Five women will make you laugh at your own ideas
The courage and creativity needed for improvisational comedy are qualities its most gifted performers are probably born with.
But why should most of these naturals be men?
Breaking free of a common dynamic of improv troupes, in which the women are greatly outnumbered, Chick Shtick is that rare company in which all five members are women.
Beginning tonight, the Naperville-area-based group will perform for five consecutive Thursday nights at Laugh Out Loud Theater in Schaumburg's Streets of Woodfield shopping center.
The show bills itself as, "Strong enough for a man, but made by a woman."
Theater owner Lillian Frances said she booked the group after seeing it perform elsewhere. She believes audiences won't dwell long on the fact that all its members are women.
This is something she's found true of other improv groups in which there's any perceived commonality among the members.
"They find a voice," Frances said. "It's not all about what this group is."
All five women of Chick Shtick met as strangers in an improv class but stayed together and began performing as a company last March, member Emily Levin said.
"The neat thing about our group is that we're all different decades - 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s. I'm the oldest," she said.
Her own interest began when she and her daughter attended an improv show together. Levin not only enjoyed the performance but also felt a strong conviction it was something she could do.
Shortly after she voiced this belief, her daughter bought her her first round of improv classes as a birthday present.
"You have to be fairly quick," Levin said. "You have to be able to open up and not be afraid of failing. Part of the training is to turn off the little editor in your brain that stops you from saying things."
Like other improv shows, Chick Shtick solicits ideas from the audience that can take the show in any direction and result in the members playing any type of character.
In a single night, Levin said she might be playing people as different as Abraham Lincoln, Oprah and Barbara Streisand.
"That can be part of the fun," she said. "Improv is more of an organic process. It depends on the audience and how you're feeling that night."
Though the group has played its share of ladies' nights and bachelerotte parties, neither its humor nor many of its audiences are exclusively female-oriented.
There are some people who still don't understand how different an art improv can be from standup, though. Even after enjoying one performance, a fan complimented the troupe afterward on its ability to write such funny material.
"You're not getting it," Levin thought to herself, though happy that the comedy itself was appreciated.
Improv is all about taking a new idea and going in a fresh direction with it, Levin said. The only time ideas are typically rejected is when they've been done before and might shortchange an audience looking for something truly spontaneous.
<p class="factboxheadblack">If you go</p> <p class="News"><b>What:</b> Chick Shtick improv comedy show</p> <p class="News"><b>When:</b> 8 p.m. Thursdays, Jan. 8 - Feb. 5.</p> <p class="News"><b>Where:</b> Laugh Out Loud Theater, Streets of Woodfield, 601 N. Martingale Road, Schaumburg.</p> <p class="News"><b>Tickets:</b> $15</p> <p class="News"><b>Reservations:</b> Call (847) 240-0386.</p> <p class="News"><b>Info:</b> Visit <a href="http://www.LOLtheater.com" target="new">LOLtheater.com</a></p>