The Improvised Shakespeare Company: News Feed

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.

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.

Patrick Stewart Joins The ISC for a Mind-Blowing Show in New York!

1-11-13

New York City

The rumors are true! On January 10, Patrick Stewart joined Blaine, Joey, Brendan, Greg, and Ross as the ISC's first ever guest performer. No one in the sold out audience at Theatre 80 St Marks had any clue what was in store until the lights came up and Stewart was standing on stage with The ISC. "I've never seen facial expressions like that," said Blaine Swen describing the audience's reaction to the surprise. "It's like they were feeling several emotions all at once and their faces were struggling to figure out which emotion to express. It was incredible."

Stewart then played the entire 75-minute show titled "Two Princes and a Spin Doctor." Both the audience and The ISC were absolutely thrilled with the result. The ISC's Brendan Dowling said, "It was awesome to see this talented actor who I've admired for so long dive right into the show. It's a night I'll never forget."

For a more in depth recap of that amazing evening, see Tom Garret's blog, The Axis of Ego.

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

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 ;)

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

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.

Othello: The Remix

4-29-13

Friends of Improvised Shakespeare: SAVE UP TO 20% on tickets to Othello: The Remix—a ”90-minute, lightening-fast, hip-hop version of Shakespeare's tragic tale that is absolutely brilliant and immense fun” (Chicago Sun-Times). Discount offer is available on select performances through May 10 at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Use promo code “SHAKES” when ordering online at www.chicagoshakes.com/othello for tickets as low as $20!

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.

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!

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!

ISC THURSDAYS!

5-29-13

Great news for all ISC fans! You will soon have more chances to catch the ISC in Chicago. The ISC will perform at the iO Theater every Thursday night at 8pm beginning Thursday, June 20. And you can still catch us every Friday night at 8pm & 10:30pm.

For more information visit our SHOWS page. We hope to see you soon!!

Twelfth Night/Thirteenth Night

3-25-2013

The ISC is thrilled to announce that it is collaborating with Chicago's own Backroom Shakespeare Project on a one-night only show that is not to be missed! The Backroom Shakespeare Project rehearses only once, the actors go away and memorize their lines separately, and then they come together for an explosive performance that celebrates the raucus energy, joy, and beauty of Shakespeare. They perform in bars, in alleyways, and in warehouses. And on Monday, April 15 they are performing a double-bill with The Improvised Shakespeare Company. The BSP will take the stage at 7:30 for a 1-hour version of Twelfth Night. After intermission, The ISC will improvise a 60-minute sequel, Thirteenth Night. This is more than a show. This is a party. Come prepared to celebrate!!!

Monday, April 15
7:30pm - 10pm (doors open at 6pm)
The Metropolis Coffee Roasting Warehouse (5545 N Clark St, Chicago)
FREE & BYOB
(glass is not allowed in the warehouse. come prepared to leave any glass you bring in the lobby)