Musical Improv

This workshop is good for anyone from the beginner who doesn't feel comfortable singing to the expert who loves to sing. If your goal is to improve, you will. Exercises cover the range from group sonic explorations to solo songs that rhyme. The focus is on applying the basic long form tools of agreement and group mind to the realm of music. This is a very organic connection. Finding the games of things, making patterns, keeping a rhythm, and supporting your teammate's moves are essential to good improv and become even more relevant when the stakes are heightened to the point that music becomes necessary.

Time: Fridays, 6pm to 8pm, Length: Four weeks long starting 1/23, Cost: $75, 15 students max, Instructor: Dave Asher

Dave Asher graduated with a BA in Drama from Northwestern University in 1999. At Northwestern, he performed in its sketch-improv group The Mee-Ow Show (1999) as well as in The Titanic Players troupe (1996-1997). While in school, he took the iO classes and then performed on the iO house team Valhalla from 1996 to 1999. After graduation in ‘99, he moved to Amsterdam in The Netherlands to perform improv and sketch in Boom! Chicago (1999-2004). In addition to hundreds of shows in the 300 seat home theater, he did Boom! shows at private events, music festivals, universities, and a week on the Second City main stage as part of the Comedy Swap in 2002. Dave returned to Chicago in 2004. He joined the company of Child’s Play Touring Theater and toured the country performing adaptations of stories and poems written by children (2005-2006). Dave has also worked in improv as a musician. He music directed with The Second City National Touring Company (2004) and has been the Music Director of The iO since 2006 (That’s over 2000 Harolds!). As an improv teacher, he has taught classes and workshops at iO since 2006. He coached the harold team The Republic (2007-2008) and is currently the director of the iO musical house team The Del Tones. At Northwestern, he taught improv to theater majors. In Amsterdam, he served as Boom! Chicago’s head improv instructor for two years, training improv hopefuls as well as businessmen and women having their first taste of improv presented as team building.

Call the iO Training Center at 773-880-9993 to register

Hello Friend,

The following classes are still available:

Level 1 Sunday at 12pm with Lisa Linke
Level 1 Sunday at 3pm with Lyndsay Hailey
Level 1 Tuesday at 3pm with Charna Halpern
Level 1 Thursday at 3pm with Brian Jack

Level 2 Saturday at 12pm with Colleen Murray

Level 3 Monday at 7pm with Dave Asher

Level 4 Sunday at 3pm with Andy Carey
Level 4 Sunday at 6pm with Erin Davidson
Level 4 Monday at 7pm with Andy Carey
Level 4 Saturday at 3pm with Mike Enriquez

Level 4B Sunday at 12pm with Bill Arnett
Level 4B Thursday at 7pm with Bill Arnett

Level 5 Tuesday at 7pm with Holly Laurent
Level 5*Wednesday*at 7pm with Greg Hess
Level 5 Saturday at 12pm with Craig Uhlir

Level 5B Thursday at 7pm with Noah Gregoropoulos

Call 773-880-9993 to register.
REMEMBER, If you are a graduate of iO you can take improv classes for 1/2 price.

Thank you,
Rachael

'09 Registration opens Friday at noon CST.

Information is available here!

TRAINING: Two-Day Screenwriting Workshop with John Bates
Out of your brain, onto the page.

When: Saturday 12/13 and Sunday 12/14 from 3-6pm

Where: In the iO Annex Media Office/Close Room Classroom
Cost: $100

The goal of the workshop is to have each student complete a two-to-four page treatment for their screenplay.

Since one of the toughest parts of writing a film is just getting started, the workshop is designed to immerse the writers in an intensive atmosphere and have each artist walk away with a professional treatment to begin their screenwriting career.

Topics covered will include structure, format, dramatic arc, character arc, beginnings and endings, and the daily rituals of screenwriting that will allow the students to make the greatest strides in the least amount of time.

Students should come to the class prepared with a title and tag line for their screenplay. They should also bring pen and paper or a laptop, since they will begin writing their treatment in class.

Call the iO Training Center to Register at 773-880-9993

John Bates has worked in the film and comedy industries in Los Angeles for more than thirty years. He has written screenplays for all the major studios, including Disney, Paramount, Universal, Fox, and Sony-MGM and has partnered with the writers of Back to School and Liar, Liar. He has appeared on stage with Bill Murray, Betty Thomas, John Ritter, Robin Williams, Catherine O'Hara, Martin Short, Jim Belushi, Ryan Stiles, Richard Kind, and Jeff Garlin, among others. Also, John serves as chief editor for a celebrity blog streaming through the Huffington Post.

The iO Chicago Theater will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the filming of Monty Python's Life of Brian with Kim "Howard" Johnson on November 18 2008 presented in conjunction with the publication of Johnson's book Monty Python's Tunisian Holiday.

"Of all the books that I am planning to read in my dotage, there is none I am more looking forward to than Monty Python's Tunisian Holiday. . . Not only does Howard Johnson know more about Python than anyone outside of the IRS, he was in Tunisia for most of the filming of Life of Brian, and is the only person who captured every thoughtless remark, heated exchange, embarrassing detail, petty insult, and spiteful act of indifference." --John Cleese

"Kim 'Howard' Johnson was invented by Graham Chapman during an idle moment on the set of The Life of Brian. 'Let's invent a person,' he said. 'An American fan from the Midwest,' chimed in Michael Palin, 'who keeps a daily diary of Python filming. And then doesn't publish it for years and years.' How we laughed, and each day we'd make up stuff this 'person' would write about us." --Eric Idle

Kim "Howard" Johnson, author of the just-released memoir Monty Python's Tunisian Holiday: My Life with Brian, will appear live at Chicago's i.O. Theatre, 3541 N. Clark Street (phone 773-880-0199), at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, November 18, to present, for the first time ever, his 30-year-old vacation slide show as he reveals secrets behind the filming of Monty Python's Life of Brian. The event is free and open to the public.

Monty Python's Tunisian Holiday: My Life with Brian Live! will incorporate many of the photos presented in the new book, and many more never before seen, Johnson will discuss the filming of the comedy classic and his life, times, and strange adventures with the six members of Monty Python.

"I've always enjoyed subjecting small groups of friends and relatives to my slides of Yellowstone Park and the Wisconsin Dells," says Johnson. "So you can imagine how thrilled I am to be able to subject an entire audience to every minute detail of the Stoning Scene, the fate of George Harrison's money, and the long-censored secrets of King Otto and Mrs. Pontius Pilate.

In addition to writing five books on Monty Python, Johnson is also co-author (with Del Close and Charna Halpern) of the improvisation manual Truth in Comedy and the author of the acclaimed biography of improvisational guru Del Close, titled The Funniest One in the Room.

A limited quantity of books will be available for purchase at the event.

Special One-Off This Tuesday Night!

If you're an iO student you do not want to miss a very special event this coming Tuesday night (11/11) at 10:15, the Frank County Social Hayes Powerball! For this one night, you can drop your ID in the bowl and at 10:15 we'll select four names to come up on stage and play with the casts of Cook Country Social Club and The Frank Hayes 4. If you don't get selected you'll still get to watch a kick-ass show as your peers take the stage...and we'll even give you your ID back.

Right before the free Powerball show. Cook County goes Unplugged. For three weeks in November, Cook County Social Club joins forces with awesome musicians to create an original form inspired by live music. Former members of Jump Little Children and The Working Title (together as Butterscotch) and singer-songwriter Rachel Ries will stop by iO to share their talents on Tuesday nights.

So see The Frank Hayes 4 and Cook County unplugged they play in an improv set with them.

Hello Improviser-

Level 1 for Session 6 is full. The next session (Session 1 2009) will begin 1/4/09. Call 773-880-9993 to register.

Level 2 has spots open Monday with Lyndsay Hailey 7-10pm

Level 3 has spots open Sunday with Steve Waltien 3-6pm or Sunday with Kate Duffy 6-9pm

Level 4 has spots open Sunday with Erin Davidson 6-9pm

Level 4B has spots open Wednesday with Bill Arnett 3-6pm

Level 5 has spots on Sunday with Jim Carlson 12-3pm

5B is full.

If you already completed 5B at iO then you can return at 1/2 price.

Call the iO Training Center at 773-880-9993 to register!
__________________
iO Chicago
3541 N. Clark
Chicago, IL 60657
773.880.9993
www.ioimprov.com

Hey Students-

Cook County Social Club's Bill Cochran went to college with Charlie Todd, who's a teacher at the UCB and the founder of Improv Everywhere. Bill informed me that Charlie and IE here in Chicago doing a mission this week and they need Chicago-area improvisers to help out. 

They've got a really cool outfit, do really cool work, and they tend to get a lot of press for it. 

Bill says, "Catch the fever."

Here is the link to the event:
http://improveverywhere.com/2008/09/25/mp3-experiment-chicago-details/

The one they did in NY in Central Park was AMAZING.

You should definitely do it and pass the word on to your friends.

Thanks,

Rachael (& Bill)

TRAINING:
Session 6 registration info and schedule,
or just sign up for Level 1 now!

Come and play.

Upcoming Session 6 schedule is now available for viewing here:
http://chicago.ioimprov.com/class-schedule/upcoming

Registration for levels 2 and up begins October 3rd at Noon on this website and runs 24 hours a day until October 6th.

(In-person and phone-in registration will also be available for special cases, e.g. no credit card, from Noon to 6pm on Friday 10/3 and from Noon to 3pm on Saturday 10/4.)

Intern, 5B Alum, or in Need of a Payment Plan?

You'll need to contact the Training Center for a special payment code on 10/2 to be able to register online.

Please call the Training Center at (773) 880-9993.

But you can register for Session 6 Level 1 classes right now!

Classes begin the week of October 19th and run:
Sunday at Noon
Monday at 7pm
Tuesday at 3pm
Thursday at 7pm
Friday at 7pm
Saturday at 3pm

To register call the Training Center Monday through Friday, between 11am and 5pm at (773) 880-0199!

"So Al Franken is in a close race in Minnesota against a legendary creep, Norm Coleman. It's a one point race and he needs dough..... I attached a link to a form for donating. Do what you can. It's not only crucial that Obama win but that we get these deregulating Repubs out of the Senate as well before our country completely falls apart.....Any amount is great. I'm doing two grand..... But I'm special that way..... McKay"

Harness your nerdly powers for good and donate what you can.

Here is the link: https://secure.alfranken.com/page/contribute

Also here is a link to Adam's amazing article on The Huffington Post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/adam-mckay/were-gonna-frickin-lose-t_b_124772.html