This March/April, the Nestival Festival will be hosting teams from all over the nation in our space presenting their shows to improv lovers in Ohio! The festival shows will run Weds March 25 – April 5, week one (Weds-Sun) hosting headliners and out-of-town acts and 8 workshops, and the second weekend hosting more beloved Nest shows and our Troika 2026 Finals.
Everything will be hosted inside our beautiful, hip spaces – right on High St in Old North Columbus/Clintonville! The Nest itself has now grown into The Nest Theatre + Comedy Arts Center – hosting these stage and classroom spaces:
Nest Mainstage (75 seats, 1st floor/ADA – theatre seating)
Bluebird Studio (18 seats, 1st floor/ADA)
the Incubator (20 seats, 2nd floor – dedicated classroom / creative space)
the Birdhouse (36 seats, 2nd floor – beloved experimental stage)
in addition to these spaces:
Nest lobby (bar & concessions between Bluebird and Mainstage)
green room (backstage off Bluebird)
Roost Podcasting room (in green room)
upstairs backstage/hallway (around corner for Birdhouse stage)
The Nest Theatre opened in late 2016, and has been incredibly received by the general public and the artistic community. The Nest founders, Nest itself, and Nest shows have been featured in the following media so far: NPR, Chicago Tribune, NPR’s All Things Considered, Columbus Underground, 614 Magazine, Kool 101.7 FM, Experience Columbus, The Lantern, Columbus Moms Blog, Columbus Alive, The Reader, The Sun-Times, The Chicago Tribune, and a giant cover story in Columbus Dispatch and big feature in Columbus Monthly Magazine! The theatre is the only dedicated space in central Ohio for improv|sketch comedy|experimental theatre|standup|alt comedy, and hosts flagship shows & formal training center with Core Curriculum and Bliss Path Electives, an idea designed and led by two world-renowned performers and instructors in the artform – Tara DeFrancisco & Rance Rizzutto. The faculty is knowledgeable and welcoming – whether an instructor, house manager, or coach. The Nest community itself is loving, ethical, welcoming, artistically thriving, and fun. Want to know more about The Nest and regular shows/classes? Head to nesttheatre.com!
The Nestival has run since March 2017, the longest consistently running comedy festival in Ohio. In fact – in 2020, we pivoted quickly and went forward with a virtual festival, making The Nest’s Nestival the *first virtual improvisation festival* in the world! As the space is a not-for-profit that believes in sharing with artists, it exists as one of the only festivals bringing working artists to our city by giving small stipends + gifts to all participating teams. Join us for what is sure to be the biggest, funniest lovefest in Ohio – celebrating some of the greatest performers in the Midwest, East & West Coasts – from all over the US/Canada.
