Chicago: The Comedy Incubator
Today Splitsider released their Guide to Chicago’s Comedy Scene and it was spot on. Almost every theatre was touched on: iO, Second City, Annoyance, Chemically Imbalanced Theatre, The Upstairs Gallery, The Crocodile, Public House Theatre and so many more. Not only were there a dozen plus stages called out, there were even more individual shows mentioned as well: TJ & Dave, The Deltones, Cook County Social Club, The Improvised Shakespeare Company, Holy Fuck Comedy Hour, Messing with a Friend and so many more.
It’s no secret this city is thriving with comedic talent and this write up outlines it nicely. I couldn’t be more proud of my friends referenced in this article and all of the talent this city produces. If I could add my two cents, a few additions I would have made to this guide would include:
Weekly Shows
- Dummy: Brilliant two-person show with Colleen Doyle and Jason Shotts. Wednesdays @ 10:30pm. iO. $5 tickets.
- Thirsty: Light-hearted fun drinking show. Nothing heavy, just so much fun. Friday and Saturday nights @ 10:30pm. Apollo Theatre. $15 tickets.
Best Monthly and Irregular Shows
- Hitch Cocktails: Genre based improvised thriller based on the theme of Alfred Hitchcock. Oh and it’s a drinking show, so no matter how talented the improviser, then undoubtedly get funnier as the show goes on. Saturdays @ 10:00pm. The Annoyance Theatre. $15 tickets.
- Couples Skate: Hosted by improv couple Casey Whitaker and Bill Letz, they bring together real improv couples and also set up blind improv dates to do sets together. This is finishing up at The Upstairs Gallery this Saturday but will have another run at The Playground in May. Keep your ears open for updates.
Venues
- The Playground Theatre: So many of the players on the Playground House teams are also performing all over the city. Let’s not leave them out.
- Stage 773: Stage 773 is putting in a lot of effort to bring in more improv into their theatre. Give them a little more time and they’ll be a big player in this space.
Festivals
- Chicago Improv Festival: The longest running and largest improv festival in the world is definitely worth calling out. This year there will be over 150 teams performing in over 90 shows on 20 stages. Don’t miss it. April 1-7. Ticket prices vary.
Things to Bookmark
I’d like to piggyback off of Matt’s self-promotion and encourage y’all to bookmark Life’s a Funny Scene, this blog about life and comedy featuring interviews with your favorite Chicago improvisers.
Overall, love this write up. Definitely a labor of love. Thank you for calling out all of these shows and thank you for calling out Ted Tremper for his brilliance in filmmaking. Everyone, you have a very detailed guide now. There are no excuses, go out and laugh.
