The Improvised Shakespeare Company: News Feed

New Review for The ISC!

7-15-11

Check out this great new review by one of the Chicago Reader's Culture Vultures!

"The lights dimmed and the cast invited us to suggest titles that would become the story arc of the night's show. "Macdeath," "The Merry Wives of Wrigley," "As Your Mom Likes It!," and "Taming of the Jew" were among the titles suggested by the raucous crowd. By intermission I had already cried so many tears of laughter that I couldn't even remember which title was chosen. Hilariously true to Shakespeare's recurring themes of betrayal, lust, murder, power, and caricaturing the French with a sprinkling of iambic pentameter, the company does justice to literary buffs and fans of Chicago's bountiful improv scene alike." -Mia Billetdeaux, Co-Founder of Azimuth Projects

View Our Photo Galleries

1-21-2010

Check us out. No really, check us out on our site. We now have photo galleries up.View photo galleries.

ISC Founder, Blaine Swen, Named Best Improviser in Chicago

6-27-10

Congrats to our founder and director (and performer too), Blaine Swen, for being named The Best Improviser in Chicago by the Chicago Reader!!! Now, we'll never hear the end of it.

The ISC Returns to Bumbershoot!

7-6-11

The ISC is pleased to announce our return to the Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival in Seattle! If you are in the Seattle area, be sure to get tickets to the only festival where you can see both The Improvised Shakespeare Company and Hall and Oates on the same day.

Check out the announcement in The Seattle Times.

The ISC to Perform at the 38th Annual Conference of the Shakespeare Association of America

1-22-2010

The ISC is pleased to announce that it will be performing at the 38th Annual Conference of The Shakespeare Association of America in Chicago, IL.

The Shakespeare Association of America (SAA) is a non-profit, academic organization devoted to the study of William Shakespeare and his plays and poems, the cultural and theatrical milieu in which he lived and worked, and the various roles he has played in both Anglo-American and world culture ever since. The Association holds annual meetings in different North American cities so that its members can exchange ideas and discuss strategies for reading, teaching, researching, and writing about Shakespeare's works and their many contexts. Sessions at these conferences include formal papers, seminars, workshops, film screenings, and theatrical performances.

For more info on the SAA visit www.shakespeareassociation.org

The ISC in The Huffington Post!

1-31-11

Check out this Huffington Post article where Danny Groner says, "It's the most incredible use of the improv form I've ever seen on the stage." Thanks, Danny! We agree ;)

CIF to Honor the ISC as Ensemble of the Year!

3-10-2010

Chicago Improv Festival Productions has announced that it will honor The Improvised Shakespeare Company as the CIF 2010 Ensemble of the Year. The CIF Awards Night will be on Wednesday, April 21 at The Second City ETC, from 6:30pm-8:30pm. Susan Messing will be honored as the CIF 2010 Improviser of the Year. Harold Ramis, Dick Schaal, and Severn Darden (posthumously) will also be honored with Lifetime Achievement awards.

Thomas Middleditch in Variety Magazine!

7-26-11

The ISC's very own Thomas Middleditch was recently featured in Variety magazine as one of 10 comics to watch. Check out the full article here!

The ISC Nominated for an ECNY Award!

2-9-2010

We are pleased to announce that the ISC is a nominee for the ECNY Award for "Best Improv Group". Each year the ECNY Awards honor the best in New York City comedy. This year the ISC has been nominated for its several runs in NYC throughout 2009. The winner of each ECNY Award is determined by a public vote. To vote for the ISC go to ECNYawards.com. The winners will be announced at the 2009 ECNY Awards ceremony, held March 8, 2010, at 8:00pm; at Comix NY; 353 West 14th St.

The Apiary Interviews Blaine Swen

5-5-11

Check out this new interview with ISC founder and director, Blaine Swen, on New York's "The Apiary"! And if you're in NYC on May 6 or 7, be sure to check us out at Theatre 80 St Marks. For more details visit our SHOWS page!