88improv is a professional improv comedy team established in 2003. With over 45 years combined experience, 88improv is dedicated to raising the bar of comedy with their signature style of “smart. clean. comedy!”

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The Team

	Steve Hydeen (Co-Founder) values the extreme trust and love it takes for an ensemble to create great spontaneous theatre. He is a founding member of 88improv, and also co-founded the Buffalo Show improv team. Steve has toured with Northwestern College’s professional touring ensemble as an actor and improviser, and has been an eager student of the art form since the mid ‘90’s. With a B.A. in Theatre, “Steve has served as 88improv’s artistic director and is currently serving as the team’s resident “Tall Guy."
	Sarah Kennedy (Co-Founder) loves improv because it is a new challenge and a thrill every time. She has worked with Comedy Sportz’ Rebecca Hanson, award winning acting coach Karen Barker, and Dan Castellaneta (the voice of Homer Simpson). She has performed across the country with various theatre companies and received her B.A. in Theatre from Northwestern College. Sarah is the team’s current President.
	Corinne Mings has an unquenchable love of all things theatre. She joined the team in 2005 and brings with her a varied theatrical background. With a degree in Theatre and English, Corinne has performed with the Black V, co-created Rush: a student dance concert, toured nationally with Northwestern College’s Touring Ensemble, and worked as a technician at the Santa Fe Opera.
	Nate Schoenfeld (Co-Founder) believes "improv is just like life, and life is funny. Improv is the extreme sport of theatre. There are no scripts, props or blocking, nothing to keep you from getting burned except the mutual trust between the performers, and that’s a rush.” Also a founding member of 88improv, Nate trained for five years at Northwestern College as a theatre arts student and is the current Artistic Director for 88improv and is pioneering 88i’s improv teaching curriculum.
	Timothy Schoenfeld (Co-Founder) feels there is nothing more exhilarating than performing improv. He has performed professionally throughout the Midwest with the Buffalo Show improv team and with Northwestern College's touring ensemble improv team. He has also performed with the Black V improv team, the Row Boat Pirates.
	Solomon Davis (Retired) joined the team with Cori in 2005. He has since moved on to pursue other opportunities and is no longer performing with 88improv on a regular basis. He is a talented artist and we wish him the best of luck and look forward to working with him in the future.
	You (Our Fans) make up the most important part of the improv team. Improv is a unique form of theatre in that it is only complete while it is being created. Plays and movies are written, produced and then presented in a completed form to the audience, for any audience. Improv, however, is written, produced and presented with the audience. The most exiting and truly magical improv experience is being part of that single moment in time when the performer and the audience witness the creation of art and life that is improv.

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Behind the Scenes

Misty Jung (Co-Founder) is the day-to-day business and booking manager for 88improv. A business major with a love for theatre, music and improv, Misty is living her dream by, “taking care of the business so the performers are free to create beautiful art.” She has also served as president for the team along with the ongoing responsibility of team mother (though she is not that old).

Luck Hepner provides technical support and equipment for 88improv and is a skilled director and operates his own video production company.

Colin Doughan (Co-Founder) is involved with planning long-term goals for 88improv along with general business and creative consulting. Along with all the brains and fancy graph making, Colin still finds time to do some of the grunt work for the 88improv, such as take tickets, move heavy objects and clean up after the shows.

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The Story of 88improv

In the fall of 2002, brothers Nate and Tim were driving along Interstate 88 having just attended a concert and an improv show. They were not new to improv and were theatre artists by education; this got them talking. During the car ride it was decided that improv could be done in Omaha, NE that was just as good, if not better than what they had seen in Chicago.

Taking the name of the toll-way that had robed them of their buck-fifty, Nate and Tim decided on the name 88improv*. The winter was spent rounding up some of their most talented colleges including Colin and Misty whose combined business savvy helped solidify the groundwork for the team. Sarah and Steve were quickly brought on board to round out the talented performing foursome.

In September of 2003 88improv debuted in Omaha at the Stage Right Coffee & Tea Co. on 16th and Harney. From that first nervous show 88improv continued making comedy happen all over the Midwest for thousands of lucky people. They quickly began performing around the metro area at many different venues such as The Rock, The Millinium Theatre, The Meeting Place and can still be seen at The Grande Olde Players Theatre, The Music Plex and Mick’s Music & Bar. For a current performance schedule, click here.

88improv has also been busy performing privately for corporate events, Holiday parties, fundraisers, school functions, Church and social gatherings. Some of their clients include Lockeed Martin, 1st National Bank, PayPal (an EBay Company) and more.

In the Fall of 2005 88improv expanded its ranks to include the talented and funny Corinne and Solomon. Today, the future is looking bright as 88improv continues to bringing one-of-a-kind comedy to the masses.

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88improv.com is made possible through the efforts of:
Kenneth Anderson
All Photos by Doug Burg

If you are writing a story about 88improv please visit the Press Room page.

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* Officially spelled with no space between the 88 and the improv. It is also NOT “improv 88,” as some people mistakenly say. This is a conscious decision because “improv 88” sounds like a class, “Algebra 101,” instead of “88improv.” It comes with a certain intrigue and mystery…it's grownup.

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info@88improv.com