On January 19, 2009, Chicago playwright Joe Janes decided to write a sketch a day for an entire year. The sketches were posted daily on Joe’s blog, biteandsmile.blogspot.com. Once completed, Joe, along with WNEP company member Don Hall, gathered together 26 directors, 177 actors, and 1 stage … [Read more...]
THE BEST STORIES FROM 6 YEARS OF THEIR LOYOLA PARK AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM Loyola Park Live! is a presentation of unique and hilarious stories written by students from the Loyola Park After-School Program, which has brought Barrel of Monkey's exciting curriculum to students in the Rogers Park … [Read more...]
Thirty-six Chicago sketch groups have begun the competetition for the title of Sketch Cagematch Champion. Every Friday night three groups enter and one moves on, based on audience vote. The winner of the competition gets a run at iO's Del Close Theater. Here is round one's roster of sketch … [Read more...]
The Annoyance Theatre has announced the extension of both "Swear Jar" and "40 Whacks." “Swear Jar,” directed by Annoyance Founder and Artistic Director Mick Napier, opened March 27 and has been extended twice by popular demand. "40 Whacks will be extended to October 1st. Check out our … [Read more...]
Color Deaf is a new sketch-comedy revue that features a diverse and talented cast taking a joyful romp through the dark side of modern life. Is Google the only place we can find the real truth about each other? Is religion a barrier to love? Is our race defined on the outside or the inside? Join us … [Read more...]
In a comedy community where group names are rarely intelligible to those not in on the joke (e.g. Mike Helicopter? Carpeted Afterhours?) the name Rabbit Rabbit actually makes sense. Like their namesake, Rabbit Rabbit has a very quick pace. The two-man group, consisting of Andrew Bentley and Chris … [Read more...]
Courtesy of "Entitled" facebook page: You're always told that if you are hardworking, polite and respectful you'll go far in this life. Donny's Skybox brings you a new sketch comedy show that rips away that security blanket and proves that Entitlement is reserved for a privileged few. Not all … [Read more...]
While some people use mindless hours of travel for silent contemplation and growing resentment towards the driver, others use it for writing sketch comedy. What else would you expect from former Second City Touring Company members Andy Miara, Tim Robinson, and Mark Ratterman? Miara, director of the … [Read more...]
If, like most people, you never thought of Dante's Inferno as an exercise in divine comedy, then you should take notice of Half Naked Productions latest sketch-play The Downside of Suicide, which finds an eternity of humor in Dante's classic work on the nature of hell. The show's hero … [Read more...]
I couldn’t guarantee that the Cupid Players’ “Cupid Has a Heart On: A Musical Guide to Relationships” wouldn’t be at all helpful if distributed in pamphlet form by couples therapists, but it’s probably best off continuing to be performed for entertainment purposes at the iO in the form … [Read more...]
'Tis the season for class reunions, and The Second City proves that its alumni are no exception. For one night only, the 1979 veteran cast of George Wendt (Cheers), Tim Kazurinsky (SNL, Police Academy), Nancy McCabe-Kelly, Bruce Jarchow, Danny Breen, Bernadette Birkett, and others will take the … [Read more...]
The Just for Laughs festival has partnered with Chicago's Sketchfest to bring an enormous array of local sketch comedy groups to Studio BE this Saturday, June 19. Sketch-travaganza will deliver 3 or 4 groups every hour (with every hour having it's own theme) starting at 6pm and ending at midnight … [Read more...]
[portfolio_slideshow] Fulfilling its mission to be subversive in language and theme, The Annoyance Theatre has done it again. It’s latest incarnation, “The Swear Jar,” is an equal-opportunity offender. During the 90-minute show, audience members are serenaded with the “A” word, both … [Read more...]
[portfolio_slideshow] You’d better hurry if you want to catch Springtime for Daley at Donny’s Skybox Theater--the last performance is Friday May 28 at 7:30pm. Written by graduates of Writing Level 6 at Second City, the show pays homage to Chicago, Mayor Daley and popular culture, and ties … [Read more...]
The Playground Theater recently hosted a 30-hour improv marathon to raise money for the Illinois Coalition of Reach Out and Read. KC Redheart, an incubator team at The Playground, performed the … [Read More...]
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