The ImprovOlympic (now known as "IO" or "IO Chicago") is a theater in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois dedicated to improvisational comedy. It was founded in the 1980s by Del Close and Charna Halpern. The ImprovOlympic approaches improvisation as an art form in and of itself; this differs from the Second City approach, where improv is used as a tool in creating sketch comedy. IO also concentrates on "long-form" improvisational structures, in contrast to the "short-form" or "improv game" format of Theatresports or the television show Whose Line Is It Anyway?. The IO signature piece is "the Harold". IO (formerly known as ImprovOlympic) is a theater in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois dedicated to improvisational comedy. ... Chicago, colloquially known as the Second City and the Windy City, is the third-largest city in population in the United States and the largest inland city in the country. ... Improvisational comedy (also called improv or impro) is comedy that is performed with a little to no predetermination of subject matter and structure. ... // Events and trends The 1980s marked an abrupt shift towards more conservative lifestyles after the momentous cultural revolutions which took place in the 60s and 70s and the definition of the AIDS virus in 1981. ... Del Close Del Close (born March 9, 1934, in Manhattan, Kansas; died March 4, 1999), along with Keith Johnstone and Viola Spolin, is considered one of the premier influences on Improvisational Theater. ... A Chicago-area theater owner best known for being a co-founder of ImprovOlympic. ... The Second City is a long-running improvisational comedy troupe based in the Old Town area of Chicago, Illinois, with offshoot troupes in other cities, most notably Toronto. ... Theatresports is a form of competitive improvisational theatre and is a trademark of the International Theatresports Institute (ITI). ... Whose Line Is It Anyway?, sometimes called Whose Line? for short, is an improvised and largely unscripted comedy pseudo-game show. ... The Harold is an improvisational long-form. ...

IO's two theater spaces, the Cabaret and the Del Close Theater, run nightly shows mostly made up of teams of current and former students of IO's training center. IO is also involved in the annual Chicago Improv Festival. A companion theater, IO West, opened in Los Angeles, California about five years ago. As well, the Upright Citizens Brigade, which is now based in New York and runs the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre there, was once an IO house team. The City of Los Angeles (from Spanish Los Ángeles , meaning the angels), also known as L.A., is the second-largest city in the United States in terms of population, as well as one of the worlds most important economic, cultural, and entertainment centers. ... The Upright Citizens Brigade is an improvisational comedy and sketch comedy group that emerged from Chicagos ImprovOlympic. ... State nickname: Empire State Other U.S. States Capital Albany Largest city New York Governor George Pataki (R) Official languages None (English is de facto) Area 141,205 km² (27th)  - Land 122,409 km²  - Water 18,795 km² (13. ... The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, 2004. ...

Annually, a clone of the IO is held for one night at the Nelson College for Boys in Nelson, New Zealand. Nelson is the name of several towns, cities, counties, regions around the world: Nelson, New Zealand Nelson, Lancashire, England Nelson, British Columbia Nelson, Georgia Nelson, Illinois Nelson, Missouri Nelson, Minnesota Nelson, Nebraska Nelson, New Hampshire Nelson, New York Nelson, Wisconsin Nelson County, Kentucky Nelson County, North Dakota Nelson County, Virginia...

Notable IO alumni include:

• Matt Besser
• Andy Dick
• Rachel Dratch
• Chris Farley
• Jon Favreau
• Tina Fey
• Adam McKay
• Mike Myers
• Amy Poehler
• Andy Richter

Matt Besser Matt Besser was born on September 22, 1967, in Little Rock, Arkansas. ... Andy Dick (born 21 December 1965) is an American television and film actor. ... Rachel Dratch in character as Debbie Downer. ... Chris Farley in a scene from Black Sheep Christopher Crosby Farley (February 15, 1964 – December 18, 1997) was an American actor and comedian, best known as one of the cast members of the popular Saturday Night Live television series. ... Jon Favreau (born on October 19, 1966 in Queens, New York) is an American actor of Italian and Jewish descent. ... Tina Fey on Weekend Update Tina Fey (born May 18, 1970) is an American writer, comedienne, and actress. ... Adam McKay is a writer and film director. ... Mike Myers as Austin Powers Michael Myers (born May 25, 1963 in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada) is an actor, comedian, screenwriter, and film producer. ... Amy Poehler on Weekend Update Lindsay Lohan and Amy Poehler in a skit from a 2004 episode of SNL Amy Poehler (born September 16, 1971 in Burlington, Massachusetts) is an American comedian and actress. ... Andy Richter (born October 28, 1966) is an American comedian and actor, best known for his former role as Conan OBriens sidekick on Late Night with Conan OBrien. ...

External links

• IO Chicago
• IO West