|
ImprovOlympic
iO, or iO Chicago, (formerly known as "ImprovOlympic") is an improv theater and training center in central Chicago, with a former branch in Los Angeles, called iO West and in Raleigh, North Carolina called iO South. The theater taught and hosted performances of improvisational comedy. It was founded in 1981 by Del Close and Charna Halpern. The theater has many notable alumni, including Amy Poehler and Stephen Colbert. The theatre closed briefly in 2020, though the building was purchased in 2021 and reopened on November 3, 2022. Description iO concentrated 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 featured other forms of improvisation, as well as sketch comedy and stand-up comedy. The building had four performance spaces: * The Del Close Theater - This was the second-largest of iO's the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
David Shepherd (producer)
David Gwynne Shepherd (October 10, 1924 – December 17, 2018) was an American producer, director, and actor noted for his innovative work in improvisational theatre. He founded and/or co-founded Playwrights Theatre Club, The Compass Players, Canadian Improv Games, and the ImprovOlympic. Early life and education Born in 1924 in New York City to an old money family, Shepherd grew up with left-leaning sensibilities. He was the son of Louise Tracy (Butler) and William Edgar Shepherd, an architect. His paternal grandmother was the sister of socialite Alice Claypoole Vanderbilt. He studied English at Harvard and received an M.A. in the History of Theater at Columbia. Disenchanted with what he perceived as a European dominated theater on the East Coast, Shepherd gravitated to the Midwest. Career Producer and Improv innovator Playwrights Theatre Club In 1953 Shepherd was one of the co-founders along with Paul Sills and Eugene Troobnick of the Playwrights Theatre Club in Chicago. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
IO Chicago
iO, or iO Chicago, (formerly known as "ImprovOlympic") is an improv theater and training center in central Chicago, with a former branch in Los Angeles, called iO West and in Raleigh, North Carolina called iO South. The theater taught and hosted performances of improvisational comedy. It was founded in 1981 by Del Close and Charna Halpern. The theater has many notable alumni, including Amy Poehler and Stephen Colbert. The theatre closed briefly in 2020, though the building was purchased in 2021 and reopened on November 3, 2022. Description iO concentrated 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 featured other forms of improvisation, as well as sketch comedy and stand-up comedy. The building had four performance spaces: * The Del Close Theater - This was the second-largest of iO's the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |