The sixth edition of this annual orgy of improvisational comedy brings together performers from around the U.S. and from our allies abroad–think of it as a coalition of the comically willing. (Chicago, of course, is heavily represented.) This year’s festival, the largest yet, is divided into several series–Mainstage, Showcase, Sketch, Solo, Duo, and Fringe–as well as an all-night improv session, an adult-oriented “Blue” show, a series of daytime “Lunchbreak” performances (presented in conjunction with the city’s cultural affairs department), and numerous special events, including forums and workshops. The Chicago Improv Festival runs through May 18, with events at seven principal venues: the Athenaeum Theatre (main stage and second-floor studio), 2936 N. Southport; ImprovOlympic, 3541 N. Clark; WNEP Theater, 3209 N. Halsted; the Playground, 3341 N. Lincoln; Noble Fool Theater, 16 W. Randolph; Frankie J’s on Broadway, 4437 N. Broadway; and Crush (formerly Coyle’s Tippling House), 2843 N. Halsted. Auxiliary events take place at the Chicago Cultural Center (Randolph Cafe, Claudia Cassidy Theater, and studio theater), 78 E. Washington; the Second City, Donny’s Skybox Studio, Piper’s Alley, 1608 N. Wells (fourth floor); ComedySportz, 2851 N. Halsted; and Martyrs’, 3855 N. Lincoln. Tickets to shows at the Athenaeum can be purchased through Ticketmaster (312-902-1500 or www.ticketmaster.com) or at the Athenaeum box office; tickets to events at the other venues must be picked up at the box office on the day of the show. For general festival information, call 773-235-8070 or visit www.cif.com.
Boom Chicago
Weekday Evening Workshop
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“Pushing the envelope has yielded fantastic results for Neutrino, one of the longest-running Harold teams at New York’s Upright Citizens Brigade. Its eight members have a reputation for pulling off stunts. And tireless experimentation within the Harold form led them to their biggest epiphany last spring: videotaping a fully improvised 25-minute Harold performance on New York City streets, then editing and projecting it (with a three-minute delay) in a theater. This madcap fusion of nearly instantaneous filmmaking and anything-goes improv revels in the joys of spontaneous creation, and Neutrino’s mastery of the form is simply awe inspiring. When Chicagoans Fuzzy Gerdes and Shaun Himmerick, masterminds of Chicago’s improv troupe FuzzyCo, saw the show during a trip to the east coast, they… imported it to Chicago, where it played to packed houses at WNEP and Improv-Olympic for two months earlier this year. FuzzyCo’s take on the Neutrino concept differs from its source slightly: since FuzzyCo has a cast of 11, the piece is longer and delves a little more deeply into any tensions that develop. As part of the Chicago Improv Festival, FuzzyCo opens a joint program at 7 PM with a reprise of their late-night hit, and Neutrino–in its first-ever Chicago appearance–closes out the first show after a short intermission. At 9 PM, both troupes divide into seven crews to prowl Lakeview for a jam session, during which time Gerdes promises to create 21 short films based on a single audience suggestion. There goes the neighborhood,” says Reader critic Nick Green. WNEP Theater, 7 PM. $15.
Writers and cast members of the LA-based TV show hold forth; Mo Collins and Debra Wilson host. Athenaeum Theatre, main stage, 8 PM. $25.
FRIDAY, MAY 16
The Spontaneity Shop, Funny Black People, and The Spolin Players
