Chicago’s Hidden Improv Gem
On Sunday nights, ComedySportz has been hosting a selective gathering of improvisers that many are unaware of. Alumni of the Chicago Improv Tournament (CIT), an annual national collegiate-level improv tournament hosted by Chicago Improv Productions (CIP), have united, formed powerhouse improv teams and have been competing against one another for the past four months. All of this for the chance to win $500, two elite shows and the privilege to claim the throne of this inaugural alumni tournament.
Together, these teams are the Chicago Improv League (CIL). Managed by Jonathan Pitts and CIP, these teams were hand-picked, assembled and pit against each other for the past 15 weeks. In an effort to support emerging artists, Pitts recognized the masses of CIT alums that have migrated to Chicago and wanted to provide them a place to continue honing their craft, hence the birth of CIL. These 48 improvisers joined CIL with years of experience and anywhere from 50-200 shows under their belts. They were broken out into 8 different teams: three comedy, three theatre and two mixed teams. Each team has been given the freedom to perform whatever set they’d like in their allotted 20 minutes. Whether it be short form, long form, no form- it’s entirely up to them. Each week they have been judged by two professional improvisers in the community as well as the audience and they have kept a rolling record of wins, losses and in one instance, a tie.
As the weeks have gone on, teams have been eliminated and this past Sunday was the semi-finals. I got to witness The Barnstormers take on d’Hôtél Winñetkå and Mercury take on Besides Dinosaurs. Congratulations to all four teams that made it to the semi-finals and an additional congratulations to d’Hôtél Winñetkå and Besides Dinosaurs who will both be fighting for the title next week in the finals. A few of my favorite moments from last week’s semi-finals included The Barnstormers making a game out of vagueness, Besides Dinosaurs’ political campaigns questioning “what kind of America you want,” Mercury’s invisible boyfriends and doctor and the fact that d’Hôtél Winñetkå‘s did their entire set in the dark using only sound to create their scenes.
The Barnstormers had a really strong set and were a blast to watch. Their game of vagueness was playful yet smart. One player started the second scene by saying, “This is a new location” and the team supported that statement of vagueness throughout the entire show with names such as “Wife,” “Husband,” “Nurse,” “Doctor” and a sweep edit made by stating that it was a “thematic edit.” They also had fun moments getting attacked by the Lord of the Rings trilogy, a 42 year old finding his calling in the circus and a short scene about women’s rights that ended with the concluding statement, “Don’t do that. That’s ha-rass-ment.”
d’Hôtél Winñetkå won over the audience with their black out set – The Bat. They pulled up two benches, sat side by side like a dugout, eyes closed and proceeded to do a 20 minute set using only sound. They opened with a bedroom scene, in the early morning where a woman was trying to persuade her man to let the cat out. The alarm was going off and then that turned into a rap recording studio. They traveled back in time in the Delorean and wound up at the derby betting on winning stallions. A gentlemen named Jerry went on a date with Frederick Douglas, and in response to Jerry’s apology for ordering for him, Frederick responded, “That’s alright. I’m a free man and I’ll do what I want.” And what better place to end than at a Broadway production where the cast broke out into song with spot on Newsies references? This having been my first time seeing The Bat, I was both impressed and entertained. At one point, Andrew Bogue was making water sounds by gently tapping the side of his mouth. There were derby announcers and a slew of galloping horses. And if all that didn’t win me over, there was improvised rapping and beat boxing to top it off. A truly incredible and challenging set. Very well done.
Besides Dinosaurs had a lot of great call backs throughout their set. They did a nice job of weaving together the numerous story lines they created. A young boy trying to fake sick to get out of school ended up in fatal condition due to a slipped disc. The academic background of engineers was explored and referenced later in the show as the young boy declared that’s what he wanted to be when he grew up. A cookie shop was infused with heroin. A pizza man was held hostage in giant hole. Gay lovers kissed. And once chaos began to ensue on stage, political campaigns presented themselves with the slogan, “Is this the America you want?” Again, a great display of talent from Besides Dinosaurs.
Mercury closed out the night. Death seemed to be a reoccurring theme throughout this set. Whether from elephants or imaginary boyfriends, somehow characters kept experiencing loss. Robert De Niro and Johnny Depp made an appearance. There was dancing and father daughter bonding time. It’s always fun to watch a team have fun on stage and that’s what Mercury presented Sunday night.
So, if you aren’t busy on Sunday night at 8:30pm, I recommend you make your way to Comedy Sportz for the CIL Finals. Not only will you get to see a great showdown between Besides Dinosaurs and d’Hôtél Winñetkå, you will also get to see players from each of the other six teams play together for 30 minutes. Whichever team ends up taking the crown, will get $500 and two shows at Comedy Sportz and Laugh Out Loud Theatre. If for some reason you find a good excuse not to come on Sunday, you’ll get another chance to see CIL back in session starting in September. A big round of applause for Jonathan Pitts and CIP for putting together such a successful creative outlet for these improvisers.
