IO Theater

Description

Located at 1501 N. Kingsbury in Chicago, Illinois (formerly 3541 N. Clark St.), iO concentrates on "long-form" improvisational structures, in contrast to the "short-form" or "improv game" format of Theatresports, ComedySportz or the television show Whose Line Is It Anyway?. The iO's signature piece is the "Harold", and the theater features other forms of improvisation, as well as sketch comedy and stand-up comedy.

In addition to five performance spaces, the building also has multiple classrooms for use by the theater's training center, as well as a large private event space. A large full bar is located on the first floor, a smaller one is located upstairs, and food is available from the kitchen downstairs.

The building has four performance spaces:

There are performances both upstairs and downstairs every night of the week, with the exception of some holidays. Shows can consist of either a Harold or a "show". Shows can be special limited runs (typically 1– 2 months) of a particular group / piece, or they can be open runs of long-standing formats using regular performers at the theater (e.g. The Armando Diaz Theatrical Experience and Hootenanny, which has the same format but a different cast every week). A typical Harold performance consists of two or three groups doing a Harold. Newer teams usually open the night and more veteran teams give the final performance(s). On some nights, usually in the downstairs theater, the groups play the short-form game "The Dream" using an audience volunteer after the second Harold of the night, and then play the short-form game "Freeze" after the final Harold. A show slot typically, but not always, has a Harold team open for them, usually one of the newer teams.

There are approximately 35 Harold teams at iO at this time; the exact number fluctuates up and down when old teams are cut from the roster and new ones are created. New teams in the past have come from the final performance level class (5B), from open auditions, and from recombining performers taken from cut teams. The oldest Harold team has been together for more than five years, several have been around for over three years, and there are many that are less than six months old.

iO has one other active franchise: iO West, located in Los Angeles, California. A former franchise, iO South, was located in Raleigh, North Carolina.

History

The ImprovOlympic was created in 1981, putting competing teams of comedic improvisers on stage in front of audiences. This was the brainchild of David Shepherd, who used early Viola Spolin theater games as a way for teams to compete. The first ImprovOlympic classes and shows took place at The Players Workshop in Chicago, where Charna Halpern was an improv student. Charna Halpern became David Shepherd's assistant, and eventually the producer of the competitions. There were also competitions at a network of local bars and clubs. In 1982, The ImprovOlympic moved from The Players Workshop to its own space. Teams began to form out of every major improv troupe in Chicago. Shows began shifting to a long-form approach by 1983.

In 1995, The ImprovOlympic moved to its location on Clark St. in Chicago. An additional theater, iO West was opened by Paul Vaillancourt in Los Angeles, California in 1997. Today it is managed by Colleen Doyle and Zach Huddleston. In 2001, The International Olympic Committee legally threatened the theater over its use of the name "ImprovOlympic" and the name was subsequently changed to "iO." On September 2, 2005, iO held its 25th anniversary show at the Chicago Theater in downtown Chicago. The wireless microphones went dead shortly into the show, but the improvisers rallied and played using wired mics for the rest of the performance. Celebrity veterans of the iO program who returned to play included Mike Myers, Tim Meadows, Amy Poehler, and Ike Barinholtz. The opening to the Harold piece performed was conducted by the most veteran iO house team "The Reckoning."

In August 2014, after almost 20 years in Chicago's Wrigleyville neighborhood, Charna Halpern bought a building in the Old Town neighborhood and moved the iO Theater to its new home at 1501 N. Kingsbury St.

Notable alumni

This includes people who have performed or taught at either iO West or iO Chicago: