Upright Citizens Brigade Top Headliner at Chicago Improv Festival 2014
Chicago, IL (PRWEB) February 21, 2014 -- As the birthplace of improv, Chicago’s proud tradition as arguably the best city in the world for watching, performing and learning improv is celebrated each spring with the Chicago Improv Festival. Taking place March 31-April 6, 2014, this year's improv fest will be capped off with two Chicago "homecoming" shows from the Upright Citizens Brigade’s founding members—Matt Besser (Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story), Ian Roberts (Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy) and Matt Walsh (Veep, The Hangover)—performing as ASSSSCAT.
ASSSSCAT, the UCB's improv juggernaut that has played to critical acclaim and sold out audiences in New York and LA, will be the headline act at The Second City Up. Comedy Club on April 6 at 8 p.m. Be prepared for an evening of high octane, balls-to-the-walls improvised sketches when ASSSSCAT shares the stage with special guests, SNL alums Tim Meadows and Horatio Sanz, in addition to monologist Steve Albini.
Tickets for ASSSSCAT cost $40 for general admission and $50 for VIP seating, and may be purchased at the Second City Box Office (230 W. North Ave.) and SecondCity.com. For more information, please call 312-662-4562.
Prior to the April 6 ASSSSCat show, Besser, Roberts and Walsh will be signing copies of their new book, Upright Citizens Brigade Comedy Improvisation Manual, in the lobby at Second City UP! Comedy Club on April 6 from 6:30-7 p.m. The manual—which will be available for purchase—covers everything from the basics of two-person scene work, to the complexities of working within an ensemble to perform long form structures, such as "The Harold" and "The Movie."
Matt Besser will bring his weekly podcast heard on Earwolf--Improv4Humans--to Stage 773 on April 5 at 8:30 p.m. Besser, with Ian Roberts, Matt Walsh and Betsy Sodaro along for the ride, will host his fully improvised show complete with music by Bobby Matthews and Dragoon. Tickets for Improv4Humans cost $25 and may be purchased at the Stage 773 Box Office (1225 W. Belmont Ave.) and Stage773.com. For more information, please call 773-327-5252.
More CIF17 Headline Acts
A dynamic duo, sit back and enjoy SNL alum Paul Brittain and actress Jet Eveleth challenge each other into greater heights of comedic ecstasy when they headline at The Second City e.t.c. on April 2 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 for general admission and $30 for VIP seating and may be purchased at Second City’s Box Office and SecondCity.com.
SNL alum Horatio Sanz will bring his improv show, Horatio Sanz & The All-Stars of Comedy, to Stage 773 for an evening of insanely raw, off-the-cuff humor on Saturday, April 5, 2014 at 10:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 and may be purchased at the Stage 773 Box Office and Stage773.com.
Chicago natives Jon Barinholtz (Dumb and Dumber Too, Summer 2014 release) and Rob Belushi (The Joe Schmo Show) are coming home to headline two nights at CIF17 as Sheldon. This witty pair will effortlessly perform their theatrically grounded long-form style of improvisation at Stage 773 on April 4 at 10 p.m. and Second City Skybox on April 5 at 10 p.m. Tickets for Sheldon on April 4 cost $20 and may be purchased via Stage 773 Box Office and Stage773.com. Tickets for Sheldon on April 5 at The Second City Skybox cost $20 and may be purchased at Second City’s Box Office and SecondCity.com.
For more information and updates regarding the 17th annual Chicago Improv Festival, please visit ChicagoImprovFestival.org and find CIF17 on Facebook.
About Chicago Improv Productions
Chicago Improv Productions is a 501 c3 non-profit Illinois arts organization offering year-round improv programs, including: Chicago Improv Festival; College Improv Tournament; Educational Outreach; Teen Comedy Fest and other shows and special events in Chicago. Chicago Improv Productions' mission is to celebrate the present, honor the past, and showcase the future of improvisational theatre, in all of its multi-disciplinary expressions, through local, regional, national, and international perspectives. Annually, Chicago Improv Productions presents or produces more than 300 improv acts and ensembles from all over the globe.
Jennifer McLaughlin, JEM PR & Communications Inc., http://freethetampons.org, +1 (773) 230-7568, [email protected]
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