New Teen 5-Day Summer Intensives for Teens will help your teen get explore their creative intuition, get out of their shell, and get out of the house! Since 1981, iO Theater has been the premiere destination for training in the art of longform improvisation. Over the last 40+ years, iO has trained tens of … Read more
The iO Theater, in collaboration with Truth Zone Records, is proud to present THAWED OUT – a new, single-day music and arts festival held at the legendary iO Theater on April 26th, 2025. The festival will be held at the historic improv comedy theater’s Lincoln Park location, located at 1501 N Kingsbury St, and will … Read more
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Uniting Teams Through Improv: Harnessing the Power of Spontaneity By: Josie Benedetti, Head of Education In the modern workplace, effective teamwork is a fundamental necessity for achieving organizational success. Yet, bringing together individuals from diverse backgrounds, skill sets, and perspectives to work towards common goals is no easy feat. This is where the power of … Read more
SPOTLIGHT ON LAZARUS HOWELL: iO THEATER INTERN / PERFORMER / STUDENT IMPROV LEVEL 5 | INSTRUCTOR: BILL ARNETT LAZ HOWELL, ESSENTIAL & BELOVED FIXTURE OF iO THEATER, SAT DOWN WITH RACH GRANILLO AHEAD OF THEIR RAPIDLY-APPROACHING GRADUATION OF THE WORLD-RENOWNED iO IMPROV TRAINING PROGRAM Rach Granillo: How did you get involved with iO? Lazarus … Read more
Become an iO Intern! GAIN THEATER OPERATIONS EXPERIENCE & GET YOUR NEXT CLASS FREE! Applications for iO’s Operations Internship program are now OPEN! We are currently seeking interns to work a weekly front-of-house night shift in exchange for free classes in our training center. Fill out this Google Form no later than 5:00pm CT on … Read more
Spotlight On: Deshawn Mason, Improv Level 1 Instructor & Performer Since Deshawn Mason completed his training at iO last summer, he has rapidly established himself as a staple community member and performer here at iO Theater. He’s on the iO House Team: “Icarus” and is a regular ensemble member of The Armando Diaz Experience – … Read more
iO alum and former Whirled News cast member Jordan Klepper (“The Daily Show”) explains how Chicago Comedy prepared him for Comedy Central in an interview with Chicago Reader. CHICAGO READER: On The Opposition, you’ve brought in a lot of Chicago folks as writers and onscreen “citizen journalists.” Is there a particular perspective Chicago-trained comedians bring … Read more
iO Theater’s Marketing Intern Rach Granillo sat down with current iO Training Center student Anthony Corrado to ask him a little bit about himself and his experience thus far at iO. Name: Anthony Corrado Current Class: Improv Level 2 w/ Steve Plock Dumb John / The Armando Diaz Experience Follow: @toekneecorrado on TikTok & Instagram … Read more
Spotlight On: Rach Granillo, iO Theater’s New Marketing Intern A Quick Note from Caitlin Mahoney, iO Theater Marketing Manager: I was adding this post to the website, eating my usual Panic at the Wh*le F*ods Dinner (bag of sliced cheese) when it occurred to me that I should pop in and introduce the idea behind … Read more