The Chicago Improv Festival, now in its 13th year, is also in transition. Artistic director Mark Sutton, who’s been with the fest in one capacity or another since the beginning, will step down after this go-round, to be replaced by Jet Eveleth, a mainstay of improv ensemble the Reckoning. The pair shared artistic duties for 2010, focusing on reenergizing the festival. Gone are the star–driven main-stage shows. Instead, the emphasis is on homegrown and upstart out-of-town groups—64 of them in all, playing a dozen rooms throughout the city. Sure, it’s not as flashy, but regardless of when you venture out this week, there’ll be something exciting to see.
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Groups from all over the globe perform Thursday as part of International Night at iO, but be sure to catch Stockholm’s Improvisation & Co. (10:30 PM, 3541 N. Clark, $15) for a glimpse of Mr. Bon-Bon, their resident “scary clown.”
