No one’s making a living
This summer, the iO Summer Intensive program in Chicago had a record number 111 students. The previous high was 76. This is no anomaly. Every training program is getting more and more crowded. People are flocking to Chicago to study improvisation, but why?
Certainly, most if not all enjoy the craft of comedy and want to get better at making people laugh. Many enjoy the high of a purely creative process. To those studying comedy for these reasons, the rest of the world commends you.
But many come for other reasons. There’s an implicit expectation of fame involved in the improv comedy training programs in Chicago. It isn’t something you’ll necessarily hear said aloud in the major comedy theaters, but those theaters certainly don’t do anything to discourage students who expect to be the next big thing, to discover the “American Dream” of entertainment. Whether it’s said aloud in class or heard on the street, students in these programs quickly become aware that Lorne Michaels (producer of Saturday Night Live) makes a yearly pilgrimage to the iO theater and takes a gander at what its performers have to offer. Words like “select” and “mainstage” are thrown around, and thousands of hopefuls clamor to be the next person to achieve these titles.
The irony? The people who do achieve these distinctions, generally speaking, are the ones who are enjoying the process, not aiming for the stars. So here’s a good first lesson for anyone who’s looking to take a class in Chicago: if you’re not willing to wait, to work, to play politics, to spend some time eating Ramen noodles, then stop now, and click here for hr software so you can get started on your office career.
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