The Basement

Founding (2004)

JStar, a Sandy Springs native who trained at iO Chicago, The Annoyance, UCB, The Groundlings, and Loose Moose Theatre after discovering improv in 2000 through Tommy Futch at Laughing Matters and Dad's Garage, assembled a group of Atlanta improvisers in the early 2000s. In April 2004 the collective claimed an empty basement in a Buckhead office building off Roswell Road and opened to an audience. The theatre billed itself as Atlanta's only dedicated improv comedy institution in the Buckhead area willing to train performers at any experience level.

Programming and Training

The Basement presented short-form improv games and Harold-based long-form sets through the 2000s and into the 2010s, with Thursday through Saturday evening performances. A four-level training curriculum ran in eight-week class sessions, from introductory to advanced, alongside an Improv Boot Camp intensive format. The theatre also developed a repertoire of specialty shows including Funyuns and Flagons, an improvised Dungeons and Dragons format, and G-rated family performances alongside adult late-night sets.

Spontaneous Combustion Atlanta (2009)

In 2009 JStar and producer Becky Brett Caldwell launched Spontaneous Combustion Atlanta, an annual March festival hosted at the Buckhead space. Over its run the festival brought nationally recognized instructors and ensembles from across North America to Atlanta, including Dave Razowsky, Joe Bill, Jill Bernard, Larry Joe Campbell, Nyima Funk, Frank Caeti, and Will Luera. The tenth edition of the festival, Spon Com X, ran in April 2019.

Closure

The Basement Theatre closed after 2019. Yelp listed the venue as permanently closed as of its December 2025 update. No public announcement of the closure date has been located.

The Basement Theatre combined short-form improv games with Harold-based long-form performance under JStar's direction. The school's programming philosophy drew on training JStar received at Chicago's major improv institutions, translated into a four-level curriculum that served Atlanta performers from first-timers through advanced ensemble work. The company's annual Spontaneous Combustion Atlanta festival connected Atlanta's improv community to the national scene.