Start your weekends early with Cafe Lounge Underwater, Thursdays at The Annoyance!

Cafe Lounge Underwater is a sketch show that feels like a great house party. There’s dancing, music, drinks, and of course, laughs. Join Caroline Burke, Tom Phelan, and Maryrose Sheridan as they perform sketches from their monthly show run!

After two sold-out runs at Chicago’s Annoyance Theatre and features in the Chicago Sketchfest and Miami Improv Festival, Cafe Lounge Underwater brings a brand new show that will have you asking, “when can we all hang out next?”

All the way from its one-year run in Los Angeles comes a brand new team built for Chicago! It's Asshole's Advocate, the court room show for situations that can't be taken to court. This improv show is based off the highly popular subreddit, Am I the Asshole. This long-standing online forum is where millions of people post their awkward social dilemmas or petty revenge and ask if they are the asshole in the situation. We take it a step further and bring in evidence and witnesses to prove that they are or are not the asshole.

Inspired by the classic TV show The Twilight Zone, we explore our audience's deepest fears with a comedic twist. Join us for a new fully improvised episode each week in the dimension of imagination!

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.

Nationally headlining queer comedian and activist Dana Goldberg is bringing her new comedy tour - OUTrageous - to Chicago for one night only! Join Dana for a night of hilarious stand-up, heartfelt storytelling, and a chance to be in joyful community with each other. As the horrifying headlines continue, Dana is fired up and gayer than ever. Run Time: 75 min

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

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.

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!

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.

On Friday, November 14th at 10:30pm in the small theatre will be a magical night of sketch comedy, improv, multimedia presentations all around the themes of hot dogs and janitors. What does that mean? How are those two things related at all? The only way to find out is to come see the show.

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.

With ICE terrorizing our communities, the time to push back is now!
Join us for a laugh while raising money for Rapid Response teams.
100% of proceeds will be donated to the ICIRR

Live amazing feats of Mentalism by the magic duo Napier & Estlin. Is it mind reading? Napier & Estlin seem to know things they couldn't possibly know - or figure out. How do they do it? Come find out!

Oh, we're keeping the yuletides GAY! Join us for a queer take on the classic A Christmas Carol as some of your favorite characters from the hit summer show "Steamworks the Musical" navigate the past, present, and future while trying to save the building from being destroyed by an evil Grinch!

Written by Connor James Hirsch, Noah Lanos, Nathan Wetter, and Ryan Brown , "A Very Steamworks Christmas" is coming back for its second year after a sold-out run in 2024.

Secret Family is a monthly sketch show featuring a cast that is exactly like a real family, only their drama and infighting is mostly pretend, and their love for each other is 100% conditional. To the best of their knowledge, they are not related. The family members are Brian Park, David Resnick, Evelyn Lawrence, Haley Gillman, Lola Selby, Nic Nightingale, Nichole Reed, and Thomas Toles. Follow them on instagram: @secretfamilysketch and you'll get a kiss on the cheek.

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/

Chicago's talent and businesses SHOW UP! to support these fundraising shows to benefit Common Pantry. Each show features a different lineup...
TALENT INCLUDES:
Annoyance Teachers (Fishbowl)
Best of Annoyance Sketch
Claudia Wallace
Father Figures
JC Brooks
Missed Call
Napier & Estlin
Sean Flannery
Shake the Baby
Susan Messing & John Lehr
TJ Jagodowski
Trigger Happy
Tuesday Musical Improv

AUCTION ITEMS FROM:
Drew's On Halsted
Lakeview East Chamber of Commerce
Second City
Steppenwolf Theatre

Kath Courtney and Rockie Wenrich are: Father Figures! Two dudes with the ability to fix your car, be fuckable, and die before you really get the chance to understand them. Special thanks, as always, to Chelsea Matkins. Made for fathers and DILF-enjoyers everywhere.

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.

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

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

Who would make a deal with the devil to end the housing crisis?
What kind of rock band only communicates through text?
Where IS the box large enough to fit the entire moon?

This Thanksgiving season, the questions don’t get answered, but they do get weirder.

Welcome to IRRELEPHANT: STUFFED, a fast, funny, and unhinged hour of Chicago-style sketch comedy, served up hot from some of the city’s sharpest comedic minds. It’s absurd. It’s off the wall. It’s just the right amount of gravy-drenched chaos to kick off your holiday season.

In a world where everything matters… nothing is IRRELEPHANT.

Just two shows! Gobble them up while you can:

Saturday, November 15 6-7pm
Saturday, November 22 6-7pm

Created By & Featuring: Tom Beheler, Corey Bradberry, Ella Carson, Dan Feltey, Lily Gaddis, Kyle Greenberg, Dan Hickey, Kane Jabbar, Oriana Jones, Avery Keifer, Alexis Kraft, Ronnie Lyall, Luke Lowers, Drew Montgomery, Molly Olson, Clara Imon Pedtke, Ty Sato, Emma Samson, Gretchen Shull, & Jarryd Widhalm

Produced & Directed by Corey Bradberry
Co-Produced by Tom Beheler, Jarryd Widhalm, Kyle Greenberg, & Molly Olson

in Partnership with YAS AND COMEDY, FLAMBOYANT ATTACHMENT, and SIX IN THE CITY.

What even is Hanukkah? And how the hell do you spell it?? "OY!" is back with sketches, songs, and improv from an all-Jewish cast exploring the customs and cultures that bring Jews together all over the world, while also celebrating Jewish joy and traditions. So get off your tuchus and come celebrate the holidays with us!

In this 90-minute original Christmas musical, a high school drama teacher is tasked with writing an award-winning musical to restore the scandal-plagued school's reputation - and save his job. Along the way, he faces the challenges of directing a difficult cast of teenagers, dealing with a gym teacher determined to see him fail, an impossible-to-please principal, visits from the ghost of Charles Dickens, and the taunts of a pop star.

Oh, we're keeping the yuletides GAY! Join us for a queer take on the classic A Christmas Carol as some of your favorite characters from the hit summer show "Steamworks the Musical" navigate the past, present, and future while trying to save the building from being destroyed by an evil Grinch!

Written by Connor James Hirsch, Noah Lanos, Nathan Wetter, and Ryan Brown , "A Very Steamworks Christmas" is coming back for its second year after a sold-out run in 2024.

In this 90-minute original Christmas musical, a high school drama teacher is tasked with writing an award-winning musical to restore the scandal-plagued school's reputation - and save his job. Along the way, he faces the challenges of directing a difficult cast of teenagers, dealing with a gym teacher determined to see him fail, an impossible-to-please principal, visits from the ghost of Charles Dickens, and the taunts of a pop star.

Calling all 90s kids! This show is for you. Each week Chicago’s hottest comedians share PowerPoints on their favorite 90s obsessions, while the audience battles over trivia from Boy Bands to Beanie Babies. Hosted by Colette Gregory and Bren Tran, this show mixes comedy, crowdwork, and (your favorite 90s) crushes into a wild night that will make you forget you’re grown!

In a coven, where the witches don’t want to move and find new friends, where partners are passed around, and where warlocks go to sleeze. What is this? oh yeah it's THE COVEN. Join the warlocks and witches as they celebrate a wedding in Vegas!

Think of your favorite musical but off-the-dome and underground... it’s The Great Human Machine! DePaul Comedy Arts’ improvisers mix long-form improv and their musical talents to create an on-the-spot and theatrical piece every Monday at 6:30.

Wall Pasta is a show where Chicago comedians try out brand new sketch material and see what sticks! Hosted by Elizabeth Wilson and Claire Hyman, this bi-weekly showcase is an opportunity for the city's silliest to debut brand-spanking new material in front of a supportive, captive audience. To perform in or watch the show, follow @wall_pasta on Instagram for updates.

One virgin (maybe two, only seems fair), one miracle, one night only! A child is born! Witness the Nativity of our Savior, Jesus H. Christ, only at The Annoyance Theatre. Jesus isn’t anywhere else - we checked.

Gay for Pay presents Thanksgiving Survival Bootcamp: an all-LGBTQ+ lineup of standup, sketch, drag, and musical delights to help you gird your loins for those tense family moments on Turkey Day. We’ve got a delicious lineup featuring Grace Kilpatrick, PJ Walker, Vi Conrad, F!stofer Dew (he/they), To What End?, and Drag King Supremacy, hosted by your favorite fabulous drill sergeants, Dan Hickey and Mary Fiala.

A night for Annoyance students to JAM!

Looking for a Stand-up Comedy Open Mic that’s a supportive room and always a good time? Look no further than the Ya'll Mic. 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 Ya'll 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!

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!

A Random Memory is a close-up magic show about memories, connection, and bringing people together to experience magic. In this highly interactive hour of card tricks and mentalism your memories take center stage to make classics of magic more meaningful. So take a seat at the close-up table and together let’s make a magic show worth remembering.

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

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!

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!

Veteran improvisers Susan Messing & Rachael Mason tear it up in a pre-Thanksgiving romp through hell.

You've been summoned...to laugh.

Jury Duty is a fully improvised courtroom comedy where the only thing on trial is sanity itself.

Each night, the cast creates a brand new legal disaster based on audience suggestion, questionable logic, and total chaos. Watch as the foreperson loses their mind, evidence makes things worse, and deliberations go off the rails.

No script, no rules, no justice. Just comedy

The trial is fake, the laughs are real