The popular Atlanta restaurant Einstein’s closed in 2021 after 30 years in business. But you might not know that 30 years ago this year, the Midtown haunt played a hand in the formation of a different Atlanta staple.
“I found Whole World through a friend of mine who worked in the kitchen at Einstein’s on Juniper,” said Chip Powell, a founding member of Whole World Improv and its current artistic director. “He said, ‘There’s this group that’s doing improv. It’s just workshops, but you might want to go down and have some fun. They’re trying to start a theater company.’”
When Whole World began in 1994, the troupe performed at different venues around the city, including operating out of a pool hall at one point, before finding themselves at 1216 Spring Street, where they remain to this day.
Before Whole World began in earnest, David Webster – the group’s original artistic director – was living with founding member Emily Russell and her now-husband. He and Russell were friends in college, and he had taken some classes at Second City and had been promptly bitten by the improv bug.
The problem? At the time, there weren’t a ton of places to do improv in Atlanta. Webster decided to take matters into his own hands and do a workshop, according to Russell.
“We were at the mercy of the world telling us when we were going to work,” said Russell, who is now the group’s managing director. “Rather than waiting, we thought let’s do our own thing.”
In those early days, just getting by was a struggle. Everyone was young, and no one had much money. According to Russell, Whole World adopted a “guerilla theater” approach, performing at Piedmont Park and accepting money thrown into a bucket from anyone who had extra to offer.
“The money in the bucket kind of added up after a while, and of course we were having classes. And classes were getting money in,” Russell said. “But by the time we made it over here onto Spring Street, we really did have a strong following. The rest is history.”
Since 1994, Whole World has grown immensely. When Powell and Russell first started, Whole World offered a six-month training program. That singular program has evolved into three separate adult programs: a beginner level, intermediate level, and advanced level course. Those programs lead performers to apprenticeships and then, finally, to being a part of the mainstage shows. Once a part of the mainstage, performers come full circle by teaching the very classes they started in.
Today, Whole World performs five improv shows weekly, on Thursday at 8 p.m. and Friday and Saturday at 8 and 10 p.m. It is the home of over 50 company members who serve as performers, crew members, and instructors for classes. They provide shows, workshops, classes, jams, and camps to help performers of all levels develop their skills. Their alumni have gone on to act, write and direct for both TV and film.
That’s not to say there haven’t been struggles over the years, including the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID was difficult, but Whole World took the time to do something productive with the downtime and renovated its Spring Street home. The last thing they wanted to do was stop performing or do away with their summer programs for kids. So, they did what Whole World does best – they improvised.
“We were finding venues outside where people could feel safe to come and see a show,” Powell said. “We were wearing face shields, or we were masking up students. We were doing things to continue to work through the pandemic.”
Whole World has had many milestones over the years, such as working in TV, and starting their own web show and podcast. But Powell said the most important thing has been the people who have come along to make 30 years possible. To celebrate, Whole World is hosting its very own Homecoming Weekend Oct. 11-12. The Friday shows will feature Whole World’s current ensemble and special guests appearances by alumni. Saturday will be a special event with live music by The Susi French Connection, food trucks, a photo booth and more.
As far as what the future holds, Whole World is looking ahead to 30 more years, and hopes to keep making people laugh. The company’s lease on Spring Street is up in October of 2025, said Russell.
“At the beginning of next year, we will be really boots on the ground looking for a new home,” Russell said. “We want to stay in Midtown. We certainly do not want to leave the city of Atlanta.”
“Midtown has been our home and that’s where we’re known,” Powell added. “We need to stay here.”
