Update: 1/12/08
CIF Productions and ComedySportz Chicago Co-Create the 1st Annual "All-Fest Improv Team" at the 2008 Illinois High School Theatre Fest

The Illinois 2008 All-Fest Improv Team Front Row (L to R): Co-Director Matt Ewell, Robert Leahy, Megan Kunesh, Linze Griebenon, Mike Storm, Andrew Rosenblat, Colin Eastburn-Mallory, Co-Director Emily Dugan Back Row (L to R): Peter LaDage, Jessica Rundell, Dylan Doetch, Dylan Howser, Teddy Hughes, Marybeth Kram, Marina Mularz, Nick Gertonson

In January of 2007, CIF Productions Executive Director Jonathan Pitts was teaching for his first time at the Illinois High School Theatre Fest. As he walked around looking at the teen-aged actors, he noticed several of them in "All-State Musical" jackets, and he wondered why there wasn't an all-state improv team, especially since Illinois is the birthplace state of modern improvisational theatre. Thus inspired, he began to make this idea a reality. He added on the talents of CIF Productions' Teen Comedy Fest Artistic Director Emily Dugan and ComedySportz Chicago's Artistic Director Matt Ewell to persue the project. Thus with a great team, they proposed the idea to Larry Williams, chairman of the 2008 Illinois High School Theatre Fest, and he said yes.

On Friday, January 11, a total of 14 high school theatre students from all over the state of Illinois were selected to be part of the 1st annual "All-Fest Improv Team". The group of 14 students were chosen from 150 students who auditioned for the ensemble.

On that Friday night, the All-Fest Improv Team performed an hour-long show to an audience of 300, made up of teens and teachers from the festival. Illinois State University's The Improv Mafia (a final four finalist team from the 2007 College comedy Championship) were the guest headliners, and after they did their set, both teams did a improv jam together.

Chicago Improv Festival Production's core philosophy is to educate and entertain audiences and students of all ages, demographics and locations; as well as to bring instruction and guidance to emerging improvisational artists and ensembles; by focusing on and about modern improvisational theatre, a Chicago-born and bred art form.

CIF instructor Tusime Jackson leads Chicago Park District children in an improv game.

The children respond and play along.

They keep playing until it's time to go home.

For more information on the shows and workshops available from Chicago Improv Festival Productions, please click on the "Shows" & "Workshops" buttons at the top of this page.