The Chicago Improv Festival celebrates its tenth anniversary with 45 sketch and improv groups from around the world. According to founder and executive director Jonathan Pitts, the first event attracted 1,800 viewers; last year’s festival drew 7,500. This is perhaps the best opportunity all year to check out the cutting edge of improvisation, a form that continues to fuel the entertainment industry, from The Daily Show and TV commercials to theater and film. Upright Citizens Brigade, MADtv stars, Bassprov, and Schadenfreude, all regulars, anchor the main-stage shows, while an extensive slate of newcomers reflects the festival’s commitment to emerging talent.
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TUESDAY24
The main-stage shows kick off with Amsterdam’s Boom Chicago (7:30 PM) performing Me, MySpace and iPod. In Pickups and Hiccups writer-performers Seth Meyers and Jill Benjamin create an “audience interactive sketch/improv show that focuses on the foibles and perils of modern dating.” Meyers, coanchor of “Weekend Update” on SNL (and the show’s head writer), is a Northwestern grad who trained at I.O. The evening ends with a 30-minute improv jam with current and former Boom Chicago players, including Meyers and Benjamin, three MADtv cast members, and Second City’s Joe Canale and Amber Ruffin. Tonight is also “International Night,” showcasing NeXT IMPRO THEATER (Japan), String Theory (Vancouver, B.C.), and Norse Sceneskrekk (Norway).
