 |
Home of the Argos Agency and Jason Chin, the captain strapped to its mast whilst sirens sing to him and his men row with cotton in their ears.
GO!  |
 |
Once the home of Impravda, dedicated to spreading the word of Chicago's deep dish, long form improvisation to the uninitiated. Now, something more global, perhaps, dedicated to spreading the word of all Chicago performance to the whole world. Plus Rob really likes old films. Really!
GO! |
 |
Kevin Mullaney's excellent message boards designed to bring the whole improv ("clog dancing") community into one great discussion. Many great luminaries have already posted and the promise of more looms bright in the future. So why don't you?
GO! |
 |
"EDIBLE IMPROV" - featuring your host, Ed O'Rourke, ImprovOlympian and Playgrounder and nice... very nice... large... very large... man... with a razor-sharp sense of humor. He has lots to say about improv, drums, sporks and Maine, so fire up your appetite for a dish of deep Ed. Warning to vegetarians: a featured picture of Mr. Shanahan eating ribs may at first seem unrelated to improv; other portions of the site promote lobster-eating and God.
GO! |
 |
Formed in the spring of 1997, the Playground is officially dedicated to grass-roots improvisational excellence. A number of teams, fed up with or cruelly cast from larger Chicago institutions, find their way to this safe haven of play. Also features "Recess" an outreach program dedicated to spreading the word to local schools. I have lots of friends there.
GO! |
 |
As ImprovOlympic nears its twentieth anniversary, it continues to uphold its outstanding reputation as both training and performance center. Run by Charna Halpern and Del Close, whom you will love or hate, or both, or hate then not love exactly but appreciate all the hard work they've put into steering the supertanker of unprocessed talent that is long form improvisational comedy. See pictures of its finest alumni as well as up-and-coming performers.
GO! |
 |
Noah Gregoropoulis's web page. He's a fantastic director and old enough to have worked with plenty of famous alumni. At present he directs one of the Second City touring companies, but more things are in store.
GO! |
 |
A web page designed for and by the Chicago improv community by the Mannings. Lots of cool people live (virtually) here; for instance, the paranoia-inducing former Chicagoans gone global postal, the Upright Citizens Brigade, head writer for the Man and former Second City revolutionary, Adam McKay, and even Bumper Carroll! Yes! A man named Bumper! Also link to the ImprovAgent and various improv shows to catch.
GO! |
 |
I would be nowhere without the Lindbergh Babies, my first and truest love in the improvisational world. That we have a web site... magnifique!... that
George Eckart, my friend and personal graphic god designed it... tres magnifique! Download the funky logo for your screensaver, read about our Austin
adventures or peruse the wonderful list of pop-ups George so lovingly generates. I cannot hype us enough... except to say we perform Saturday nights at
10:30 PM in the Del Close Theatre, ImprovOlympic, 3519 N. Clark, 773-880-0199 for reservations, and, yes, we do parties but you'd better be ready to learn.
GO! |
 |
Tower Players, Miami University's first, best and only improvisational comedy troupe. (If you think that's a stale joke, try saying it once a week for three years.) I came to Chicago with no more than a dream, three grand in cash, and the hopes and wishes of my fellow troupe-mates. Thanks for making me an alpha male, guys, and make sure you wash your sweet potato in the stream.
GO! |
 |
Schadenfreude, performing weekly at the Heartland Theater, douses Chicago with the same frenetic, in-your-face, burn-the-suburbs comedy that put the Upright Citizens Brigade on Comedy Central. They also give out beer. I first saw them in my living room, almost two years ago, cooking out, drinking and writing. Perhaps if you ask nicely, they'll do the same for you. Meanwhile, head to this site and be their bitch. What you got!
GO! |
 |
PerformInk, the Chicago-based actors' publication designed to let the lay actor know all the best juice about productions, auditions and temp work available. Rob Koslowski, who also produces the Chicago Rat, writes actual real-live articles here.
GO! |
 |
Ring Cycle! the musical web site. I made the poster and tried out for the show (rejected!), so I feel like I owe them this much.
GO! |
 |
Paul Preston and Karen Volpe, of the two person sketch comedy/improv team Preston & Volpe. I designed the poster and tried out for the show...
whereupon I realized, hey, waitaminute, they BILL themselves as a two-person sketch comedy/improv team... and they're MARRIED. I can't just waltz
in and replace a titular leader. (I CAN write "titular", can't I?) The rejection struck me like a hammer blow from the mighty Mjolnir. Still,
Amoco Chemical said "the personal touches were great!" and Huntington College said it enjoyed participating in the show, so if you're institution-sized
or larger, you will love their take on modern living and loving. And you.
GO! |