Springfield Improv Will Close its Doors Indefinitely

The Springfield Improv announced that it is now closing for the foreseeable future due to the health crisis, Springfield News-Leader reports.

"There's not a safe way for us to do it, both for our audience or our performers," said owner Seth White. "Every person, every business is going through this process of how do we change, how do we adapt to what is a new reality for all of us?"

The improv company was renting its space, so it is unclear what will be done with the building in the future.

Over 100 people have performed with the group, and over 300 students have taken classes as part of its training program.

"They were all based on the idea of improvisation, so they involved a lot of input from the audience and a lot of audience participation," White said. "It was all stuff made up on the spot. Our big thing was to have that immediate moment and connection with our audience and our performers."

White said the performers will continue to do online shows from time to time, and the company will continue to offer corporate training.

"This is a sad moment," he said. "We are sorry to be shutting down the theater."

Read more on Springfield News-Leader.