August 2015.
Mick Napier, Second City director and owner/ director of The Annoyance Theater in Chicago and New York who trained industry greats such as Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, and Bob Odenkirk, offered a three hour workshop with 100 students at Villain Theater and performed on two show nights. His touring improv team, Trigger Happy, accompanied him and also performed on the Villain stage.
TJ Jagodowski, known for his work on Sonic commercials and The Wizard Of Oz, and Dave Pasquesi, known for his work on The Da Vinci Code and Veep, were recently brought down from Chicago. Together, they are known as TJ & Dave and are often cited as the "best improvisers in the world.” Their show was sold out months in advance and their workshop brought in improvisers and actors from across South Florida.
For Villain Theater’s one-year anniversary in August 2016, one of the most respected names in improv, Jimmy Carrane from Improv Nerd will bring his podcast to the Villain stage to interview Villain Theater Artistic Director, Jeff Quintana. His previous interviews have included improv giants Jon Favreau, Nia Vardalos, and Cecily Strong. He will also offer a workshop at Villain Theater that is open to the public.
Villain Theater has been featured in multiple publications including The New Tropic, Miami New Times, and Tropicult . Miami New Times has covered Women in Comedy: A Love Letter to Myself, Mick Napier at Villain Theater , and No Fear, We’re Queer, and in June 2016, Miami New Times crowned Villain Theater "Best New Theater ."
Our professional company is comprised of over 35 actors who rehearse and perform weekly, as well as 160 students who are the future of Miami comedy. The diverse cast and students are comprised of people from all walks of life and professions, showcasing our motto that Improv is for Everyone. The training center curriculum is based on a mix of the best of Chicago-style improv training, culminating in Villain’s own unique approach to improvisational acting and sketch. The Villain curriculum consists of five levels that teach improv, sketch writing, acting, video sketch, and directing. We also have started the Villain Theater Comedy Network on YouTube that produces professional video sketches and filmed improv shows. Our mission at Villain Theater is to build a supportive, inclusive, and diverse comedy community, create the highest quality theater through our training and performance program, and produce theater that is affordable and accessible for South Florida.
Organizer
Peter Mir
Organizer
Miami, FL