The third–and by far the most ambitious–edition of this annual celebration of the art of improvisational comedy brings together improv artists from around the U.S. and overseas. Festival producers Frances Callier and Jonathan Pitts have ensured that Chicago troupes are well represented: local companies participating include the Second City, ImprovOlympic, ComedySportz, GayCo Productions, Schadenfreude, and many more. Also taking part are former Chicagoans now based in LA and New York, including Dan Castellaneta, Mina Kolb, Avery Schreiber, Rachel Dratch, Tina Fey, and the Upright Citizens Brigade. There’ll also be ensembles from New York, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Dallas, Boston, and Portland; the international scene is represented by performers from Japan, New Zealand, and Canada.
The festival opens with the return of Second City alumni Rachel Dratch (now a cast member of Saturday Night Live) and Tina Fey (SNL’s first female head writer); they perform an original program of sketch comedy and improv under Jeff Richmond’s direction. Detonate Productions’ ten-member J.T.S. Brown performs long-form improvisation under the direction of Second City E.T.C. company member Craig Cackowski; Reader critic Jack Helbig calls the ensemble’s work “rich and resonant,” adding: “What made J.T.S. Brown special was how carefully they listened, building on one another’s work. Instead of going for the quick laugh, they created multidimensional characters and interesting situations that really pulled us in.” The Impromptones are a Los Angeles company that specializes in musical improv, creating original songs based on audience suggestions. Athenaeum Theatre, 8 PM.
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The Groundlings, Brave New Workshop, and ComedySportz
The Second City–Chicago Alumni; Mina Kolb, Avery Schreiber, Scott Adsit, and Tina Fey; and The Second City–Toronto Alumni
This program features three Chicago groups. Schadenfreude, which takes its name from a German noun meaning malicious joy derived from the misfortunes of others, performs skits, music, and monologues; this performance, created especially for the occasion, will feature live music and other elaborate surprises. The Annoyance Theatre presents experiments in long-form improvisation; Reader critic Jack Helbig says that the performers “know one another so well it seems they can read each other’s minds. More important, they feel comfortable and free enough to do anything onstage–[and] I do mean anything.” Pick-ups and Hiccups, created and performed by Jill Benjamin and Seth Meyers of the Amsterdam-based, American-style improv troupe Boom Chicago, combines improvisation with scripted humor to satirize male-female relationships. “In this remarkably entertaining two-person show, [Benjamin and Meyers] don’t just take suggestions–they interview the audience, picking our brains and then presenting improvised sketches about what’s on our collective mind. . . . Adding to the onstage fire is [the performers’] combination of sexual tension and disgust with each other, a combination that also powered other great male-female comedy teams (Nichols and May, Stiller and Meara). Half the bits in Pick-ups and Hiccups are scripted, but it’s the improvised material that shows this quick-witted duo to best advantage,” says Helbig. Athenaeum Theatre, 10 PM.
SATURDAY, APRIL 29
