Produced by Jonathan Pitts and Frances Callier, this ambitious event runs through April 5, bringing together companies and fans from around the city as well as out of town. A slew of workshops and lectures by such notables as Del Close, Mick Napier, Keith Johnstone, Tim Kazurinsky, and Denise DeClue augment nightly performances by improv groups from New York, LA, Minneapolis, Portland, and Amsterdam, as well as Chicago. Most events take place at the Annoyance Theatre, 3747 N. Clark; a complete schedule of times, prices, and venues is listed below. Tickets for performances range from $10 to $15; a festival pass (good for many but not all shows) costs $75. Call the festival hotline at 773-862-5082 for information or Ticketmaster at 312-559-1212 for advance ticket sales.
Whitney Houston, We Have a Problem, Nomenil, and Jane
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Tonight’s emphasis is on gay/lesbian and feminist comedy. Whitney Houston, a sketch comedy revue developed by Second City Outreach Program alumni, “keeps its focus tight and its humor accessible to audiences gay and straight, in the know and out of touch,” said Reader critic Mary Shen Barnidge when she reviewed the show’s original run. Nomenil, founded in 1994 by Courtney Evans and Allen Conkle, is known for such campy extravaganzas as That’s the Way It Is, By Golly and Like Our Parents Smoking Cornsilk. And Jane is an all-woman ensemble specializing in long-form improv. Annoyance Theatre, 3747 N. Clark, 7:30 PM. $10.
ImprovOlympic Road Show, Free Associates, and Brave New Workshop
The Zeitgeist Theatre hosts an all-night improv marathon following their regular performance of Flanagan’s Wake. Royal George Theatre Center, 1641 N. Halsted. 10:30 PM to 4 AM. Free.
A two-day sprawl of workshops and lectures begins today at the Franklin Elementary School, 225 W. Evergreen. The price for all Master Class Weekend events today and tomorrow is $150; this price includes one free elective (see listings for Friday, April 3), one free ticket to a festival performance, and light meals both days. Today’s classes run from 10 AM to 6 PM; participants can select three two-hour workshops led by Second City Training Center artistic director Martin de Maat, Second City resident director Michael Gellman, ImprovOlympic coach Noah Gregoropoulos, ImprovOlympic producer Charna Halpern, Brave New Workshop education director Jenni Lilledahl, Annoyance Theatre cofounder Susan Messing, actor David Pasquesi, and teachers from the Actors Gymnasium.
Coed Prison Sluts
