Get Up On It

I’m not much of an event person. I’m a good tour guide, but start asking me about restaurants and events and I start to shake and get confused. But I do have a few tricks up the ole Hicks sleeve and I know a few places that Chicagoans and tourists alike should get up on.

We’ll start with you getting up on The Playground Theater.

I’ve been improvising in this city a long time, so long that in one way or another each of the “big 3″ improv theaters (I.O., Second City, The Annoyance) have been my home. I found The Playground later in my improv career and it holds a special place in my heart. One of the best things about The Playground is, it’s a great place to go see some improv.

At I.O. and Second City (which isn’t improv until the show is over) there are practices and structure behind what you’re seeing. There are boundaries. They’re working within a structure that the theater has come up with. There is nothing wrong with this! Everyone does it differently, that’s why life is nice. I’m thankful for learning the structure at those theaters, then you can have fun breaking it.

There are no boundaries at The Playground. It’s a co-op so there is no one governing artistic vision and no one person with the power. The Playground’s vision is – audition for a member team, be a part of the theater, help clean it and run it and manage it and you can come play here and do anything you want. You can try anything; there is no one watching you and judging you (besides the other improvisers in the audience). Sometimes that can lead to some heartache for Sweet Lady Improv, but that same scale can tip to a kind of awesome you won’t see anywhere else.

It was fun to be on a team at The Playground (long live Mr. Fancypants!). We could try things and play with all different kinds of forms and not be afraid of being kicked off a team. We were safe to play.

And then there’s the personal part of it. I first saw my husband at The Playground. He proposed to me in the doorway there (not that same night though, wow, that’d be fast). My closest group of friends came out of there. I’ve done some of my best work there. Oh yeah and some of my worst. Ahem.

So, if you like your improv a little risky, if you’re up for BYOB, if you like cute funny (mostly single) boys and hilarious women – get up on The Playground.