The Hashtag Comedy Co. stage will welcome ROT Improvisational Comedy Group on the first Saturday of every month beginning this weekend. Credit: Avery Caudill | Lantern Reporter
Ohio State improv comedy alumni group ROT has found a new home in Columbus’ Short North Arts District.
ROT Improvisational Comedy Group, which is exclusively made up of Ohio State alumni who previously participated in the on-campus organization Fishbowl Improv, is furthering its mission of spreading laughter in Columbus. ROT’s new “home base” will be Hashtag Comedy Co., which borders Ohio State’s campus in the Short North; on the first Saturday of every month, the troupe will perform as part of a new entertainment series titled “Saturdays with ROT,” according to Hashtag’s website.
“Saturdays with ROT” will be “dark, whimsy and generally PG-13,” Katie Drown, a ROT performer and 2014 Ohio State alum, said.
Landing a residency as an improv group can be tricky and unpredictable, which Drown said made Hashtag’s offer much more meaningful for the group’s members. While improv thrives off the unexpected, she said having the comfort of a permanent space still feels exciting.
“We don’t have an easy home,” Drown said. “For an indie group, you have to find a good venue and you have to find a venue that’s able to host you regularly. So, for us to get a Saturday night at this space, it’s really special.”
Nick Navaratnam, a ROT performer and 2013 Ohio State alum, said ROT’s occupationally diverse ensemble — each of whom brings their own particular life experience to the stage — allows the troupe’s performances to offer a wide range of perspectives.
“All of us have careers that are completely separate from comedy,” Navaratnam said. “Hashtag is comprised of people that [work] at [Designer Shoe Warehouse], and [work] at Cardinal Health. Lawyers, doctors, all that kind of stuff. And [they] are still sharing those unique perspectives that you don’t necessarily get when you are 100% committed to being a performer and a comedian at all times.”
Hashtag co-owner and community outreach head Chris Heiberger said, for Hashtag, the decision to collaborate with ROT was an easy one.
“We all know who ROT is, everybody knows who ROT is,” Heiberger said. “They’re awesome, they’re fun, they’re super weird and just like a different spin on the traditional groups. And so knowing them the way we did, we definitely said, ‘You guys want to start doing a regular show here? We would love it.’”
For many members of ROT, Drown said this partnership is especially momentous because it represents the troupe stepping into a role many of the performers deeply admired when they were students.
“Back in the day, [Columbus] didn’t have local groups to perform and we were looking up to groups in Chicago,” Drown said. “To be [one of] these professional groups coming for these shows today is just really meaningful to us.”
Hashtag Comedy Co. hopes ROT’s routine showcases will help bring more foot traffic into its relatively new space, Heiberger said. Since ROT has a direct connection to the Ohio State community, Heiberger is optimistic about the group’s ability to bring in a campus audience as well as a downtown crowd.
“What they do for us is they bring a different crowd here, a different group of people we might not normally get, and they bring some super high-quality impromptu,” Heiberger said.
The troupe looks forward to performing in a facility specifically designed for comedy acts, Navaratnam said. He said this partnership was struck with the goal of strengthening the Columbus community scene as a whole.
“We’re happy to work with them because they’ve proven that they are here for the performers, and they’re here for the audiences and they really want to create this environment that’s going to move us forward as a community,” Navaratnam said.
ROT hopes its more permanent presence in the Short North will show those with a passion for improv that college doesn’t have to be where their comedic journey ends, Navaratnam said.
“You can find a way to perform, you can find a way to hone the craft, you can find a way to get the education that you need,” Navaratnam said. “And then after you graduate, there are still opportunities.”
Hashtag Comedy Co. will host its first “Saturdays with ROT” show from 7:30 to 9 p.m. on Saturday. Tickets are $15 and available for purchase via Eventbrite or at the door if not sold out online.
