Hoping to have the last laugh
While New Orleans is considered a hub for food and music, the same cannot yet be said for comedy. The New Movement (TNM) is a shining exception. Founders Chris Trew and Tami Nelson met in 2004 while taking classes, and before long the two crafted a dream to run their own comedy club. They felt there was enough local talent and energy that young comedians shouldn’t have to run away to Chicago or New York to carve out a career.
The flood following Hurricane Katrina put their plans on hold and landed them in Austin, Texas, where they began building their New Movement empire, eventually opening a theater there and helping start partner theaters in Houston and Dallas. Finally, in 2012, they returned to NOLA and joined forces with local sketch and improv troupe Stupid Time Machine to fulfill their long-held dream: an improv school and comedy theater in their home city. Located in the Marigny, they offer classes, give workshops, and have performances throughout the week, such as the Megaphone Show, Saturday’s marquee event featuring local celebrity guests. The New Movement also hosts the annual Hell Yes Fest, a two-week comedy festival.
Info
Address 2706 St. Claude Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70117, +1 512.788.2669, www.newmovementtheater.com | Hours Check the performance calendar at www.newmovementtheater.com/calendar-new-orleans| Tip Sharing upstairs space with New Movement is Dynamo, an independent, female-run, female-friendly adult boutique. Their goal is to promote happy, healthy sexuality through education, community outreach, and high-quality, body-safe products. Dynamo’s staff will also come to your home or hotel for a private Dynamo party, which offers an introduction to sex toys, as well as a basic anatomy lesson and tips for better sex.
If you attend a show, don’t expect to see the typical routines and common “game-based improv,” as seen on TV shows like Whose Line Is It Anyway? TNM espouses a wildly organic type of improv where comedians build off of one another’s riffs and reactions. They also offer sketch and stand-up, and sometimes host visiting national acts.
The New Movement produced a film documenting the club’s ongoing Air Sex competitions. It’s like air guitar, only rather than pretending to play an invisible Fender, the performer has wild sex (thankfully fully clothed) by themselves with an utterly imaginary partner. Air Sex could well break out any night you’re there.
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