Comedy Clubs.
Venue Phone: 773-270-3440
Venue Website: http://www.underthegun.theater/
Address: 956 W Newport Ave, Chicago, Il, 60657
Former Upright Citizens Brigade NYC artistic director Kevin Mullaney and Chemically Imbalanced Comedy founder Angela McMahon took over the old Links Hall space in Wrigleyville in 2014, opening a new venue for improv and sketch. Many of UTG’s original shows tend toward pop-culture parodies like The Bachelor riff Will You Accept This Rose?; it has also played host to long-running troupes like the female improvisers of Sirens and Asian-American sketch company Stir Friday Night.
Venue Phone: 773-880-0199
Venue Website: https://www.ioimprov.com/
Address: 1501 Kingsbury St, Chicago, Il, 60642
No doubt about it, the house that improv legend Del Close and founding partner Chama Halpern built rules. Not only has iO churned out legendary folk like Seth Meyers and Amy Poehler, but it consistently puts the art of improv first, most noticeably via the Harold, its signature long-form. The shows are generally cheap and the classes a must for budding improvisers. The new theater complex, completed in 2014, contains four performance spaces: the Del Close Theater, the Jason Chin Harold Cabaret, the Chris Farley Cabaret and the Mission Theater. The venue’s expansive lobby bar is an inviting place to hang out even if you’re not seeing a show.
Venue Phone: 312-664-4032
Venue Website: www.secondcity.com
Address: 1616 N Wells St, Chicago, Il, 60614
Even if you know nothing about improv, chances are you’ve heard of Second City. This is the place that put both sketch and improvised comedy on the map while launching the careers of many distinguished comics including Bill Murray, Tina Fey, Chris Farley, Keegan-Michael Key, Amy Sedaris, Stephen Colbert and Steve Carell. With long running revues on both the main and etc. stages and a number of smaller spaces for Second City Training Center students to hone their skills, the long-running institution has made the corner of North Avenue and Wells Street a comedy destination.