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Update: 6/15/08
CIF 2008 Festival Wrap-Up To see over 1,000 photos from this year's festival performances, workshops and parties, please click: CIF 2008 Photos * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
This year's 11th annual Chicago Improv Festival was dedicated to Paul Sills who passed away on 6/2/08 (the first day of this year's fest). Paul was the co-founder of the Playwrights Theater Club, The Compass, The Second City and the New Actors Workshop. He also created and directed Sills & Company and Story Theatre. Five years ago, CIF presented Paul with its Lifetime Acheivement Award. Without his work and without his life, there would be no improvisational theatre to celebrate. During the opening night of this year's festival, CIF's Executive Director Jonathan Pitts spoke to its sold-out crowd about the life and work of Paul Sills. Then CIF briefly dimmed the lights of the Lakeshore Theater in Paul's honor.
CIF READY TO "30 ROCK" AND ROLL!!!
CIF proudly presents 30 Rock cast members, Jack McBrayer, Scott Adsit, John Lutz, and Paul Scheer, from the hit Emmy, Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild, Peabody, Producers Guild, and Writers Guild award-winning NBC-TV show, as they perform in three different shows during the 11th annual Chicago Improv Festival week.
Once again, CIF proves itself to be at the center of the improv-comedy zeitgeist by showcasing to Chicago audiences the finest and funniest improv acts and ensembles. This year's festival proudly presents 60 shows from 20 North American cities. 32 shows are making their CIF debut. 30 Rock Headliners @ CIF 2008: MONDAY, JUNE 2ND, 8PM @ LAKESHORE THEATER
Please Note: SCHEER & McBRAYER SHOW IS SOLD-OUT! The festival opens with a headlining performance by 30 Rock's duo SCHEER & McBRAYER. This duo stars Jack McBrayer ("Kenneth", the young, obedient, southern, NBC page; other credits include Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Walk Hard, Talladega Nights, Arrested Development, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, funnyordie.com, and he's the co-star of Mariah Carey's video "Touch My Body" and Paul Scheer ("Donny Lawson", NBC's Head Page and Kenneth's rival; other credits are MTV's The Human Giant, VH-1's Best Week Ever, Comedy Central's Crossballs, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, David Letterman and The Today Show).Virgin Daiquiri, a 13 member, all-female, super-group from Chicago is the opening act. TUESDAY, JUNE 3RD, 8PM @ LAKESHORE THEATER
Please Note: MESSING WITH A FRIEND/BASSPROV SHOW IS SOLD-OUT! The 30 Rock parade continues with 30 Rock's Scott Adsit ("Pete Hornberger", the quick-witted producer of TGS; other credits The Office, Mr. Show, Law & Order, and Adult Swim's award winning animated show Moral Orel) performs with local improv goddess Susan Messing and Annoyance Theater's Mick Napier in MESSING WITH A FRIEND. BASSPROV co-headlines the evening with special guest TJ Jagodowski. SATURDAY, JUNE 7TH, 10:30PM @ LAKESHORE THEATER
Please Note: JTS BROWN SHOW IS SOLD-OUT! CIF's third main stage show featuring a 30 Rock cast member is the highly anticipated JTS Brown reunion featuring 30 Rock's John Lutz ("JD Lutz", a food loving sketch comedy writer; other credits include Saturday Night Live), MADtv alum Ike Barinholtz, The Colbert Report's Peter Grosz, local improv hero TJ Jagodowski, and seven other original cast members from the legendary IO Comedy Theater team. Children of a Less God, a 4-women ensemble from IO Comedy Theater is the opening act. CIF 2008 Main Stage Headliners Also Include: THURSDAY, JUNE 5TH, 8PM @ LAKESHORE THEATER
MILLER & MIDDLEDITCH, a two-man duo featuring TJ Miller ("Hud" from the hit movie Cloverfield; and ABC-TV's Carpoolers) and Thomas Middleditch (youtube writer/director). FRIDAY, JUNE 6TH, 8PM @ LAKESHORE THEATER
DITKA, a four-person Los Angeles ensemble featuring Frank Caeti (MADtv alum), Maribeth Monroe (ABC-TV's According To Jim, NBC-TV's Thank God You're Here, and Oprah), and Second City alums Brian Gallivan and Marc Warzecha, throw out an actual Ditka quote and see what the audience makes of it. SATURDAY, JUNE 7TH, 7:30PM @ LAKESHORE THEATER
Please Note: 313 SHOW IS SOLD-OUT! 313, a six person Los Angeles ensemble originally from Detroit, featuring MADtv's Keegan-Michael Key, ABC-TV's According To Jim's Larry Joe Campbell, Nyima Funk (MTV's Wild 'n Out, NBC-TV's Thank God You?e Here, Oprah), Josh Funk (MTV's Wild 'n Out, MTV's Shortcircutz), Marc Evan Jackson (Comedy Central's The Showbiz Show with David Spade), and Andy Cobb (writer/director of the viral video sensation "John.He.Is."). SUNDAY, JUNE 8TH, 8PM @ LAKESHORE THEATER
The entire cast of SPORTS ACTION TEAM, (Kevin Fleming, Steven Fleming, Niki Lindgren, Antoine McKay, Katie Nahnsen, Al Samuels, and their producer Jeff Griggs), the hit nationally-syndicated improvised sports docu-comedy show will improvise together for their first time ever on-stage as an ensemble, with help from a special guest Chicago pro athlete/monologist TBA. Other Notable CIF 2008 Performances: WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4TH, 8:30PM @ THE SECOND CITY ETC
FRIDAY, JUNE 6TH, 7:30PM @ THE PLAYGROUND
Please Note: IRISH MUTTS SHOW IS SOLD-OUT! The Irish Mutts an improv duo from San Francisco and LA, with Shaun Landry, co-star of Sean Penn's upcoming film Milk, and Kevin McShane. This is a homecoming show for Shaun, a former south-side Chicago native. FRIDAY, JUNE 6TH, 9PM @ THE PLAYGROUND
Please Note: Ay DIEGO SHOW IS SOLD-OUT! Ay Diego, an improv duo from LA and Boston, with Zabeth Russell from the Academy Award nominated movie Mystic River, and Will Luera, a former Chicago Pilsen neighborhood native in a homecoming performance. FRIDAY, JUNE 6TH, MIDNIGHT @ IO COMEDY THEATER
Please Note: 3 SQUARE SHOW IS SOLD-OUT! 3 Square, an improv trio from New York and Chicago with Saturday Night Live writer John Lutz, The Colbert Report writer Peter Grosz, and IO/Second City alum Rob Janus. SATURDAY, JUNE 7TH, 8PM @ THE SECOND CITY SKYBOX
SATURDAY, JUNE 7TH, 9PM @ THE PLAYGROUND
SATURDAY, JUNE 7TH, MIDNIGHT @ COMEDYSPORTZ CHICAGO
SUNDAY, JUNE 8TH, 9PM @ MARTYRS
It's two generations on-stage, as The Titanic Player's Old Tom Jar, from Northwestern University, and also the winners of CIF's College Comedy Championship 2007, share the bill with the classic and retired IO Comedy Theater team, Georgia Pacific. For More CIF 2008 Information: Schedule & Shows Please click: Shows
Update: 3/26/08
Today, CIF Artistic Director Mark Sutton announced CIF's roster of non-mainstage headlining acts and ensembles. Said Sutton, "On behalf of the Chicago Improv Festival, I am pleased to announce the selected groups for CIF 11. This year we received well over 120 submissions and the quality of work was the best I have seen in my 3 years as Artistic Director which made the decisions very difficult." This year's festival roster features 99% all improvisation with talent from 20 North American cities. The acts showcase classic forms to those stretching the art of improv with music, film, history and media. CIF welcomes back favorite acts from past festivals and is pleased to present over 30 groups making their CIF debuts. To visit the CIF 2007 archive, click: CIF 10 |
Productions