Improvised Shakespeare Company

Every Friday and Saturday at 8pm since 2006! Inspired by one audience suggestion, these dazzling players create a brand-new Shakespearean masterpiece right before your eyes.  Come witness the shows critics have called “staggeringly brilliant.”

Improvised Jane Austen

Every Saturday at 8pm, Improvised Jane Austen is a comedic ensemble that creates unscripted performances using Jane Austen’s tropes, themes, and language. Playing in Austen’s world, Improvised Jane Austen’s stories delight 21st century audiences with a modern sense and sensibility. Come for the humor, stay for the heart! Throughout the show’s run, Improvised Jane Austen’s has been Chicago Reader Recommended, named a PerformInk Critics’ Pick, voted Best sketch/improv troupe 2019 in the Reader’s Best of Chicago, and was featured on WTTW playlist, in Time Out, on WGN’s Daytime Chicago and most recently on CBS News Chicago. 

Whirled News Tonight

Every Saturday at 8pm. Twenty years running! The audience provides inspiration by picking their top stories from the day’s news. From these journalistic suggestions, a team of experienced improvisers create a fast-paced, topical, intelligent, & hilarious show.

Devil’s Daughter

Every Friday at 8pm! Devil’s Daughter features a cast of seasoned comedians who have performed together in Chicago and around the country for over a decade. This award-winning team has their own unique spin on a classic improv form, The Harold, and is known for their solo scenes, artistic style, and dastardly sense of humor.

Vera Drew’s Hollywood Dreamz: An Improvised Tell All

THE FREE SHOW

Every Wednesday at 7:30pm– A free weekly show featuring Dumb John, Birdlady, and other iO House Teams. Never been to an iO show before? This is a great way to check out longform style improv from some of the best!

Chutzpah In The Chi

Come for the Jewish joy and stay for the best Jewish stand-up comedians in the city. Featuring: Ariel Julie, Josh Cahn, and Rebecca Joey Schwab. Hosted by Yoni Heisler.

Phony Award Winning presents: Improvised Wicked

Phony Award Winning Musical presents: Wicked! A fully improvised musical with singing, dancing, and a whole lot of gravity defying. Travel to the land of Oz and see our wickedly talented cast Oct 6 – Nov. 24 Sundays at 7 in the Weed.

Khol’s Cash presents: TGIF

Start your weekend off laughing at one of the hottest improv shows in Chicago! Every Friday at 10pm , iO house team Kohl’s Cash presents a completely original show based on your suggestions. With different openers every week, drink specials, and clean restrooms, you’ll for sure be saying TGIF (That’s Good Improv Fridays).

The Creamboy Show!

Every Saturday at 10pm. Comedy so good you’ll lick your lips and pat your belly. Longform improv from iO House team CREAMBOY, featuring different opening acts each week. Don’t miss this show, who knows, you could become the lucky audience member chosen as the Cream of the Week. Get your tickets now!

Thursday Night Thunder

Feel the power every Thursday Night Thunder with iO house teams Kismet and Big Deborah. Sit back and let the professionals steer you through an evening of high energy, eccentric, emotionally charged sets guaranteed to leave you feeling blown away.

Lil Sluggers: In The Dugout

Catch home team Lil Sluggers in The Dugout every Thursday night as they present a grand slam showcase of improv, bits, and slugs! Each week is a unique run around the improv bases featuring an all-star visiting team and a set by Lil Sluggers inspired by your life.

Craigslist Playdate presents: Under the Tree

Do you love the charming predictability and heartwarming moments of Hallmark Christmas movies? Of course you do! So join Craigslist Playdate for an enchanting evening that brings the magic of Hallmark Christmas movies to life – all improvised!

Sammy B and the Choo Choo Crew present: Presidents In Outer Space

Imagine a world under lockdown, where no one is safe outside of their homes. Then, imagine two improvisers against all odds filming an entire web series set in space inside of a production studio. On Nov. 15th Sami Smith and Derek Cox will be joined by friends for a night of music and improv, and on the 22nd join us for a full series screening of our new web series, Presidents in Outer Space. Come enjoy a limited run of entertainment from Sammy B and the Choo Choo Crew!

DNA: Best of 2024

Get ready for a show of only bangers. We compiled all our favorite sketches from 2024 and packed them into a show to bring you one hour of non stop laughs. Join Avi, Declan, Jake, Kelly, and Ziv as they navigate family fights, fairytales gone wrong, and how to tell your friend that they shouldn’t run the Chicago marathon. It’s a sketch show of the creme de la creme (and there won’t be any Christmas Carol parodies at all. None.)

Tokyo Sketchers

The iO Theater is proud to present TOKYO SKETCHERS, for one night only, December 12th at 7:30pm Come see some of Japan’s TOP sketch comedians performing a show (in English, mostly) of sketch, video, music, and more! Performances by Saku Yanagawa, Kohei Ueda, Yoshizumi, Yutaro Yamaguchi, Naoki Tsukamoto, and Koki Hoshino

Trapped In A Musical

Saturdays at 8pm! Present by Malarkey Comedy, Trapped In A Musical is a completely improvised Broadway-style musical that the cast finds out about in the moment.

ComedySportz

Presented by Malarkey Comedy. Chicago’s longest running short-form improv show (founded in 1987) and the only comedy show in Chicago EVERYONE is welcome at – from age 8 to 80, our inclusive ‘everyone is welcome’ approach to comedy makes us perfect for patrons of all ages. Fridays and Saturdays!

Duluth: An Improvised Midwest Murder

Based on the hit FX show “Fargo”, Duluth takes audiences into the world of true crime in the Midwest. Each week, the cast of Duluth will improvise a story of murder, malfeasance, and general mayhem, all set against the backdrop of an audience member’s hometown.

The Armando Diaz Theatrical Experience and Hootenanny

Created in 1995 by iO alum Armando Diaz (not the Italian general), the Armando is a historic improvisational form where actors improvise a series of interconnected scenes based on the true events and life experiences told from a guest-monologist. Featuring new players and a surprise celebrity guest each week, come watch the longest running comedy show in Chicago at it’s originating home, the iO Theater!