iO Theater

I’ve been here twice now, both times to see Improv Shakespeare, and it was hilarious both times. The first time, a Thursday night, was funnier — but both were still vastly funnier than any other comedy show I’ve seen. Not just in

I’ve been here twice now, both times to see Improv Shakespeare, and it was hilarious both times. The first time, a Thursday night, was funnier — but both were still vastly funnier than any other comedy show I’ve seen. Not just in Chicago. Also in life.

I stopped by here for a show by the Improv Shakespeare company last week and it was a decent experience overall! I did think that the layout of the theater was kind of confusing (there are multiple shows going on inside, which meant tons and tons of people), but the theater itself does a decent job of staffing every possible confusing corner with someone to direct customers in the right direction.
However, I thought that the theater where we watched the show was incredibly small (my knees were basically up against the back of the chair in front of me and I’m a pretty tiny person), and there wasn’t any room to put coats, which was a little inconvenient because Chicago winter coats take up a ton of room. Still, fun night, just wish this place was a tad bigger!

I ended up on 2 stars because while I love iO (4 – 5 stars!), the writing class that I took was such a waste of money. If you’ve read basically any book on screenwriting, the class won’t teach you anything new. More than half of the students stopped showing up by the end because all we did was sit and watch episodes of TV shows (great as homework, not a great use of class time). There was very little in the way of actual instruction. The main instruction was business-​related, and to spare you having to pay $ 300, that advice comes down to signing up for IMDbPro and cold-​contacting your favorite writers’ agents. That’s about it! So really, go read a book, watch Breaking Bad, and do a free month on IMDbPro, and save yourself the money.

AWESOME IMPROV! We went to a show last Friday and I was blown away. Great location and great price. I will be back!

We went there a few days ago for their Shakespeare improv. It was hilarious. It made me laugh really hard. Their food and drink are very responsibly priced too, which definitely made the experience better.

Cool comedy theater! We enjoyed the Late Night world news, they were funny.

This place has a nice bar inside with fair priced food! I got a «yes and burger» and fries for $ 8! It was basically a cheeseburger but it was pretty good! I also really liked the fries! My hubby got the chicken burger with fries and said it was good too. They brought the food to us inside the theater which was nice too!
One thing I don’t like but can kind of understand why is that they won’t seat you until your entire party is present. They will not let you save any seats which sucks! We had one person come late and she had to sit by herself in the back.
Go see Improv Shakespeare!!!

You know what? Props to iO. Their new space is lovely (the bar alone makes the experience worthwhile!), they put on fantastic shows and the price point is right. I truly don’t have a single complaint for this new space. I took my Mom and her bf to see the Improvised Shakespeare and we laughed and laughed. Would highly recommend that show and «Whirled News Tonight»! Super location and a great way to spend an evening.

This was a cool place. A great deal of shows to choose from and a full bar if you want to have a few drinks. There is also a small selection of food.
The people were nice and the service was good but they walked in during the shows and sometimes stood in the way.
The rooms were intimate so expect to be within arms length and hearing distance of people you did not come with. They also could do a little more with the decorations in the room.
We went to see Smoking Hot Dad. They were good but as with any improv show it depends on what they were given by the audience.
Overall enjoyed the show and will return again.

My hubby and I saw the Your F!@$ed Up Relationship show — we loved it! They ask you to put your name in to be called to talk about your terrible relationship and go from there. The first persons name pulled from the hat had a super normal relationship — which was frustrating for everyone, but they pulled it off! They are some very talented people!
The drinks are goooood and reasonably priced, and they have valet parking.

I came here for a Bernie Sanders organizational meeting and was impressed with the size of the place. There is a huge main bar downstairs and another small bar upstairs.
The building was super crowded yet I was able to get quick service at the upstairs bar still. The prices were also reasonable, unlike what you find at some comedy clubs.

This place is really cool with a good mix of headlining alumni and a good eye for rising talent. I took the Level 1 class there and it introduced to an interesting collection of people to say the least. It’s great for beginners who’ve never done improv.
See Improvised Shakespeare. It will change your life.

I’m reviewing as an event planner using this as an event space.
I think this new facility is pretty nice. There are several theaters that one could use for any sort of performance and the up-​side is that they’re already constructed for the best acoustics.
On the west ends of the 1^st and 2^nd floors, there are lovely event spaces for rental for any kind of party, wedding, reception… whatever. The space is wide opens so one could easily decorate without severely limiting their usable party space.
I liked it. Will consider for future events.

The show was great, but the staff was absolutely embarrassing. I got there over a half hour early so that we could get a good seat. Upon arriving they sat us in a 2 seats that were were wedged behind a table with another couple. The seats were so close to the other couple that we couldn’t even walk in to sit in the seats. Given how early it was, there weren’t many people there yet, so we asked if we could sit one row back. We were told that it was «policy» to not do this, even though we had arrived early. It would not have been very difficult to let those who arrived first have better seating.
We also then waited 20 minutes and the waitress still hasn’t come over, so we had to track her down so that we could get a drink before the show started.
This is the first negative review I have ever given anyone, but it really just ruined my experience.

iO was the best comedy show I’ve ever seen hands down.
I visited Chicago for a weekend and we initially had second city tickets but unfortunately they cancelled the weekend shows because of the fire so we had to change our plans.
I’m not … GLAD our second city plans got cancelled. But I’m kinda glad they got cancelled otherwise I wouldn’t have experienced this place. I haven’t laughed this hard in foreverrrrr.
The show we went to was the Shakespeare themed one. They started off asking for play themes from the audience and they took it from there. It was about 2 hours long and had an intermission and it was about the perfect time. They improvised EVERYTHING and even had a coupe of songs off the top of their heads. Fantastic.
Also i can’t overlook the drink service. They had servers milling around the audience all during the show to get drink refills without disturbing the show.
I can’t say enough about this place. You have to come here if you’re in Chicago!

Last night, I laughed harder than I’ve ever laughed in my life. My face still hurt this morning from laughing so hard.
Let me tell you about Shakespeare improv:
–Incredible performers. Beyond impressed at the ability to both RHYME and BE HILARIOUS while speaking in Shakespearean language.
–It’s ALL improv. The theme of the show itself comes from an audience suggestion at the start of the performance. I’ve been to two shows now, and the themes were «Richard the bird» and «The carnage of Gwenivere». Each performer develops multiple unique, hilarious characters throughout the show. For example, «The carnage of Gwenivere» turned into a play where a terminally ill King decided to have a group of knights fight to the death in order to win the hand of his queen. One of my favorite bits was the Knights announcing themselves — there was one from Spain, France, Germany, and one from «Other places» who announced himself as Jean-​Pierre-​Sanchez-​Goldstein.
–YOU DON’T NEED TO BE A SHAKESPEARE EXPERT TO ENJOY THIS SHOW. I am definitely not, nor do I intend to be.
I’ve been to at least 20 more shows at iO outside of the Shakespeare one and they’re all great. That said, the Shakespeare show is one I’ll be recommending to friends/​co-​workers/​family as long as they are performing here in Chicago.

This was my first time going to the new Theatre and I loved it. Although it didn’t feel like iO because it wasn’t dirty enough or I wasn’t uncomfortable sitting there. Charna did an awesome job!!! What an upgrade. It’s like Second City now.
I went to see TJ and Dave for the first time. I loved it. But, I think I loved it because I do improv. Not sure somebody without a knowledge of what long form improv is would understand and truly appreciate how amazing they are. When somebody not involved in improv or acting think of improv they think of «Whose Line» and this isn’t.
TJ and Dave take their time to create a well thought out scene. They make it up on the spot, but don’t take audience suggestions to do that. Which in all honesty, I’ve seen a million shows that got suggestions and I can’t think of how the show actually used that suggestion.
I didn’t order any food or get anything to drink but soda… but the bar looks fully stocked.
I look forward to going back and seeing a Harold or better yet an Armando.

We visited for a 10pm show for my sister’s bachelorette party and had an absolutely awesome time! The comedy was fantastic, and the theater was so great; it was really fun to be in a smaller theater where we felt close to the show. The cocktails were delicious and our server was sweet as could be. We all left with lots of positive things to say.
Highly recommended for a fun and affordable group night out in Chicago!

I came for a show during my vacation in Chicago. It was pretty cool to know a few celebs came from here. The show was HILARIOUS and entertaining. You won’t be disappointment. I don’t remember the title of what I saw but I believe it was Baby something? tickets was around $ 16 for a Friday night. One thing you can do to ensure a good time is by showing up ON TIME!!! don’t show up late because the show will start without you.
They just relocated to this place. There’s a bar downstairs and bar upstairs (less busy) If you want a more intimate setting with your date, go upstairs. It’s quiet for conversations. Downstairs is too loud and too busy for «date» atmosphere. This place is perfect for meeting up with friends.

Always great to swing by here and see a show. The shows can be hit or miss, but it is awesome to support the IO students and local comics. Make sure to get tickets advance on Fridays and Saturdays.
The bar on the first floor has a good drinks menu and pretty basic bar food. Great place to hang out before a show.

We caught the Shakespeare Improv here after a glowing review from a close friend!
First of all, the show was awesome. There were definitely some show-​stealers but all in all, a really good ensemble that seems to genuinely enjoy their time performing improv for the Chicago audience. We grabbed a couple drinks before the show (by the way, there will be a wait. If you don’t like that, get drinks after the show!) and sat in one of the back row tables and had a great time. Will call moves quickly. Seating is first-​come-​first-​serve, so try to get to the show at least 15 minutes in advance.