WIT NEWS ITEM | 2004 Chicago Improv Festival Report
WIT NEWS ITEM | 2004 Chicago Improv Festival Report

Where else would you go? Mainstagers celebrate after their elbowRoom show at CIF.

WIT'S CHICAGO ROAD JOURNAL

POSTED 5.12.04

Washington Improv Theater recently returned triumphant from the 2004 Chicago Improv Festival in the Windy City. What's that? Get on to the nitty gritty? You got it, kid...


PENNSYLVANIA & OHIO TURNPIKES

THURSDAY 5.06.04
Seven brave souls. One sleek minivan. Endless possibilities.. The WIT road trip to CIF kicked off in DC on Thursday afternoon. After some confusion between Mike and Zack about exactly which rental car location they were supposed to be renting from, the group hit the road in search of points west.

The mighty caravan roared into Wooster, Ohio (roughly halfway between our nation's capital and the epicenter of improv) just before sundown that night. Road-trippers were greeted by Tyler Korba's parents, and found cold margaritas and a hot tub waiting.


Topher (seen here in baby seat) drinks like a big boy while Dave,
Marissa and Mike look on.


Posing in the driveway of Chez Korba with Rod and Dolores.


Margaritas in hand, Zack, Topher, Mike and Tyler warm it up in Wooster.

REBECCA SEELIG: THURSDAY 5.06.04 4:45PM
Arrive at the airport the suggested two hours early to find that my flight has been delayed an hour. Brilliant. Upon taking some deep breaths, I realize that I have not yet eaten, and cozy up to the Chinese food establishment just steps from my departure gate. Do I look classy stuffing lo mein into my gaping maw amidst Thursday night business travelers? You bet. Some suit-clad guy is catching up with long lost pal on his cell. His kids are off to college. Good for them. Where the fuck is my plane?

REBECCA SEELIG: FRIDAY 5.07.04 9:30AM
Awaken at my totally awesome friend Amy's apartment. I have just spent the night on the comfiest sofabed ever. What was it that woke me up, though? Oh there's the knocking again... perhaps Amy forgot her keys. The door opens to two strange men... cable guys, no less. I awkwardly inspect the kitchen of Amy's apartment in my pajamas as the men do their cable thing. I know... I'll ask about the weather. That will make things seem less bizarr-o.


INDIANA AND ILLINOIS

FRIDAY 5.07.04
Everyone drank the night before. A few people showered the morning after. The group got back on the road and continued the trek to Chicago. Other players who flew out to the festival missed the wonderfully flat and brown parts of America that ate up the better part of Friday morning.

Upon arriving in the Windy City, Topher joined Mark Chalfant for the tech rehearsal for their SHAME show while the rest of the crew checked in to hotels and found friends from around town.


In the back of the van, Zack gets cocky with his Thick Burger from
Hardee's. Dave knows that can only lead to one thing...


Zack spills ketchup into his lap. The circle of life continues.


Topher delights his fellow passengers with yet another Judy Garland
song from his laptop. Mike keeps his eyes on the road.

REBECCA SEELIG: FRIDAY 5.07.04 11:30AM
Am walking from Amy's kickass place to the Second City theater. Some total sketcharoo pulls up beside me and asks if I need a ride. I pass on the likely abduction/molestation, and freak-o speeds off. I should have gotten that license plate. Hey, don't take rides from strangers in Chicago. Hopefully that will do for a PSA.

I saddle into the Boston Market astride the theater and consume various bland side dishes. Then again I am in the Midwest.

I take my first workshop of the improv intense weekend. And my mind is blown for the first of many times. I am in Dexter's Movement workshop. He directs a movement improv group called Plasticene. I make a mental note to catch this show at some point. Then I do a lot of moving. I am going to hurt in a few hours. But a good hurt. The kind of hurt that makes you remember what you learn.

MOLLY WOODS: FRIDAY 5.07.04 3:15PM
Upon arrival at my hotel room, I was greeted by Zack (busily transacting business via telephonic device), Colin, and Marissa. Marissa, I was shocked to find, had brought highlighters with her so she could mark up her map of Chicago with the venues where we would be attending shows or classes. Is it possible someone else would have a Planning Packet more awesome than mine?

My Planning Packet, housed in a leather passport case with a sticker of the Sears Tower on the front? My Planning Packet, including a laminated map annotated in wet-erase marker? My effing BRILLIANT Planning Packet, with ideas for crafts and games in the event we are trapped in the hotel room by a freak blizzard? My jealousy was palpable.

Frustrated and chagrinned, I dismissed Zack and Marissa from the room so Colin and I could have some time alone for Bible study.


Not a moment to spare, Zack gets on the horn to tell the other Jackies
the Planning Packet has arrived.

REBECCA SEELIG: FRIDAY 5.07.04 3:30PM
There is a sounding board type of thing going on for all of the weekend workshoppers. During a break, Andrew insists that Ken and I immediately follow him out of the theater. He has just possibly sighted a person from A Mighty Wind. We spot him again and I follow him but act like I am just trying to buy cookies from a vending machine. But I can't make a clear call. Andrew later approaches and verifies this man's identity. He is in fact the Mighty Wind guy. Nice job, Freedman.

TYLER KORBA: FRIDAY 5.07.04 6:00PM
So we decided to take the 48 Hour Film Project on the road. When we asked permission from the producers of the project to shoot in Chicago, I was expecting to get a little bit of resistance from them. Instead, we were told that they'd "love to see if we can pull it off", which probably should have been a warning sign.

Brian Coleman and Andrew Stober called from the 48 drawing in DC with news about our genre and required elements. Aside from a mild panic attack about our Must Have Prop ("Where the hell am I supposed to find a rubber duckie in a strange city??") it looked like a pretty straight-ahead weekend. A bunch of us brainstormed a simple story over dinner at the Golden Apple, keeping in mind that we wanted Chicago to play an important part... but not until the end.

After some back and forth with the guys in DC, we settled on a basic plot, and everyone headed out to see the night's shows. Dave and Andrew hit the DC streets and shot for about an hour or so before FedExing a tape our way for Saturday delivery.

REBECCA SEELIG: FRIDAY 5.07.04 6:30PM
Amy and I head to the Billy Goat, the restaurant made famouse by Jon Belushi's Cheeseborger, Cheeseborger, Cheeseborger sketch. It is totally cool. One of the waiters offers to take me out to dinner and show me Chicago. Hello! But alas, it was not meant to be. We (sans waiter) groove from the BG on down to the Cabaret, for Mark and Toph's Chicago SHAME debut.

From there we move next door to the Theater Builiding where we catch pH Productions (Chicago) and Johnny Lunchpail (NYC) at the midnight showcase show. The woman introducing the shows makes the entire audience feel very uncomfortable and dirty. The shows themselves, however, are a lot of fun, especially Johnny Lunchpail which is sure to take the improv world by storm. I go home and shower four times.


Rebecca and Amy enjoy their Billy Goat Tavern cheeseborgers with chips and Pepsi.


CHICAGO IMPROV FESTIVAL

FRIDAY 5.07.04 8:00PM
Topher and Mark put on their SHAME show as a part of th CIF's Cabaret Night. WIT alumnus Anita Chupp was across town rocking the Showcase venue with Uncle Elaine. On the Mainstage, our Neutrino friends from NYC were being honored as the Improv Ensemble of the Year for their groundbreaking work with the Video Projects. All of this was happening AT THE EXACT SAME TIME, so somebody's feelings were probably hurt. Never-the-less, the group spread out, and the parties and rooftop hangs lingered long into the night.

DIONNE AUDAIN: SATURDAY 5.08.04
As an intern at CIF I not only learned a lot more than I knew about different forms of improv but about Chicago itself. I got to monitor the auditions that were being held for Bravo's Significant Others. Working with Casting Director Francine Ackerman and Producer Allison Kingsley and of course all of the great improvisors that were invited to audition. It was such a great learning experience being there.

I was also tasked with taping all the sketch comedy over at the Loop Theatre and WOW - Barrio Speedwagon, 3 People @ The Cinema, Traveling Susans, Schadenfreud to name a few. I was definitely enlightened.

I also was a ticket taker/crowd control at the Theatre Building for a show. And the workshops - Musical Improv, and the all day stuff as well as the Master class were all very enlightening.

REBECCA SEELIG: SATURDAY 5.08.04 7:00AM
I drag myself off the sofabed, with no cablemen in sight. After showering, I note a strange sound buzzing through the apartment. As I exit the building I note the cause of this sound- a helicopter is hovering over one of the neighboring buildings. As I jump into a cab, the driver comments on how ridiculous the crowd surrounding this scene is. "Acting like they've never seen a helicopter before" he scoffs, downing some Dunkin' Doughnuts coffee. This driver may be the awesomest person in Chicago, I realize as we discuss Chicago, the state of the union, and life. He's the kind of philosopher/cab driver that until this moment I only thought existed in one-act plays and independent film. As I step out of the cab I want to give him a hug, but realize that a line would be crossed. But my faith in humanity has been restored. Before 9 am on a Saturday, no less.

After attempting and failing to score some coffee, I enter our classroom. The classes are divided into four two-hour blocks, with teachers from each of the major Chicago improv schools rotating through each group. I am in a class with Colin, Mark, and Marissa from WIT. The other students have come from all over...Minneapolis, Halifax, San Francisco, Kansas City, and even Oslo, Norway. From the get go, I am blown away by the talent, and am immediatly intimidated. Our first teacher is from Improv Olympic, and a member of the super awesome Baby Wants Candy. After his session, we have a break, allowing me to snag the much needed coffee. This time I take a different path... lo and behold a Starbucks appears before me. Fruition! That would be a great super power... the ability to summon a Starbucks? Anyway, the barrista appears to have made too many shots and asks if I want an extra shot. Sure thing, I say. Later, a nervous ball of nerves, I will regret accepting this shot. But now I hurry back for the second class.

Now our teacher is from Comedy Sportz. Since most of my workshopmates are of the long form persuasion, our teacher de-games a lot of the Comedy Sportz teachings. It turns out to be surprisingly helpful.

After this class we have lunch. I check my messages, and my mom is in town from Fargo. Oh yeah, we're doing a show tonight. And the aforementioned extra espresso shot kicks in. I'm going to break from the classes for a second and go into what is going on in my head. I first came to CIF as a college sophomore with my improv group and was totally blown away by the Showcase acts that I saw. Tonight, I am in one of the Showcase acts. Do you feel like crying? Because I totally did. And plus my Mom was going to be there. This is like a scene from one of those mother-daughter movies... like Terms of Endearment or Steel Magnolias. Except I'm not getting married, I'm in an improv show. And I don't have a disease, but I am too nervous to eat.

Lunch ends, and our third teacher from Second City enters. Our initial focus is to check in with one another emotionally before just talking away. Our teacher sits on the edge of his seat intensely wrapped up in each scene. I can feel my pulse racing. Three hours until our show. Now, our final teacher enters. He is from the Annoyance Theater. This is definitely my favorite session of the day. We focus on holding on to what we initially bring to the scene. Fireworks are going off inside my brain. I feel ready to jump on stage and blow the audience away. I am hungry like the wolf in a figurative sense, but about to puke in a literal one.

TYLER KORBA: SATURDAY 5.08.04 4:30PM
We found a duck. Dave and I went over near the Showcase theater and shot our first scene at the Clarke Diner. Dave was looking a little rough after a late Friday night, but a little late breakfast had him back in business. We had a tech rehearsal for our show and caught a cab back over to the hotel to shoot our next scene. If everything goes well, I ought to be able to do the show, edit all night and hand a tape off to Colin tomorrow in time to catch his plane. If we've learned anything in the last two years, though, it's that nothing ever goes exactly like it's supposed to when it comes to the 48.

MARISSA: SATURDAY 5.08.04
Even having studied improv in Chicago previously, I learned so much in our day of workshops with teachers of different Chicago theaters. I will be re-reading my notes and putting those ideas into play long after my return to DC.

REBECCA SEELIG: SATURDAY 5.08.04 6:00PM
Mark, Mike, Colin, and I find a cab. We have all received messages on our phones to make our way to the Theatre Building with haste. We meet up with Dave, Topher, and Tyler. I run to the restroom. The little that I'd eaten stays down. As long as I remember to breathe I'll be fine. We are directed to the green room, then take some time to get a feel for the stage. A few members of The Groundlings troupe are also warming up. When we are sent to the green room for good, we meet the members of Bevy who are second in the Showcase line-up. The woman who introduced the shows last night is also warming up the audience for us. Yikes. Maybe she'll tone it down a bit. We are asked for our intro music, and decide to go with the opening bars of I Believe In A Thing Called Love. I really couldn't be more pleased. I feel lightheaded. Like how I felt in kindergarten when I overzealously blew paint around with a straw in art class. We hear that the show has sold out. We check in and get ready to take the stage. The warm-up woman is doing a sketch about Brittany Spears and Brad Pitt. Comic gold! The Darkness blasts across the PA... here goes.


CIF SHOWCASE STAGE

SATURDAY 5.08.04 8:00PM
WIT's Mainstage troupe opened the show, with Chicago's Bevy and The Groundling's Crazy Uncle Joe Show from L.A. following. The theater was packed to the rafters, and a lovely time was had by all.


Rebecca, Topher and Tyler get close for their elbowRoom show. Photos courtesy of www.cif.com

MARISSA: SATURDAY 5.08.04 9:30PM
It felt to awesome to represent in Chicago. Mainstage was hot!

REBECCA SEELIG: SATURDAY 5.08.04 9:30PM
So much fun! I catch my Mom and aunts Margaret and Peggy. Hugs, hugs, hugs. Hugs from other WIT players in the audience. Hugs from my college friend Ben who drove down from Madison for the show. Everyone seemed to have a great time on stage and the audience seemed to enjoy it as well. Bevy was brilliant to watch again (I saw them at Del Close last year, and totally dig them) and The Groundlings had me laughing and clapping AT THE SAME TIME. All the nerves were worth it, and now it's time to catch up with my family and friends. But first we make a quick run to take some 48-hour film shots in an alley across the street. I get to play a starlet caught in the act... whee! As you see documented here, I did in fact keep my shirt on. Then we run off to take the Elbow Room shots. Elbow Room at Elbowroom? Coincidence? Schmoincidence! Then I meet up with my mom and aunts back at the Theater Building. My uncles John and Daryl have joined the group as well. They had to see the other show playing at the theater, Amadeus, since the Showcase show had already sold out. I heart my devoted family members! After my family departs in cabs to their respective hotels, I meet up with Amy and we check out the scene at the Tap Room. I begin to realize that my energy level is in the red. We drink a few, then find ourselves at a 7-11. We grab all good things then depart to pass out on the sofabed, while watching a riveting teen drama inspired by Shakespeare.

Rebecca and Colin get busy for the 48. In an alley across from the Showcase theater, in case you were wondering.


STREETS OF CHICAGO

SATURDAY 5.08.04 10:30PM


After a job well done onstage, players make a quick stop at the
soon-to-be-famous Elbo(w) Room. For obvious reasons.


CHICAGO IMPROV FESTIVAL

SATURDAY 5.08.04 LATENIGHT
You can't call it Sunday if you haven't gone to bed yet. Improv Nation stayed up late and rocked the 2AM crowd as a part of CIF's Improv All Night show at the ComedySportz stage. They were followed by Jackie at 2:30, and the party continued until 6:30. Crazy, right?

Hopefully, pictures will follow. As soon as they turn up, you can find 'em here.

TYLER KORBA: SATURDAY 5.08.04 EVEN LATER NIGHT
Well, it's sometime around 3:30 in the morning. Mike and Dave are out on the streets of downtown Chicago rounding up the last of the city shots we need for the end of our movie. The three of us just finished shooting the last scene, and I can honestly say that I've never seen so many panhandlers out on the job at one time.

I'm going downstairs to get some food before I fall on my face.

TYLER KORBA: SUNDAY 5.09.04 8:30AM
I'm stupid tired. We're going to have to turn in late, because I've got about 3 hours to finish 5 hours worth of work. If only Colin was leaving for the airport at 3:00...


INTERSTATE 80 IN INDIANA

SUNDAY 5.09.04 1:30PM
After careful consideration, the surviving van members decided Mike was probably the least likely to drive off the road, so he was given the first shift behind the wheel for the twelve hour trip home. There were still some shots left to get for the 48 Hour Film, so Tyler taped them in the van on the way out of town. Then he fell on his face.

The general feeling is that the weekend was a whole lot of fun. Even though there are hours and hours left on the road, everyone is already talking about making the drive again next year.

Let's see how everyone feels by the time they actually get home.


Marissa says goodnight from the van. Note product placement.

REBECCA SEELIG: SUNDAY 5.09.04 5:00PM
After having a nice Mother's Day brunch with my Mom, and catching up with my college friend Mary, I am on the road with Amy trying to make my flight back to DC. The traffic is slower than service at Tryst. We are listening to the soundtrack from the movie Annie, sporadically singing along to bide the time. Chicago! Chicago! I love ya'! Chicago! You're only 5 states away... Impressed? Wait until I get to the part about the flight. I jump out of the car and rush through security... and they are boarding my flight! Hooray! I don't have to sit and listen to any lameass business class phone conversations! Plus I turn around to find that Improv National Ben Parker is also on my flight! But then we board. I am in row 13 and Ben appears to be in row 85, the nosebleed section of the plane. Then we find that though we have boarded we won't actually be moving for about an hour or so. People around me begin to get out their cellphones...ready to call and catch up with old friends. I try to call Ben to see what's going on at the back of the plane, but his phone is off. I look up and they have begun to play the Stiller-Aniston remake of that earlier film with Charlize Theron and Keanu Reaves. Hey, good thing I brought my CDs. And I'm incredibly tired. In just a few hours I can return home and relax in my one bedroom apartment with all three of my roommates. Totally awesome. Chiiiiicago! Chiiiicago! 'Til next year! Chicago! You're only a MAAYYYYYY AAAAWWWAAAAYYY!!!!