IO Theater

Improv theater and training center in Chicago, Illinois IO TheaterInteractive map of IO TheaterAddressChicago, Los AngelesUnited StatesTypeImprov theaterEventComedyConstructionOpened1981 iO, or iO Chicago, (formerly known as ImprovOlympic) is an improv theater and training center in central Chicago. The theater teaches and hosts 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 iO Theater formerly had a branch in Los Angeles called iO West (1997–2018), and in Raleigh, North Carolina called iO South. The Chicago center closed briefly in 2020, but reopened on November 3, 2022. History Early years The ImprovOlympic was created in 1981 as the brainchild of David Shepherd who originally created the format in 1972 in New York with Howard Jerome. David Shepherd used the Theater Games, created earlier by Viola Spolin, as a way for teams of improvisational comic actors 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,