Tara's Info
Tara DeFrancisco believes in the power of connection & collaboration of improvisation on a cellular level. They are 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). Tara is a lauded performer for The Nest Theatre, iO Chicago, Second City, & ComedySportz, as well as a teacher/past designer of the highest levels for iO Chicago. As an instructor, Tara is honored to be brought all over the world for her bohemian yet professional approach to scenework - leading organic Harold, sketch revue creation, duoprov, musical work, stand-up clinics, and more. Most notably, her greatest love is “HERE: The (Improvised) Musical” – a two person improvisational show called “Nothing Short of Genius” from NPR and rated all 4 stars by the Chicago Tribune; HERE been brought to 24 countries and 85+ cities worldwide to headline. One of the best things she’s ever made with her friends is The Improv Retreat, an event gathering hundreds of US/international improvisers each year for a sleepaway conference with teachers from multiple cities to celebrate their craft, brainstormed and founded in 2012, now many years running. Additionally – She is the Co-Founder, Artistic Director, instructor & mainstage performer for beloved The Nest Theatre (CBus, 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 underamplified in the arts (LGBTIQ, BIPOC, persons with disabilities, vets, and those over 65). She is an esteemed educator who has created curriculum for theatres all over the world, including all mentioned above, and also a liaison on Ethics implementation in artistic homes. She is pleased to be a Guest Professor to the Ohio University School of Performance (Athens), as well as an Adjunct Professor of Acting for Animation at Columbus College of Art & Design. 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 + Times of An Unhappily Married Man), on Internet Game Show (One Hot Dollar), and here and there in television (ABC Family, LOGO TV). She believes in that the tenets of improvisation & vulnerability of comedy are transformational and life-changing, and hopes she gets to share the joy it has brought her with you.Tara is the co-owner of The Nest Theatre in Columbus, Ohio - the "Cheers" of improv, sketch, and experimental theatre in the heart of downtown. She and her partner Rance Rizzutto are the founders of the first improv theatre in the city. She enjoys dual-residency between Ohio and Illinois and travels throughout the year to tour HERE, teach, and film various projects. She is also the president of her favorite feat The Improv Retreat, celebrating it's fourth year of 150 humans celebrating improv, in the woods of Wisconsin/Michigan at an overnight summer camp.
http://taradefrancisco.com
http://HEREtheMusical.com
http://nesttheatre.com (most current)
http://theimprovretreat.com (current)
For more info: http://taradefrancisco.com / taraandrance.com