Improvisation Paves the Way

Have you heard of the renowned Improvised Shakespeare Company (ISC)? If you are yet to learn about them or haven’t had the chance to witness a performance, you’ll want to snatch up the opportunity to see them at the iO Theater in Chicago! The ISC completes over a decade in 2017, and each show has received loads of accolades and praise from both audiences and critics.

About ISC

The quality of entertainment at The iO Theater is just like wine, which keeps getting better with every show. As is evident from the name, their main focus is on improvisation – no wonder they’ve been touted as Chicago’s best and funniest improv group by both the Chicago Reader and the Chicago Examiner! The group is also the proud recipient of the New York Nightlife Award for “Best Comedic Performance by a Group” and was honored by the Chicago Improv Foundation as its “Ensemble of the Year.” They have entertained audiences at prestigious events and functions such as the Piccolo Spoleto Fringe Festival, Off Broadway in New York City, Bonnaroo, the Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival, Outside Lands, San Francisco Sketchfest, UCB’s Del Close Marathon, and Just For Laughs festival in Montreal and Chicago.

What can you expect from an ISC production?

If you enjoy humor and a good belly laugh, along with amusing comebacks and sharp innuendos, then attending the next show of ISC should be on top of your list. Based on one audience suggestion (a title for a play that has yet to be written), ISC devises a play by emulating Elizabethan styles and themes. The entire play is improvised – there is no planning, rehearsal or script involved here. With a hilarious take on “thee’s” and “thou’s”, each player contributes beautifully to the show, which consists of off-the-cuff comedy by using language and ideas of William Shakespeare. Your funny bone will be on overdrive due to an oddball mix of power struggles, star-crossed lovers, sprites, kings, queens, princesses, sword-play, rhyming couplets, asides, insults, persons in disguise, and anything that draws inspiration from the works of the great playwright. Since the play is conceptualized along the lines of improvisation, every performance is unique – one night you might see a tragedy, while the next show might switch gears with rib-tickling comedy!

All their shows have been sold out for the past few years, so please reserve your seats right now – it is a fantastic way to spend a night!