Creative Renaissance Miami

The journey continues with Vanessa Thompson and Quills Rodriguez, the founders of Artistic Vibes. Through their weekly open mic nights, comedy shows, spoken word evenings, and theatrical productions, Artistic Vibes provides a stage for artists of all kinds to share their creativity with an audience. Along the way, they have created a community of artists that empower each other. The episode also features short clips from one of their weekly Open Mic nights including performances by Josh Silverman, Pandarama, and Narciso Hilario Montas. For more information, visit them at artistic-vibes.com.

As Ivan and Paul prepared for their first interview, they decided to test out the mics and "practice."  After listening back to the conversation, they decided to create this prologue.  In the Prologue, Paul and Ivan introduce the podcast series by breaking down what they're exploring through these episodes, their own relationships with Miami, the nature of creativity, and their vision of a Miami on the brink of becoming a culture capital of the world.

We kick off the series with Jeff Quintana and Peter Mir, the founders of Villain Theater - a new company that is bringing Chicago-style improv to Miami.  We talk to the duo about the origins of Villain, the source of their chemistry, and the conquering of fears.  They also take us through what goes on inside their head in the moment that an improv scene begins and tell us about the impact this work has had on their lives outside the theatre.  The episode also features short clips from one of their Saturday Gigantic shows with cast members Melanie Menendez, Sheela Dominguez, William Cadena, Jannelys L. Santos, and Patrick Rodriguez joining Peter and Jeff.