Vermont Comedy Arts has found a home. On Monday, executive director Natalie Miller announced that the nonprofit arm of Vermont Comedy Club will open a new theater at 118 Main Street in Burlington, just across the street from the club. The basement space formerly belonged to the Drink bar on St. Pau l Street, which closed in January. Miller, who cofounded the comedy club with her husband, Nathan Hartswick, in 2015, established Vermont Comedy Arts as a 501c3 nonprofit last November. Since then, it has focused on community engagement, local shows and educational programming, Miller said, but has lacked its own facility, operating instead from the comedy club and off-site venues. The move — which Miller hopes to finalize before the organization’s Big Pond Improv Festival next month — will give Vermont Comedy Arts room to expand its programming. Miller said the nonprofit’s main goal is to continue growing the local comedy scene by nurturing new acts and supporting performers who have experience but need more stage time. The comedy club is a for-profit business that largely books regional and national touring comics on weekends. That means local comedians, including standups and sketch and improv teams, are relegated to weeknight shows. With the new space, Miller said she wants to “send the local scene into hyperdrive.” In addition to a full slate of performances and classes, her plans for the organization include increasing financial accessibility to shows, providing scholarships and free summer camps for kids, and continuing youth programming year-round. “We have no shortage of ideas,” she said. The basement theater is “small, intimate and the perfect size,” Miller added. It will seat 30 to 40 people, compared to 140 at the comedy club. Perhaps the biggest difference: It won’t have a liquor license. Miller said that’s a deliberate choice to encourage audiences and performers alike to focus on the show rather than alcohol. It also makes a more welcoming environment for young comedians. “I’m excited to be able to do kids’ programming in a space without a bar,” Miller said. The post Vermont Comedy Arts to Open New Performance Space appeared first on Seven Days. ...read more read less