Open Run

This hour long, fully improvised show, features the cast of 12 Angry Improvisers acting as a jury. Peek into the deliberation room as they use improv to recreate the facts of a case (as determined by the audience). They'll reexamine the moment the defendant was caught with their hand in the cookie jar -in reverse! -with French accents! -with every line of dialogue being a question!

4/13 - 5/18

Did you know that schools exist outside of Chicago? And people go to them? Strange, right?


Starting your life over again is daunting, but strangely familiar for Evelyn Mae, whose existence conflicts against the morals they were raised on. Oops! Join them and special guests for an evening of tumultuously silly testimony regarding loss, community, queerness, and fighting your way home.

5/3

Amita Rao of GAG REFLEX hosts a variety sketch show Saturday at 8 PM! See solo, improv, and brand new sketch shows this weekend featuring the amazing FATHER FIGURES!

5/9

5:30pm VIP* Doors Open
6:00pm VIP Q&A
6:30pm GA Doors Open
7:00pm Show
8:00pm Post Show Hang at Bar
10:00pm Wrap

*VIP includes early access to seating as well as a pre-show Q&A with Patrick!

Come for the show, stay for the party! Patrick Hinds (co-host of the podcasts True Crime Obsessed and Golden Girls Deep Dive Podcast) is bringing his one of a kind storytelling event back across the country. This time he’s mashing up a hilariously disastrous evening he spent with Golden Girls ICON Bea Arthur (he loved her, she hated him) with the unexpected arrival of his newborn daughter. And when the show is over (about 50 minutes), Patrick will meet you at the venue bar for cocktails, pictures, and laughs. And as a special treat, Bea Arthur impersonator Jason B. Schmidt appears via video as Bea from beyond the grave. She’s drunk and in no mood. You really don’t want to miss this.

Prices include GA or VIP performance tickets only. Beverages sold separately.

1/24, 2/21, 3/21, 4/18

WOAH! NEW EVERY MONTH. A raucous. raunchy, sometimes juvenile but always funny sketch show that will make your daddy give your mommy a pearl necklace... to clutch. Get tickets now, they're selling faster than a Stewie doll at Spencer's. DM: @Antivirginclub proof you bought tickets and we will draw you boobs.

Open Run

Are you and your improv team looking for another place to get on stage? We've got a warm and supportive room ready to give you laughs and claps! Bring your own team to Annoyance on Tuesday nights to get a rep in and giggle. If you don't have a team to bring, no worries! There's a mashup team and we're happy to throw you on it! Signups are at 8:30PM and we'll hit the stage at 9:00PM. See you every Tuesday!

1/31, 2/28, 3/28, 4/25

BABY WINE is one of Chicago's longest running LGBTQ+ comedy variety shows. Hosted by Baby Wine's core ensemble, each week a rotating lineup of queer performers open the show with a variety of acts ranging from standup to sketch to music to improv to drag. Baby Wine closes out the show with a no holds barred, long-form improv set. Come lol with us babe!

Open Run

An hour long comedy show featuring some of Annoyance Theatre’s best and funniest. Show Runner: Hails Reeves

Bi-Weekly

CHIP Chats is a PowerPoint comedy show loosely based on TED Talks- but where TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design, CHIP stands for Comedy, Hilarity, Insanity, and Pointlessness- and we deliver on those promises. We here at CHIP Chats can guarantee that by the end of every show you will either learn something or not! Like TED Talks, but much Worse.

5/17 - 5/31, 5/23 & 5/30

A night with Cafe Lounge Underwater is like the best house party you’ve ever been to. There’s dancing, music, drinks, and of course, meeting strangers who quickly feel like lifelong friends. Join Caroline, Tom, and Maryrose as they invite you into their world of spontaneous friendship and nonstop fun.

After a sold-out, six-week run at Chicago’s Annoyance Theatre, Cafe Lounge Underwater is back with more of their signature clever punchlines, unforgettable characters, and inventive music videos. Known for their undeniable onstage chemistry and creative use of media, this new show will have you asking, “How have we not all been friends forever?”

If you love the absurdity of I Think You Should Leave and the sharp wit of 30 Rock, then Cafe Lounge Underwater is the perfect show for you.

4/28

The fully improvised musical podcast - LIVE in Chicago for the first time! Join Lily Ludwig, Austin Packard, Music Director Sam Scheidler, and drummer Chris Ditton as they create a brand new musical — completely on the fly — in a music improv experience unlike any other. Come be a part of our live taping! Welcome to the scene! Runtime: 60 minutes.

6/14

Following sold-out shows & multiple rave reviews at the Edinburgh Fringe and London's Off-West End Soho Theatre, comedian Ricky Sim (@rickeerick) brings ‘Coming Out To Dead People’ to Annoyance - a chaotic stand-up about growing up as a gaysian immigrant in NY, to coming out to his conservative Chinese-Malaysian mom… just as she’s diagnosed with cancer. Talk about good timing. Combining stand-up and storytelling, an autobiographical hour explores grief, cleft-palates, secrets to the grave, and why you should not be thinking about your ancestor when having gay sex. Runtime: 60mins

4/16 - 5/7

Bigfoot? Pyramids? Crop circles? All this and more will be explored in Cryptic: An improv show. Together, 11 of Chicago’s best and weirdest performers will explore how one unexplained phenomenon (as determined by the audience) affects the lives of unique and interesting characters. What did happen that night at the lake? Who saw the UFO? What’s that smell? Find out all this and more at Cryptic: An Improv Show!

3/1 - 4/5

This week on "David & David", David Byrne (David Byrne) is torn between his girlfriend, Suzy the Lamp (Suzy the Lamp), and his roommate David Lynch (David Lynch) when the latter, heartbroken by his ex, Bjork (Björk), dreams up a prophesied dinner party for their friends Neighbor Nic (Nicolas Cage), Lorde Lande (Werner Herzog), and Georgie (Georgia O’Keeffe) on the same night as Suzy and Byrne’s anniversary.

After a successful staging in November, "David & David" returns. This remastered run promises to excite returning viewers and delight new ones!

CW: Fake gun (and accompanying single gunshot sound effect), mentions of self-harm, and dramatized violence

Bi-Weekly

Treat yourself to Chicago’s most intellectual comedy show. Comedians of all kinds going on about books while sipping very high end beverages. Bring your date to impress them, or come alone to feel self important.

Open Run

See Chicago's longest-running improv team bring their unique blend of big characters and absurd situations to the stage with infectious energy. Formed in 1996, Deep Schwa has performed over a thousand shows in theaters all over Chicago and beyond. Made up of an evolving cast of ten of the city's best veteran players. Each show singular, each show electric.

1/10, 2/14, 3/14, 4/11

Hail and well met, traveler! Grab a drink, put up your cloak, and I’ll tell you a tale. Escapades is a completely improvised choose-your-own adventure. Sprinkled throughout each story are opportunities for the audience to vote on what happens next. Whether we’re riding jetpacks on Mars or a unicorn through a gumdrop forest, you’re guaranteed a night of gasps, laughs, twists, turns, and daring rescues. Excelsior!

5/2

Join Father Figures duo Kath Courtney and Rockie Wenrich as they do some improv with their horrible sons.

Bi-Weekly

Enjoy an evening of off-the-cuff improv with some of the best emerging talent in the Chicago area. Fire & Beer is a fully improvised comedy show that explores the dark sides of life, relationships and human beings. The show features the Annoyance House Ensemble who excel at both long- and short-form improv. You can expect lots of laughs during this unpredictable improv show.

Open Run

A two act improv show. First, Annoyance students get a chance to enter their IDs into a fishbowl to be randomly selected to perform in an improv jam with veteran Annoyance teachers and performers. Then, the night closes with a set from Sight Unseen, an Annoyance house team who, for almost the past decade, has been known for its loose narrative form and vibrant (sometimes vicious) characters.

3/5 - 5/28

Flex Improv is made up of some of the best and wildest BIPOC performers in Chicago. From heart felt laughs, physical comedy, monologues, and singing, you never know what to expect from Flex. With new openers each week, including our Lab Cast, and of course us!

2/27 - 4/17

¡Latinos bienvenidos a la fiesta! English speakers, do your best.

3/13-4/3

Happy 2 B Here presents a brand new sketch show, just for you. Carefully crafted with a sharp wit and a keen sense for dum shit, it's comedy that doesn't overstate itself. It's actually funny. It's worth your time. We're just happy 2 b here.

Open Run

A Chicago based improv comedy show and drinking game based on the works of Alfred Hitchcock. Based on an audience suggestion, the cast weave together an intricate Hitchcock-like drama, while holding true to the amount of drinking shown in his movies. You'll barely be able to stand the suspense, and the cast will barely be able to stand.

3/28

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Open Run

See a collage of character studies, scenes, songs and maybe even some audience interaction, all written in a week by some of Chicago’s most accomplished comedians. The “Holy Fuck Comedy Hour” is a curated hour of eclectic, comedic material written in a week with no rehearsals. Featuring a powerful collective representing a wide cross-section of the Chicago comedy community, the material varies every week.

4/4- 4/25

Welcome to a fully improvised dimension beyond that which is known to man. Join us in a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity, the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition. In our show we will dive into the pit of your fears and the summit of your knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination.

5/11

¡Javier Ceriani llega a Chicago. Luego de un exitoso estreno en Los Ángeles, se presentará en vivo, con su obra de teatro!.

En Antes que me maten, Javier Ceriani, el periodista número uno de espectáculos de USA, se enfrenta a una condena inesperada: ser juzgado por chismoso. En esta comedia, Ceriani se ve atrapado en una trama de desinformación y acusaciones falsas siendo condenado a muerte.

En su juicio final, el güero, tendrá que contar todo lo que sabe y aquello que nunca puede decir en su programa y en redes sociales. Por primera vez contará sin censura todo lo que sabe y nadie quiere que él diga. El terror de los famosos, hablara sin pelos en la lengua y hará temblar a todos.

La obra está dirigida por Kevin Cass y producida por Club Media.

Importante:

-Todas las ventas son definitivas.

-Edad mínima de ingreso: 16 años.

-La producción se reserva el derecho de sentar en otra ubicación a las personas que lleguen tarde, de esta manera no se molesta ni distrae a los espectadores que llegaron a tiempo ni a los artistas. Si la persona llega una vez comenzada la función, no podrá hacer ningún tipo de reclamo referido a su ticket, aunque la nueva ubicación asignada tenga un valor menor al comprado.

4/20

Chaos reigns this Easter Sunday as the Faith Assembly of God attempts to put on their yearly passion play. This year, they hope to enliven the congregation with a Twilight-inspired twist. But little goes right as fights ensue about who should represent Jesus, cast members struggle with their lines, and someone's older boyfriend steps in to really get the "fun" flowing. With a soundtrack only a mother could love, Jesus of Forks is bound to knock your socks off. What does Jesus have in common with a bunch of vampires? Eternal Life.

4/1 - 4/29

Welcome to "Juicy," the unapologetically sassy three-act experience where the only thing hotter than the gossip, is the cast. Consider this your warning: what goes down in this room, STAYS in this room. So buckle up. Our fierce host starts by leading a panel, where the cast dishes up their weekly dramas. The audience gets to join in via QR codes by sending in their wildest scandals and seek real-time advice. Next up, we turn to the “hot seat” where we spotlight a badass standup comedian, serving up a set that’s perfectly tailored for our raw, unfiltered vibe. And just when you think it can’t get any wilder, we dive into an improv explosion, using stories as our launchpad to the craziest, most feral tangents imaginable. Get ready to laugh, gasp, and spill your guts — this is "Juicy.”

3/28

Welcome to "Juicy," the unapologetically sassy three-act experience where the only thing hotter than the gossip, is the cast. Consider this your warning: what goes down in this room, STAYS in this room. So buckle up. Our fierce host starts by leading a panel, where the cast dishes up their weekly dramas. The audience gets to join in via QR codes by sending in their wildest scandals and seek real-time advice. Next up, we turn to the “hot seat” where we spotlight a badass standup comedian, serving up a set that’s perfectly tailored for our raw, unfiltered vibe. And just when you think it can’t get any wilder, we dive into an improv explosion, using stories as our launchpad to the craziest, most feral tangents imaginable. Get ready to laugh, gasp, and spill your guts — this is "Juicy.”

5/2, 5/23. & 5/30

The aroma of Bollywood Masala fills the air with big emotions, dance sequences, soapy dialogues, drama, comedy, tragedy, and romance. A proud yet struggling director has one last chance to redeem his career by creating the ultimate masala-packed blockbuster before he goes out of business. His accomplice? A masala movie aficionado and self-proclaimed genius. As they clash over creative control, the director must navigate the chaos of filmmaking while discovering the true magic of connecting with an audience.
With a star-studded cast, three non-negotiable conditions set by the producer, and a story entirely improvised on the spot based on audience suggestions, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Will the director rise to the occasion and create a Bollywood Masala masterpiece worthy of its heritage? Join us and find out!

1/3, 2/7, 3/7, 4/4

Lil Weenie Salad is a WACKY improv show where we create the teams LIVE in front of the audience by spinning a HUGE wheel! All teams consist of four people and under and feature a brand new cast every week with Chicago's BEST comedians! The teams then combine together to create a MEGA team and more hilarity ensues! You aren't going to want to miss this!

5/3 - 5/31

Each week a rotating cast of all-star musical improvisers will create a blend of comedy and song that will make the audience think the material was written. Drawing upon talent that has performed with Second City, Baby Wants Candy, Tuesday Musical Improv, Blank! The Musical, Voila! and more, this group emphasizes movement and music in a new way for the Annoyance stage. Musical direction by Lisa McQueen, Sam Scheidler, Karen Sandvoss and Brian Cooper.

6/11 ONE NIGHT

Veteran improviser Susan Messing improvises with John Lehr in this unbridled romp through hell.

Open Run

Missed Call is a premiere Chicago comedy group that writes and performs an entirely new sketch show every Friday.

Open Run

Hosted by members of Tuesday Musical Improv, this free weekly jam allows anyone to try out musical improv on the Annoyance Mainstage. Sign-ups begin at 6:45--no experience necessary!

6/11

A staged reading of a new musical in development - the byproduct of when two writing partners break-up during the most pivotal moment of their career. But can they still make it work? Determined to not lose career momentum and equally determined to not be in the same room together... and with all eyes on what they'll write next... they choose to divide and conquer their next big musical by splitting the work perfectly in half. This is that premiere. Now presenting a musical about Napoleon Dynamite... wait, no... Napoleon Bonaparte? Uh oh.

5/14 & 5/21

A 55-minute folk horror-sketch comedy show about a cursed Puritan village spiraling into chaos — told one town meeting at a time.

Hear ye, hear ye! By order of the remaining elders, you are hereby summoned to the first official town meeting of Goody!, a spiritual inquest into the recent vanishings, visions, and Beast-related disturbances plaguing our blessed 1600s Puritan village. Join us for proceedings that will feature sketch comedy, original music, and immersive elements. Also it will be really fun... Yay!

The meeting shall be led by October Brian (Goodman Michael Salles Holtzman, Goodman Jackson Viccora, Goodman John O’Neill, and Goody Katherine Coates), a sketch comedy council who have been performing together for over ten years. Their past appearances include the BBC, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and in theaters around Chicago. Join them this May at The Annoyance Theater for revelations, reckonings, and the rising of the Beast.

4/9 - 4/30

October Brian Sketch Comedy invites you to finally meet Brian. In this 50-minute sketch comedy bonanza, you’ll see some of October Brian’s favorite sketches from the past four years, as well as brand new sketches every week from the group’s forthcoming sketch comedy-horror show set in 1600s Puritan New England (to be performed in May at the Annoyance Theater).

October Brian has been performing sketch comedy together for over ten years, and has been seen on The BBC, at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and in theaters across Chicago. Join us in celebrating all things Brian and enjoy your chance to meet him…finally!

Open Run

Open Stage is an opportunity for anyone to get on stage and try out whatever they're currently working on - standup, sketch, songs - you name it. At Open Stage anything can happen and it usually does!

3/18 - 4/22

Looking for a Stand-up Comedy Open Mic that’s a supportive room,
always a good time, AND HAS FREE PIZZA?! Look no further than the Pizza Mic. The Pizza Mic (formerly at Pizza Serio) is, first and foremost, a safe space for all. Whether you’re a seasoned comic, an improvisor who’s always wanted to try standup, or you just decided that today’s the day for your first open mic (kudos) – The Pizza Mic is a great venue to workshop your bits. The show is every Tuesday from 5:30pm – 7:30pm. Signup is online and the signup sheet is posted on Facebook & IG on Mondays. The list is emailed out a few hours before the show. Comics get 4 minutes of stage time (and a lifetime of memories.) While all are welcome, the room prioritizes BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and Femme comics. Come laugh with us!

4/11

We’re not sure what else you need to know. The title says it all. We are not only a really fun show.. we are the Best show of the night. Capital B. Fuck it, capital everything: come see REALLY FUN SHOW THE BEST SHOW OF THE NIGHT. Chicago’s most fun and best improvisors take the stage while you take a seat. And laugh. You need to laugh.

4/5 - 4/26

Follow Doctor Rorscach as he takes you into the depths of your own subconscious through improv, sketch, and special guest stars.
Rorschach Baby is an improv team formed through the Annoyance Program, and coached by Jake Prizant (Hulu’s Deli Boys, Missed Call). Instagram: RorscachBabyImprov

Team Members include: Tessa Abedon, Travis Bergman, Jason Clark, Melissa Harrison, Katie Rae Horn, Carolyn Hu Bradbury, Andrew Kerr, Nick Martini, Jace Mertes, Daniella Pereira, Jazmin Robinson, Stephen Shoemaker, and Justin Vidovic

4/24 - 5/8

Swiped Improvised Thievery is a longform-improvised comedy show where the audience experiences the thrilling highs and lows of the heist genre alongside a colorful band of thieves. Join us each week as we assemble our crew and perform a thrilling heist to steal a valuable item suggested by the audience. And if something goes awry... well - It's all part of the plan.

5/1 - 6/5

Secret Family is a sketch comedy group that's exactly like a real family, only our drama and infighting is mostly pretend, and our love for each other is 100% conditional. Also, to the best of our knowledge, none of us are related. Join our family on Thursdays at 8 as we present new sketches, welcome special guests, and work out our complicated issues with each other.

4/4

Clown Boss Chad Damiani live directs a group of Chicago clowns through their very first LA-style clown show. Along the way, he ruthlessly teases, cajoles and drives them to abandon their intellect and follow their dumbest impulses. A glorious celebration of failure and the cruelest show in clown. 60 minutes long.

Open Run

A night for Annoyance students to JAM!

Open Run

Super Human is an improv team that tore into Chicago’s comedy scene in 2012 at The Upstairs Gallery (RIP). Since then, Super Human has become synonymous with bold, hilarious, fearless and fun comedy. Described as a “splash zone of women,” Super Human prides itself on the team’s diverse personalities and playing styles, with an unmistakable focus on creating inclusive learning and performance spaces. They are Super Human and SO ARE YOU!

5/2 - 5/23

That Vibey Show is an hour-long improv show hosted by Kiki Hughes and her invited guests where, in collaboration with the audience, we come up with thee vibiest 6-track playlists of all time and let that playlist influence a 20 minute improv set.

Music is how we culturally pass the plate & arguably the most galvanizing ingredient in any comedy show. This comedy show is a safe space for play, serving up comfort, imagination and a good vibe. Just like my childhood basement.

5/3 - 5/24

Introducing the Annoyance Variety Hour! Featuring performances from Chicago's best comedians, musicians, magicians, circus performers, puppeteers, and everything in between! A true everything goes show reminiscent of classic programs like the Ed Sullivan Show and the Gong Show, its sure to surprise and amaze even the most seasoned of theater goers. Hosted by one of Chicago's best alternative comedians, Michael Serio, an international headliner and regular at major comedy venues all across the city, and live music played every night by the soulful stylings of the musical comedy duo sensation So Far So Good, the only thing you'll be disappointed by is that you didn't go see it sooner.

Bi-Weekly

A night of Roman fuckery. Watch philosophers roast each other, improv gladiators battle, and kneel to Cesar in this truly unruly night of alt-comedy.

3/20-4/24

As a Christian kid, maybe you grew up with Veggie Tales, Psalty the Singing Songbook, or The Donut Man. But what wholesome content do the kids of today have? Why, Benny Bingo and the Evangelikids of course! Become an Evangelikid and meet us at the Flamingo Club House! We'll learn all about Jesus and the Gospel through songs, stories, prescriptive gender roles, and patriarchy! But when the cameras cut, it seems like some of the kids, and perhaps even Benny Bingo himself, are starting to have questions....maybe even doubts? Watch this heartwarming and hilarious original musical that explores themes of deconstruction, queerness, and individuality within the confines of an oppressive belief system — all while unapologetically leaning into joy.

3/30 - 4/13

Join international pop sensations, The Romanticks, for a variety hour filled with laughter, music, and sexy, sexy bugs. Oh, what’s that? Not sure if you’re into sexy, sexy bugs? Sexy, Latine bugs? Grow up.

5/2

Step into a dazzling journey through the ages with Stripping Through Time, a sultry burlesque extravaganza that will transport you from the Roaring Twenties to the sleek and sexy styles of today! Featuring the Velvet Vixen’s all-star cast of performers, including the unforgettable Ms. Lady Ryder, Arrachna Fatale, Clit Hardwood, and Midnight Jade, this show celebrates 100 years of style, seduction, and the evolution of the tease.

From the flapper glamour of the 1920s to the rock 'n' roll rebellion of the 1950s, the disco fever of the 1970s, and the bold, fierce energy of the 2020s, each act will bring a decade to life in ways you’ve never seen before. The Velvet Vixens will captivate and mesmerize with dramatic costumes, tantalizing choreography, and performances full of passion, humor, and history.

Whether you’re a fan of old Hollywood, pin-up culture, or the modern edge of burlesque, Stripping Through Time promises a night of unforgettable entertainment, celebrating the art of striptease across the century. Join us at the Annoyance Theater for a night where history meets seduction—one decade at a time.

4/11

Join us for a one-night-only performance by The Yips, presenting a fully improvised play on Friday, April 11th at 11:00 PM in the Small Theater. Tickets are just $5, or free for students of The Annoyance.

Open Run

Annoyance founder Mick Napier created the Trigger Happy form out of a desire to make improv look as slick and beautifully put together as a scripted show. Through a language invisible to the audience, the fully improvised show magically comes to life. There is truly nothing else like it. An Annoyance Signature Improv show.

Review: https://www.newcitystage.com/2015/01/31/review-trigger-happythe-annoyance-theatre/

Open Run

The Annoyance's very own musical ensembles. Every Tuesday at 8pm, two groups improvise brand new musicals based on audience suggestions. Featuring Musical Director Lisa McQueen and starring the Annoyance Musical Ensembles. Follow us on instagram: @tuesdaymusicalimprov

Open Run

They take edibles. Then they improvise. There's a 'too-high' button, for when it gets too crazy.

4/26

From the twisted mind of Derry Queen comes a one night only play retelling that one movie that was nominated for an Oscar this year (legally can't say, read between the lines...) through drag, comedy, and special effects. Starring Derry Queen as Elisabeth, Ramona Slick and Miss Toto as Sue, Yur Unkle as The Manager, Pagina as The Monster and featuring Amira Slick and Peeper Johnson. Inject it and see a better version of yourself.

6/6 - 6/27

Yas, And! elevates LGBT voices and posits that change on a large scale begins with engaging your local community. The show incorporates a fundraising component for The Trevor Project, the leading suicide prevention and crisis intervention nonprofit organization for LGBTQ+ young people. Come out of the closet and enjoy the show as a dynamic ensemble of LGBTQ+ actors deliver a dazzling array of sketches that capture the joys, challenges, and triumphs of queer life.