The famed improv comedy institution iO Theater is reopening, according to an announcement Wednesday.
Now under new ownership, the theater on Kingsbury Street will resume operations Nov. 3, with some shows and improv teams familiar from iO’s past life, including “The Armando,” “Sex and the Windy City” and “Stir Friday Night.”
iO Theater Chicago shut down in June 2020, having been closed during the pandemic, and with longtime owner Charna Halpern facing charges of racism on social media. Halpern put the building up for sale and told the Tribune the biggest factor in the sale was upcoming property taxes bills she would have struggled to pay.
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The theater building, which first opened in 2014 when iO moved to the Clybourn Corridor from Wrigleyville, was purchased by Chicagoans Scott Gendell, Larry Weiner and Steve Sacks in 2021, according to the announcement. It has since been renovated, with refreshed performance spaces and bar, and renovations to the facade and behind the scenes.
Sacks is iO’s new CEO, and the theater has artistic guidance from comedy leaders Mick Napier and Jennifer Estlin from Annoyance Theater. The theater also “has assembled a leadership team of comedy industry and improv veterans.”
The longtime iO has been known as one of the birthplaces of improv comedy in Chicago, the training grounds for Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Stephen Colbert, Chris Farley, Mike Myers and others. It was cofounded in 1981 by comedic icon Del Close and Halpern as ImprovOlympic, shortening its name to iO when the International Olympic Committee objected.
The 33,500-square-foot, two-story complex at 1501 N. Kingsbury St. was listed for sale in 2020 for more than $12 million, with the iO brand included. The property includes four theaters, as well as classrooms and event spaces.
Tickets are now on sale now at ioimprov.com. From Nov. 3, the roster of shows and improv teams includes:
“Anarchy: The Improvised Rock Opera,” a long-form musical improvisation.
“The Armando Diaz Experience,” first formed in 1995 and known as “the Armando.” Guest monologists take suggestions from the audience and share stories from their life.
“Boneless,” an hourlong sketch revue featuring stand-up openers.
“Devil’s Daughter,” with a cast of seasoned comedians with their own spin on the classic improv form the Harold.
“Friday Freaky,” taking inspiration from the 2003 film.
“Haunted: Improvised Ghost Hunters,” a longform improv show that investigates the “haunted person, place, or thing” suggested by the audience.
“Improvised Jane Austen,” with an all-female and nonbinary troupe that performs in the style of the beloved author.
“The Improvised Holiday Movie,” with longform improvised “movies” presented by Take Two on Saturday nights.
“Improvised Survivor,” inspired by the reality show.
“La Chancla Salvaje: An Improvised Telenovela” is an episodic telenovela inspired by audience suggestions and the last episode’s cliffhanger ending.
“No Curfew” with James Dugan and Gretchen Eng.
“Not Your Average Joe” with Joe Kovach.
“Our Throwback Thursdays” will seek to preserve the legacy of artists that contributed to iO.
“Play Practice,” with the brother and sister improv duo Jake Prizant and Hanna Moser.
“PoeProv” is an improvised play based on Edgar Allan Poe.
“Sex and the Windy City: An Unofficial Musical Parody” is a parody of the HBO show.
“Stir Friday Night” is Chicago’s longest-running Asian American comedy team and has included performers such as Danny Pudi (“Community”), Mary Sohn (“A.P. Bio”) and Oscar nominee Steven Yeun.
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“Girl Doctor presents the Night Shift” is billed as mysterious, gory, absurd and irreverent.