Statements

Mission

We heal, connect, and empower our community through improv.

-We teach and perform improv for people who have been historically excluded from improv, specifically BIPOC communities and People of the Global Majority, older adults, disabled communities, youth, and isolated/under-resourced communities.
-We teach improv classes and research the impact of improv practice on learning and teaching in education
-We teach improv classes which leverage the joyful and supportive nature of improv for wellness and therapeutic applications
-We bring improv classes and performances into spaces which could be positively impacted by improv

Background

Unscripted was born from the desire of Nashville's Third Coast Comedy Club co-founders Luke Watson and Scott Field to serve the community beyond performances in the club's theater. Emma Supica, an improviser and nonprofit arts educator in the community, signed on to serve as founding director of an organization which could deliver this vision. Supica dedicated her master's thesis to learn more about the impact of applied improv, and set out to build Unscripted. We are made of professional improvisers, people who have never improvised, and all those in between.

Improv is one of the uniquely American developed art forms, with roots in the 16th century Italian "commedia dell'arte." In 1930 Chicago, settlement worker Viola Spolin began using improvised theater games to have positive social/behavioral effect on children from immigrant and inner-city families. Since then, improvised theater (improv) has grown into a global art form, most often in the form of comedy. Applied improv, or using improv exercises and games for goals outside of performing on a stage, focuses on outcomes including therapeutic, self-expression, team building, and more.

Currently, improv in America is largely a "play to play" art form, and the majority of improvisers in the US are white men. Making improv a more accessible and available art form to everyone who has been excluded from improv is a central value in all our programs.

Impact

Since 2017, Unscripted has grown substantially each year with a largely volunteer admin team. In our 6th year, we have entered a new phase of growth and are excited to grow our team with paid part time administrative employees. We have always remained committed to paying contract teaching artists a highly competitive rate, and are committed to a living wage for all employees.

In FY 2023, we taught improv to almost 3,000 people: 93% of whom had never improvised before, and over 75% of whom participated in our program at no cost.

In October 2022, Unscripted was awarded the CNM Salute to Excellence "New Generations" award for our Third Beat: Improv for Older Adults program.

Needs

Unscripted is in search of reciprocal, healthy partnerships for our programs. Organizations that wish to include improv as a part of their program, as an educational or wellness activity, may contact us through our website. We have identified diversity and inclusion as a high priority for the organization as we grow, so we need volunteers and leadership which will contribute to this priority.

Service Categories
Primary Category:	Arts, Culture & Humanities  - Theater
Secondary Category:	-
Tertiary Category:	-

Areas Served

Unscripted primarily serves Nashville and the metro area around Nashville, with occasional and limited travel to other parts of Tennessee and the Southeast Region.

TN - Davidson