Del Close (March 9, 1934 – March 4, 1999), along with Keith Johnstone and Viola Spolin, is considered one of the premier influences on modern improvisational theater. is the 68th day of the year (69th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Riley County Courthouse, Manhattan Manhattan is a town located in northeastern Kansas at the junction of the Kansas River and Big Blue River. ... is the 63rd day of the year (64th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events of 2008: (EMILY) Me Lesley and MIley are going to China! This article is about the year. ... Flag Seal Nickname: The Windy City Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location Location in Chicagoland and northern Illinois Coordinates , Government Country State Counties United States Illinois Cook, DuPage Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 606. ... is the 68th day of the year (69th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 63rd day of the year (64th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events of 2008: (EMILY) Me Lesley and MIley are going to China! This article is about the year. ... Keith Johnstone is a drama instructor who has taught in England and Canada and more recently around the world. ... Image:Spolin2. ... Improvisational Theatre (also known as improv or impro) is a form of theatre in which the actors perform spontaneously, without a script. ...

An actor, improviser, writer, and teacher, Close had a prolific career, appearing in a number of films and television shows. He was a co-author of the book Truth in Comedy along with partner Charna Halpern, which outlines techniques now common to longform improvisational theater and describes the overall structure of “Harold” which remains a common frame for longer improvisational scenes. His favorite framework for comedic storytelling was the structures of Wagner’s Ring Cycle. A Chicago-area theater owner best known for being a co-founder of ImprovOlympic. ... Longform improvisation, often referred to simply as longform, is an approach to improvisational theatre and improvisational comedy consisting of one or more scenes which are connected by a narrative thread or theme. ... Improvisational Theatre (also known as improv or impro) is a form of theatre in which the actors perform spontaneously, without a script. ... Harold is a form of improvised longform comedy. ... Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner (22 May 1813 – 13 February 1883) was a German composer, conductor, music theorist, and essayist, primarily known for his operas (or music dramas as they were later called). ... The Ring of the Nibelung or, in the original German, Der Ring des Nibelungen, is a series of four epic operas. ...

Biography

Close was born and raised in Manhattan, Kansas, the son of an inattentive, alcoholic father. He ran away from home at the age of 17 to work on a traveling side show, but returned to attend college at Kansas State. At the age of 23, he became a member of the Compass Players in St. Louis. When most of the cast moved to Chicago in 1959 to help form The Second City, Close instead moved to New York City to perform stand-up comedy, where he also performed in the Broadway musical revue "The Nervous Set" in 1959. Riley County Courthouse, Manhattan Manhattan is a town located in northeastern Kansas at the junction of the Kansas River and Big Blue River. ... Kansas State University, officially called Kansas State University of Fashion and Design [2] but commonly shortened to K-State, is an institution of higher learning located in Manhattan, Kansas, in the United States. ... St. ... For other uses, see Chicago (disambiguation). ... Second City redirects here. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... B. J. Novak in a stand-up comedy routine at Olde English sketch comedy in June 2007. ...

Around this time, Close also worked with John Brent to record the classic beatnik satire album How to Speak Hip. The album became a prized record for DJs worldwide, and was one of Brian Wilson’s favorite comedy albums.^{[citation needed]} For other uses, see Beatnik (disambiguation). ... How to Speak Hip was a comedy album by Del Close and John Brent, released by Mercury Records in 1959. ... For other persons named Brian Wilson, see Brian Wilson (disambiguation). ...

In 1960, Close moved to Chicago – which was to be his home base for much of the rest of his life – to perform and direct with Second City. Close was fired from Second City due to his substance abuse and spent the latter half of the 1960s in San Francisco, where he was the stage manager for The Committee theater, toured with the Merry Pranksters, and made light images for Grateful Dead shows. Year 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... The Committee may refer to any of the following: The Committee Theater was a San Francisco based improvisational comedy group formed in 1963. ... The Merry Pranksters are a group of people who originally formed around American author Ken Kesey in the early 1960s and sometimes lived communally at his homes in California and Oregon. ... This article is about the band. ...

After returning to Chicago in the early 1970s, Close was hired again to direct at Second City. He also performed and directed the Second City show in Toronto in 1977. Over the next decade he helped develop many of today’s leading comedians. Acolytes of Del Close have gained prominence in the field of comedy with astounding frequency. At any given time, roughly a quarter of Saturday Night Live’s cast has been composed of his former trainees. SNL redirects here. ...

Close spent the 1980s and 1990s teaching comedy improv while slowly succumbing to emphysema. But he remained active. During this period, Close acted in several movies, including Ferris Bueller's Day Off, where he played an English teacher. He also co-authored the horror anthology Wasteland for DC Comics with John Ostrander, as well as co-writing several installments of Grimjack's backup feature Munden's Bar. Finally, along with Charna Halpern he co-founded the ImprovOlympic Theater. Ferris Bueller redirects here. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company. ... John Ostrander is an American writer of comics. ... GrimJack is the main character of a comic book published by First Comics. ... Mundens Bar is a fictional bar featured in the First Comics title GrimJack. ...

Legend has it that Close's last words were, "I’m tired of being the funniest person in the room." Before passing away, Close requested that his skull be given to the Goodman Theatre for use in Hamlet productions, on the condition that he should receive credit in the program as Yorick. However, in 2006 it was revealed that an alternate skull was given to the Goodman instead.^[1] The Goodman Theatre The Goodman Theatre is a theater in Chicagos Loop, and part of Chicago theatre. ... For other uses, see Hamlet (disambiguation). ...

Notable students

John Adam Belushi (January 24, 1949 – March 5, 1982) was an Emmy Award-winning American comedian, actor and musician, notable for his work on Saturday Night Live, National Lampoons Animal House, and The Blues Brothers. ... John Franklin Candy (October 31, 1950 – March 4, 1994) was a Canadian comedian and actor. ... This article is about Stephen Colbert, the actor. ... Andrew R. Dick[1] (born December 21, 1965) is an American comedian, actor, voice artist, musician and producer. ... Christopher Crosby Farley (February 15, 1964 – December 18, 1997) was an American comedian and actor. ... Elizabeth Stamatina Tina Fey (b. ... Gene Ween is a psuedonym for Aaron Freeman (Born March 17, 1970), guitarist and vocalist for the alternative rock group Ween. ... Tim Kazurinsky (born March 3, 1950 in Johnstown, Pennsylvania) is a comedian best known for performances on the NBC show Saturday Night Live. ... Shelley Lee Long (born August 23, 1949) is an Golden Globe Award and Emmy Award-winning American film, stage and television dramatic and comedic actress. ... William James Bill Murray (born September 21, 1950) is an Academy Award-nominated, Emmy-, Golden Globe-, and BAFTA-winning American comedian and actor. ... For other persons of the same name, see Michael Myers. ... Robert Bob Odenkirk (born October 22, 1962) is an American actor, writer, director and producer. ... This article is about Tim OMalley, the actor. ... David Pasquesi is a comedian and actor living in Chicago. ... Amy Poehler (born September 16, 1971) is an American comedienne and actress. ... Gilda Susan Radner (28 June 1946 – 20 May 1989) was an American comedienne and actress, best known for her five years as part of the original cast of the NBC comedy series Saturday Night Live. ... Harold Ramis (born November 21, 1944 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American actor, director, and writer. ... Paul Andrew Andy Richter (born October 28, 1966) is an American comedian and actor. ... See the David Thomas disambiguation page for other people with this name. ... Stephnie Weir (born November 28, 1967; sometimes credited as Stephanie Weir) is an American actress and comedian. ... George Robert Wendt (born October 17, 1948) is an American actor best known for the role of Norm Peterson on the television show Cheers. ...

Guru

In 2005, Jeff Griggs published Guru, a book detailing his friendship with Del during the last two years of his life. Due to Del’s poor health (in part caused by long-term alcohol and drug use), Charna Halpern arranged for Griggs to spend every Thursday afternoon with Close and run errands with him. Guru gives a particularly detailed and complete picture of Del. At the beginning of their relationship, Griggs was a student of Del’s, and the book includes several chapters in which Griggs depicts Del as a teacher.

The book has been adapted into a screenplay, and as of 2006 Harold Ramis was attached to direct the script, although it does not appear that the movie will soon be made.^[2] Ramis would like Bill Murray to play Close. Sample from a screenplay, showing dialogue and action descriptions. ... Harold Ramis (born November 21, 1944 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American actor, director, and writer. ... William James Bill Murray (born September 21, 1950) is an Academy Award-nominated, Emmy-, Golden Globe-, and BAFTA-winning American comedian and actor. ...

In 2007 Eric Spitznagel wrote an article in the September issue of The Believer magazine reflecting on Close's life and his propensity for story-telling.^[3] Cover of The Believer, April 2005 The Believer is an intellectual yet playful magazine mainly about literature. ...

References

For other uses, see New Yorker. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 282nd day of the year (283rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 17 is the 351st day of the year (352nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 17 is the 351st day of the year (352nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 257th day of the year (258th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Audio Interview with Griggs on The Sound of Young America: MP3 Link
• Del Close at Improv/Comedy
• Del Close Improv Marathon
• "As Del Lay Dying," an account of Del Close's final days (w/ video)