A new improv comedy theater has opened its doors in Fort Thomas with a mission to help people reconnect with their creativity and community.
Improv Northern Kentucky, or INK, officially opened this May and now offers improv classes, workshops, corporate events and performances. INK serves communities in Campbell, Kenton and Boone counties from its new space at 8 North Center for the Arts, 8 N Ft Thomas Ave.
“This is a welcoming third space for people of all ages to enjoy,” said Charley Roetting, one of the INK co-founders. “We know the value that improv brings to people’s lives, and we wanted to make improv accessible to anyone interested here. It’s not about becoming famous. It’s about creating a space where people are encouraged, accepted and inspired.”
Roetting, along with the other INK co-founder Warren Bryson and INK Leadership Council members Bethany Pike and Derek Shipman, has roots in the region. All four attended Northern Kentucky University years ago and noticed the absence of improv in Northern Kentucky. The team, who collectively bring 50 years of improv experience, started talking years ago about changing that deficiency. But as other career opportunities pulled them in various directions, the improv scene for Greater Cincinnati remained north of the Ohio River.
This spring, Roetting and Bryson decided to formally bring improv to Northern Kentucky. With support from Pike and Shipman, INK was incorporated May 28 and held its first event June 18 at Fort Thomas Coffee.
With the Fort Thomas historic theater as its home base, INK offers four course levels for improv classes: Improv Fundamentals 101, Character & Game 201, Advanced Scene Work 301 and Advanced Performance 401. The improv comedy theater will host live comedy shows, community jams and youth improv programs as well as corporate events. Additionally INK produces The Made-Up Movie Players shows throughout the year.
During the month of October, INK is producing MUMPs: The Made-Up Halloween Horror. Every Thursday and Friday in October, eight paid improv performers will put on the improvised cinematic show that’s led by audience suggestions and classic horror tropes with each show being unique to the audience that evening.
INK will produce MUMPs: The Made-Up Holiday Classic in December. Each production will feature a newly assembled cast, creating new opportunities for those in the community to audition throughout the year.
“Hosting seasonal shows is a great way for new people to experience INK,” said Roetting. “But it’s just scratching the surface of what INK aims to achieve.”
Roetting says INK will produce podcasts, sketches, live streams and media production.
“Bringing improv to Northern Kentucky is so important because of the ripple effect improv has on your life and on the community at large,” said Pike. “Improv improves your confidence, emotional intelligence, communication skills, creativity and adaptability. It extends far beyond the stage.”
For its leadership team, INK means building a community where beginners feel comfortable, artists feel inspired, students feel supported and audiences feel included.