Quick – Say Something Funny

Can’t think of anything amusing? That’s OK. It’s hard to be funny on the fly. Fortunately we mere mortals don’t have to, and can instead enjoy the quick wit of professional funny folk during the 11th Annual Chicago Improv Festival.

This year, four cast members from “30 Rock”, Jack McBrayer, Scott Adsit, John Lutz, and Paul Scheer, will improvise in three different shows. The Main Stage venue is at Lake Shore Theatre and there are other performances at The Second City Skybox and The Playground. There are also forums and workshops. And the fest wouldn’t be any fun at all without parties.

Below’s the full schedule, and you can find more information on each act on the website.

MAIN STAGE @ LAKESHORE THEATER
3175 N. Broadway, (773) 472-3492 or online: www.lakeshoretheater.com
Tickets On-Sale Now!

• MONDAY, JUNE 2 @ 8PM, $20
  Opening Act: Virgin Daiquiri (Chicago)
  Headlining Act: Scheer & McBrayer (New York with 30 Rock’s Jack McBrayer & MTV’s The Human Giant’s Paul Scheer)
• TUESDAY, JUNE 3 @ 8PM, $20 (Three Headliners Night)
  Headliners 1: BASSPROV (Chicago)
  Headliners 2: Messing with a Friend (Chicago/New York; with 30 Rock’s Scott Adsit and Annoyance Theater’s Mick Napier)
  Headliners 3: TJ and Dave (Chicago)
• WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4 @ 7:30PM, $20 (Chicago Night)
  7:30pm: Dirty Water (Chicago)
  8pm: Wing Night (Chicago)
  8:30pm Cornwallis (Chicago)
  9pm: pHamily the Musical (Chicago)
  9:30pm: Revolver (Chicago)
• THURSDAY, JUNE 5 @ 8PM, $20
  Opening Act: SCRAM (Chicago/Minneapolis)
  Middle Act: The Reckoning (Chicago)
  Headlining Act: Miller & Middleditch (Los Angeles/Chicago; featuring Cloverfield’s TJ Miller)
• FRIDAY, JUNE 6 @ 8PM, $20
  Opening Act: Improsia (Seattle)
  Middle Act: Razowsky and Clifford (Los Angeles)
  Headlining Act: Ditka (Los Angeles; featuring MADtv alum Frank Caeti and According to Jim’s Maribeth Monroe)
• SATURDAY, JUNE 7 @ 7:30PM, $20
  Opening Act: Gillett and Sutton (Chicago/Seattle)
  Middle Act: Johnny Lunchpail (New York)
  Headlining Act: 313 (Los Angeles; featuring MADtv star Keegan-Michael Key, According To Jim’s Larry Joe Campbell, Thank God You’re Here alum Nyima Funk, and youtube satirist Andy Cobb)
• SATURDAY, June 7 @ 10:30PM, $25
  Opening Act: Children of a Lesser God (Chicago)
  Headlining Act: JTS Brown (Chicago/Lexington/LA/NY/Portland; a reunion of the legendary iO Comedy Theater team featuring 30 Rock’s John Lutz, Madtv alum Ike Barinholtz, The Colbert Report’s Peter Grosz, TJ Jagodwski, and many other great improvisers)
• SUNDAY, JUNE 8 @ 8PM, $20
  Opening Act: Whirled News Tonight (Chicago)
  Middle Act: Mr. Pepper (Chicago)
  Headlining Act: Sports Action Team (Chicago; featuring the entire cast from NBC’s sports comedy tv show and a special guest Chicago pro athlete TBA)

SHOWCASE @ THE PLAYGROUND
3209 N. Halsted, (773) 871-3793
Tickets available the night of the shows at The Playground’s box office.

• Friday, June 6 @7:30pm, $15
  Opening Act: Little American Bastards (Toronto)
  Headlining Act: Irish Mutts (San Francisco; with former South-side Chicagoan Shaun Landry from the upcoming Sean Penn film “Milk”)
• Friday, June 6 @ 9pm, $15
  Opening Act: Caveat (Washington DC)
  Headlining Act: Ay Diego (Boston/Los Angeles; with Mystic River’s Zabeth Russell and former Pilsen native, Will Luera)
• Friday, June 6 @ 10:30pm, $15
  Opening Act: The Mighty Stumps (Los Angeles)
  Headlining Act: Drum Machine (Minneapolis)
• Saturday, June 7 @ 7:30pm, $15
  Opening Act: Holy Moly (New York)
  Headlining Act: HUGE Improv (Minneapolis)
• Saturday, June 7 @ 9pm, $15
  Opening Act: Jackie (Washington DC)
  Headlining Act: 4 Track (New York)
• Saturday, June 7 @ 10:30pm, $15
  Opening Act: Hot Lawyer (Toronto)
  Headlining Act: Seattle Neutrino (Seattle)
• Saturday, June 7 @ Midnight, $10
  Opening Act: Babies mit Bearden (Atlanta)
  Headlining Act: Coldtowne (Austin)

SHOWCASE @ THE SECOND CITY SKYBOX
1608 N. Wells, 4th Floor, (312) 337-3992
Tickets can be bought on-line or at The Second City Skybox’s box office

• Saturday, June 7, 7pm-Midnight
  7pm: Improv Boston (Boston), $15
  8pm: Election Show (Seattle), $15
  9pm: Big in Japan (Toronto), $15
  10pm: Improv Cabaret (Orlando), $15
  11pm: Barinholtz and Belushi (Chicago), $15
  Midnight: Planet Ant Improv Colony (Detroit), $10

SPECIAL EVENTS @ VARIOUS LOCATIONS

• Wednesday, June 4, 8:30pm @ The Second City, ETC, $15
  1608 N. Wells, 2nd Floor, tickets: (312) 337-3992 or online
  Opening Act: Brian Gallivan (Los Angeles)
  Headlining Act: FrankenMatt (Los Angeles; with MADtv alum Frank Caeti and Matt Craig)
• Thursday, June 5, 8pm @ Chemically Imbalanced Comedy, $10
  1420 W. Irving Park, tickets: (773) 865-7731 or online at www.ciccomedy.com
  CIF & Snubfest co-present “CIF Second Chance Night”
• Friday, June 6, 8pm @ Chemically Imbalanced Comedy, $10
  1420 W. Irving Park, (773) 865-7731
  Tickets can be bought on-line or at CIC’s box office.
  CIF & Snubfest co-present JoKyR and Jesster (Salt Lake City)
• Friday, June 6, Midnight @ Annoyance Theater, $10*
  4830 N. Broadway, (773) 561-4665
  Tickets available the night of the show at the Annoyance’s box office.
  Opening Act: Code Duello: Hamilton and Burr (Boston)
  Headlining Act: Pimprov (Chicago)
  (*This is a CIF benefit for Frank Janisch, a much beloved long-time local improviser, comedian and chef, who recently had several strokes and is now recovering but has huge medical bills)
• Friday, June 6, Midnight @ IO Comedy Theater, $10
  3541 N. Clark St, (773) 880-0199
  Tickets available the night of the show at iO’s box office.
  3 Square (Chicago/New York; with The Colbert Report’s Peter Grosz and 30 Rock’s John Lutz)
• Saturday, June 7, Midnight @ ComedySportz, $10
  929 W. Belmont, tickets: (773) 549-8080 or online at www.comedysportzchicago.com
  The Hot Karl (Chicago; with MADtv Alum Frank Caeti)
• Sunday, June 8, 9pm @ Martyrs, $10
  3855 N. Lincoln, (773) 404-9494
  Tickets available the night of the show at Martyrs’ door.
  The Titanic Player’s Old Tom Jar (Evanston, IL) and Georgia Pacific (Chicago; a reunion show)

APPRENTICE TEAMS @ GORILLA TANGO THEATER

• Saturday, June 7 @ 7pm, 9pm, and 11pm, $5
  1919 N. Milwaukee, (773) 598-4549
  Tickets available the night of the shows at GTT’s box office.
• Bearded Men (Fargo)
  JINX (Washington DC)
  Improv-Abilities (Kansas City)
  The Mimehunters (Baltimore)
  Mister Licorice (Baltimore)
  Mod 27 (Lake Worth, FL)
  onesixtyone (Washington DC)
  Zoo Improv (Champaign, IL)

EDUCATION OUTREACH @ VARIOUS LOCATIONS

• Friday, June 6 @ IO Comedy Theater, 4pm-7pm, Free
  3541 N. Clark, (773) 880-0199
  4pm-6pm, The Improv Forum: with Kim Johnson, Michael Gellman, and a performance TBA;
  6pm-7pm, JTS Brown Panel: moderated by Jet Eveleth with panelists Craig Cackowski, Jen Bills, Bumper Caroll, Jed Resnick and others TBA
• Saturday, June 7 @ TBA, 12pm-5pm, $50 per workshop
  Improv workshops with Frank Caeti, Josh Funk, Susan Messing, and Dave Razowksy
• Sunday, June 8 @ Gil Park, 12pm-2pm, $25 per workshop
  825 W. Sheridan, (312) 742-7802
  Chicago Women’s Improv Forum workshops with Nyima Funk, Maribeth Monroe, and Shaun Landry

PARTIES @ VARIOUS LOCATIONS

• Wednesday, June 4 @ ComedySportz Chicago, 10pm
  929 W. Belmont, (773) 549-8080
• Thursday, June 5 @ Lincoln Taproom, 10pm
  3010 N. Lincoln, (773) 868-0060
• Friday, June 6 @ Annoyance Theater, Midnight
  4830 N. Broadway, (773) 561-4665
• Saturday, June 7 @ IO Comedy Theater, Midnight
  3541 N. Clark, (773) 880-1099
• Sunday, June 8 @ Martyr’s, 10pm
  3855 N. Lincoln, (773) 404-9494