Advertisement:

Posts in category "Annoyance Theater"

A Chicago Guide for the Intense

It’s June! When an improv school makes the completely altruistic and noble move of creating a Summer Intensive program. People (mostly young folks) come to Chicago for weeks at a time to study for hours a day. No matter which institution you attend, the program is, well, intense. We could go on and on debating... Read more »
By Jason Chin,
May 31, 2011 at 11:19 am
• 1 comment

Waiting for Gossman

Turns out SNL was waiting for Gossman… Shelly Gossman. Shelly (in the mask) with Pat O’Brien. They were on the Second City Mainstage together and now both will be writers on SNL together! It was rumored and then officially announced pretty fast this past weekend… after the “Get Famous” weekend of 2010, Shelly Gossman of... Read more »
By Jason Chin,
August 3, 2010 at 8:50 am
• Leave a comment

Summer Comedy Camp!

Summer Comedy Camp!
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... Read more »
By Jason Chin,
July 15, 2010 at 1:48 pm
• 1 comment
Advertisement:

Lynch, iCarly

I have to admit, and it’s a weird thing to confess to, that I adore the Nickelodeon show, iCarly.  I was flipping through the channels one day and caught a scene from the episode “iPie”, which had an extended chase and pie fight; the slapstick was very well done and I thought it was very... Read more »
By Jason Chin,
July 5, 2010 at 4:18 pm
• 1 comment

Smelly and It Makes Me Cry

This isn’t my first blog. I first started keeping an online journal in the late 90s. It was basically just a place for me to practice my HTML while I was temping in the Hancock building (the place I was temping had offsite meetings and I was the only one in the office! It was... Read more »
By Jason Chin,
January 7, 2010 at 12:02 pm
• Leave a comment

Buddy, Can You Spare $125 For an Improv Show?

Most of the Second City 50th Anniversary shows are either sold out or very expensive. The Mainstage show on Saturday (Alumni) at 8pm costs $125, while the SCTV Reunion show has tickets ranging from $175 to a whooping VIP package of $750! (to be fair, the VIP does include all panel discussions, the afterparty, and... Read more »
By Jason Chin,
December 10, 2009 at 3:03 pm
• Leave a comment
Advertisement:

Man Goes Too Far for Improv

Thomas Crane loves improv and he has the mileage to prove it.  There are many students nowadays who move to Chicago to take classes at either the Annoyance, Second City or the iO Theater. Thomas Crane is insane. Every week, he drives 840 miles from Blanchard, Oklahoma to Chicago, Illinois to take his improv class... Read more »
By Jason Chin,
November 18, 2009 at 1:18 pm
• Leave a comment

Conan! Improv! Anime! Boobies!

Conan O’Brien is still plugging along with the Tonight Show.  Ratings aside, it’s still a very funny show. Last week, Conan (who lived here in Chicago and did sketch shows) and his sidekick Andy (who lived here and did lots of work with the Annoyance Theater and the iO Theater) visited Bang!Zoom! Studios where they... Read more »
By Jason Chin,
November 2, 2009 at 1:11 pm
• Leave a comment

Cost of Education (part 1)

You want fame? Well, fame costs. And right here is where you start paying… in sweat! – Debbie Allen as Lydia in the movie Fame  And of course:     Let’s take a quick glance at the going rates at our Chicago improv training centers*:   ComedySportz- $200 x 4 levels (with 2 more levels... Read more »
By Jason Chin,
June 29, 2009 at 12:43 pm
• 2 comments
Advertisement:

Yes, And...?

This is the first in many installments of “Yes, And…?”, where I ask a show a few questions. Not an interview, not a FAQ; more like an FAQerview. Here’s my old teammate, older friend, and a great teacher, Mr. Rich Sohn: Yes, And…? What’s the title of your show? Bad Touch Why should people spend... Read more »
By Jason Chin,
June 8, 2009 at 12:46 pm
• Leave a comment