Who comes to Chicago FOR the Summer?!
Some people go camping for the summer, some even travel to a
foreign country, but for a select few, they come to Chicago for the improv.
All of the Big Three improv schools (SC, iO, Annoyance)
offer a variation of a "summer intensive." And the programs are aptly named;
they generally involve at least a week of study with at least 7 hours of class
each day and could cost up to $1000.
Generally targeted at out of town students, these classes
bring people from around the world to Chicago in order to learn the art of
improvisation but the cost of the class doesn't include room and board. This is
particularly crucial for the iO Summer Intensive which is 5 weeks long (with
classes 4 days a week from 11am to 5pm)
Some students take the opportunity to visit Chicago with
long-term plans of relocating here after the Summer session and some visit with
the plan to bring their new-found skills and knowledge to their home improv
groups. (I remember visiting another city and meeting the teacher of
"Chicago-style" improv... he had never been to Chicago and was teaching based on
what he learned from someone who had been through the iO and Annoyance Summer
programs. I recognized some of my own lessons. *sigh*)
Along with the crash-course of improvisation school, all
three schools offer their summer students a pass to see shows (at some it's
only one show a week and others it's a full pass) so their brains are awash in
improv.
For me, I enjoy the Summer Intensives a great deal- I get to
meet lots of interesting people from all over the world and I don't have to go
any where. The last class I taught at iO was a Summer Intensive and it was a
great time... in fact I'm still friends with people from that class.
Here are links to more information on the Summer Intensive
programs:
Merry Summer, improvisers!
Filed under: Annoyance Theater, Chicago, iO Theater, Second City
Tags: @potd, Richard Daley, Summer Intensive
Even though I might not get into all the shows I usually can, it's great to see other people love improv as much as me. I went to Armando this week and there was a line of Summer Intensive students from the door all the way to Salt and Pepper, it was great to see.