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 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 .
15-524: The theatre closed briefly in 2020, though the building was purchased in 2021 and reopened on November 3, 2022. iO concentrates 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 features other forms of improvisation, as well as sketch comedy and stand-up comedy. The building has four performance spaces: The ImprovOlympic
30-641: A long-form approach by 1983. In 1995, the ImprovOlympic moved to its location on Clark St. in Chicago. An additional theater, iO West was opened by Paul Vaillancourt in Los Angeles, California in 1997. It was managed by Colleen Doyle and Zach Huddleston, before closing in 2018. In 2001, the International Olympic Committee legally threatened the theater over its use of the name "ImprovOlympic" and
45-645: A referee who awards points and administers fouls. The Australian shows Thank God You're Here and TheatreGames LIVE follow a similar format to these shows. New York City's Face Off Unlimited has also adapted the concept to numerous productions. Two similar formats, Ligue nationale d'improvisation and Canadian Improv Games both also officially debuted in 1977 in Quebec and Ontario, respectively. The Canadian Improv Games had been doing competitive improv at various events as early as 1974. Keith Johnstone Donald Keith Johnstone (21 February 1933 – 11 March 2023)
60-639: A working-class school in Battersea , London in the early 1950s, before being commissioned to write a play by the Royal Court Theatre in 1956. He subsequently became a play-reader, director and drama teacher there, where he chose to reverse all that his teachers had told him in an attempt to create more spontaneous actors. In 1972, Johnstone moved to Calgary , Alberta to teach at the University of Calgary , where he remained until retiring in 1995. Johnstone
75-531: Is featured in the book Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell . Johnstone was married to Ingrid von Darl until their divorce in 1981. They had one son, Benjamin Johnstone who had one son, Cort Dawnne, and Johnstone had a second son from another relationship. He died at Rockyview General Hospital in Calgary on 11 March 2023, at the age of 90. Johnstone developed his training system at
90-578: The Loose Moose Theatre , which he co-founded in 1977. He retired as artistic director in 1998, but remained involved with the company and continued to work as an educator until 2018, amid a decline in his health. Johnstone's work with performers comprised a vast collection of training games, exercises and lazzi . He wrote two books about his system; 1979's Impro: Improvisation and the Theatre , and 1998's Impro For Storytellers . Johnstone's teaching
105-615: The Harold piece performed was conducted by the most veteran iO house team The Reckoning. "Masters of the Harold" and "Stand outs" a DVD of The Reckoning is included in the book Art By Committee a sequel to Truth in Comedy. In August 2014, after almost 20 years in Chicago's Wrigleyville neighborhood, Charna Halpern bought a building in the Lincoln Park neighborhood and moved the iO Theater to its new home at 1501 N. Kingsbury St. On June 18, 2020, it
120-519: The audience or by a panel of judges. Developed by director Keith Johnstone in Calgary , Alberta , in 1977, the concept of Theatresports originated in Johnstone's observations of techniques used in professional wrestling to generate heat , or audience reaction. ComedySportz , started in 1984 in Milwaukee, WI, tends to emphasise the sports competition format more than Theatresports, for example by having
135-488: The name was subsequently changed to "iO." On September 2, 2005, iO held its 25th anniversary show at the Chicago Theatre in downtown Chicago. The wireless microphones went dead shortly into the show, but the improvisers rallied and played using wired mics for the rest of the performance. Celebrity veterans of the iO program who returned to play included Mike Myers, Tim Meadows, Amy Poehler, and Ike Barinholtz. The opening to
150-474: The theater officially reopened on November 3, 2022. This includes people who have performed or taught at either iO West or iO Chicago : 41°54′31″N 87°39′06″W / 41.9085°N 87.6517°W / 41.9085; -87.6517 Theatresports Theatresports is a form of improvisational theatre , which uses the format of a competition for dramatic effect. Opposing teams can perform scenes based on audience suggestions, with ratings by
165-514: The theater was not making any income as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and acknowledging that, if not for the pandemic, she would not be closing. "I'm 68 years old," she said. "It's scary for me. We're in a pandemic right now and there's no end in sight. Even if we were able to open at half capacity it was not going to work." In July 2021 the theater was bought by Scott Gendell and Larry Weiner of Chicago. The duo intend to resume shows and classes and
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#1732858136461180-647: Was a British-Canadian educator and theatre director. A pioneer of improvisational theatre , he was best known for inventing the Impro System , part of which are the Theatresports . He was also an educator, playwright, actor and theatre director. Donald Keith Johnstone was born in 1933 in Brixham , Devon, England. He grew up hating school, finding that it blunted his imagination and made him feel self-conscious and shy. After attending St Luke's College Exeter , he taught at
195-427: Was an improv student. Charna Halpern became David Shepherd's assistant, and eventually the producer of the competitions. There were also competitions at a network of local bars and clubs. In 1982, the ImprovOlympic moved from The Players Workshop to its own space at Thomas Goodman 's CrossCurrents theatre, 3207 N. Wilton Street. Teams began to form out of every major improv troupe in Chicago. Shows began shifting to
210-434: Was announced that iO would be closing permanently. Controversy ensued regarding whether the closure was due to financial difficulties or allegations of racism that had emerged in the form of an online petition that began circulating only a few days before. Halpern stressed that the reasons were strictly financial, highlighting the property taxes bills of nearly $ 100,000 that "would have had to come out of her personal savings" as
225-594: Was created in 1981 putting competing teams of comedic improvisers on stage in front of audiences. This was 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 to compete. The first ImprovOlympic classes and shows took place at The Players Workshop in Chicago , where Charna Halpern
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