Taylor Bruneaux found stability and comfort in the most unscripted and seemingly unstable of places: improv comedy.
The social circle and affirming “yes and” principle upon which improv is built helped Bruneaux find her footing while overcoming the painful anxiety she was experiencing as a then-recent college graduate in Boston.
Fast forward a decade, and Bruneaux and her husband, Luke, are trying to share the transformative experience with others through their comedy theater, Kismet Improv.
“Comedy is a byproduct of improv, but it’s really about being vulnerable, learning how to listen and react,” Luke Bruneaux said.
The comedy can’t be discounted either, particularly when it comes to bringing in audience members for weekend shows. Kismet, which opened in September 2021, had a rough start thanks to a third wave of the pandemic that put performers and audiences on edge. A few early shows drew two people, leaving a sea of empty chairs that made the small, brick-walled room in Hope Artiste Village feel massive, Taylor Bruneaux recalled.
Now in its second year, Kismet has hit its stride, with a series of sold-out weekend shows and a 30-person roster of instructors and performers gracing the stage. A packed audience is a sure source of success for Taylor Bruneaux, not only for the money it brings in but for the reassurance that the hours she and her husband have poured into their passion are worth it.
Juggling owning a business with their own, full-time day jobs – Taylor Bruneaux works in marketing and Luke Bruneaux in data science, each for software companies in Boston – is a lot like an improv skit with constantly moving parts and quick thinking.
These are the skills they hope to share with others, and not just those aspiring to the stage. In fact, most of the students in the introductory classes have no interest in performing at all, though several have ended up doing it anyway. Instead, they come seeking social connections, or to improve their personal and professional communication, whether that be as a pediatrician (three of whom recently took a class) or a corporate executive.
Diversity of voices is central to Kismet’s mission, not just in the professional backgrounds or interests of students and performers but also their demographics. As longtime players and producers in the improv scenes in Chicago and Boston, Taylor and Luke Bruneaux were painfully aware of the lack of diversity among long-standing institutions.
To help break out of the white male mold that has dominated comedy theater, they don’t charge people of color who want to take the classes (typically $260 for an eight-week course).
Also, unlike the comedy theaters that the couple has worked with in the past, Kismet pays its performers, offering a cut of ticket sales to those who go on stage. This is why Kismet’s shows are $15 a ticket, rather than the $5 typical to other venues.
But Taylor Bruneaux promises it’s worth the extra money.
“This is high-quality improv,” she said.
In other words: “It’s funny, and makes you feel at ease.”
OWNERS: Taylor and Luke Bruneaux
TYPE OF BUSINESS: Live comedy theater
LOCATION: 1005 Main St., Pawtucket
EMPLOYEES: Seven
YEAR FOUNDED: 2021
ANNUAL SALES: WND