Improv and TV are BFF's

By Margaret Hicks in Arts & Entertainment on Apr 18, 2007 5:32PM

Some say Chicago suffers from second city-itis, but there is no denying that we are the kings of the improv mountain. The legacy of Del Close, Second City, and a penchant for working our asses off make Chicago the best place to study improv comedy. Luckily, people are starting to notice.

Tonight, make sure to catch Mark Sutton and the love of every improviser on the planet, Susan Messing, discussing the the 10th annual Chicago Improv Festival on "Chicago Tonight" on WTTW at 7:00 p.m.

Tomorrow Oprah will be hosting the cast of “Thank God You’re Here.” We haven’t seen it yet (we have it TiVo’d for tonight), and we’re curious about it. There are a couple of Second City veterans in the core cast, Maribeth Monroe and Nyima Funk. Even if it is improv-lite, we’re excited to see improv move into the mainstream. Plus, we're looking forward to the beautiful wreck that is Oprah doing short form.