Lucky 13

Change has come to the Chicago Improv Festival. This year’s 13th annual fest, happening Monday 19 through April 25, is lighter on stars and heavier than ever on local talent. Amid all this reform, you may wonder what’s in it for you. We’re here to help you make sound choices among the sea of new faces and spaces. Just keep in mind the one improv constant: This shit is entirely made up on the spot.

Exit mainstage left
Before the April 1 announcement of Lakeshore Theater’s closing, CIF decided to do away with its mainstage venue (which had been Lakeshore in ’09) and focus on smaller ones. We think this is a wise move; improv plays better in intimate venues such as the Playground and Chemically Imbalanced.
Consider The new 49-seat de Maat Theater inside Piper’s Alley should provide the right kind of coziness for out-of-towners Incredulity coupled with Hello Laser. The crowd-pleasing scene work of Cincinnati’s Incredulity has a high laughter quotient while maintaining integrity and creating vivid scenarios. Festival favorites Hello Laser return for another round of dude-prov. These New Yorkers remind us of the fearless, brainy guy-centric improv we see here in Chicago (April 24 at 7:30pm, de Maat Theater).

Indies rock
According to festival organizers, the submission fee for local troupes was lowered from $25 to $10 to encourage more homegrown talent to apply. The resulting plethora of Chicago-based teams means more independent groups (those not affiliated with a house like iO or Annoyance).
Consider Newbie troupe Jessica creates patient long-form driven by engaging characters and scene work. Monologues seamlessly build into more expansive multiperson scenes while earning big laughs along the way (April 24 at 10:30pm, de Maat Theater).

No stars out tonight
Feeling fatigued by the megawatt names that popped up at last year’s Just for Laughs and the Second City 50th-anniversary weekend? CIF thought you might be, which is why it dropped the marquee names. But if you’re hungry for celebrity talent, local legends abound.
Consider Improv supergroup 4 Horsemen is a mesmerizing lineup of local pros: Annoyance founder Mick Napier, BASSPROV’s Joe Bill and Mark Sutton, and Rod Blagojevich Superstar! scribe Ed Furman. Expect this ballsy quartet to crack up both audiences and each other. 4 Horsemen plays between Annoyance mainstay Bad Touch and Tim Meadows’s Uncle’s Brother (Monday 19 at 8pm, Annoyance Theatre).

It takes two
This year, two-person improv rules. The fest features about 20 local, national and international duos.
Consider Toronto’s loopy 2-Man No-Show comprises shaggy-haired improviser Isaac Kessler and his diminutive partner-in-crime Ken Hall (April 23 at 10:30pm, Chemically Imbalanced Theater). These guys whirl around the stage concocting bizarre scenarios with imaginative characters and object work. (Smart, playful and quick-witted local septet Fart City opens.) Also check out Jen + Steve, an incredibly agile New York twosome who manage to form fully fleshed-out characters without missing a beat or sacrificing sharp one-liners (April 24 at 7:30pm, Playground Theater).

Early to bed, early to improvise
CIF cut back on the amount of late-night programming this year, in part to give the actors more opportunities to schmooze at day’s end.
Consider Night owls shouldn’t despair. Swear Jar, Napier’s first sketch revue directed for the Annoyance, is a ballsy, brazen bag of R-rated social satire and other oddities. The eight-person cast joins the CIF for a night of fully improvised and unhinged high jinks. They play with mostly naked bachelorette faves Skinprov (April 24 at midnight, Annoyance Theatre).

Chicago Improv Festival happens Monday 19–April 25.

• More Comedy articles