Slay! elevates LGBT voices and challenges the community to laugh while they confront the hypocrisies and internalized homophobia that still lurks among us.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 and enjoy the show as a dynamic ensemble of queer actors serve up campy scares and killer laughs in this equally dazzling and spooky spectacle.

Modern Butchood is an explosive, hilarious, new play about a big lesbian mess. This one woman show follows the misadventures of “Butch” the sardonic girlfriend of a semi-famous lesbian Tik-Toker. Dissatisfied in her relationship and seeking excitement, Butch begins sneaking out of her apartment at night, sparking a riotous descent into lust, chaos, and queer identity. Balancing sharp wit and biting examinations of queer life, Modern Butchood is a fresh theatrical experience you won’t want to miss!



Modern Butchood has played at the Hollywood Fringe Festival (2024) and Providence Fringe Festival (2025).


Written and Performed by Molly Gloeckner

Directed by Charlie Towle



This show runs 1 hour with no intermission.

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

Super Scaries: The Improvised Teen Horror Musical will have you screaming for your life -
and singing along! Inspired by everyone's favorite nostalgic teen horror book series, the cast will
improvise a fully original musical based on an audience suggestion of one unusual object that
causes havoc around their weird little town. A haunted eyelash curler that melts faces? A
possessed film projector that shows you your own demise (with a jazz backing track)? A quilt whose seams will tie you in knots? Whatever the culprit, you'll be stunned at the twists and turns. Reader Beware!

An LGBTQIA+ themed variety show featuring some of Chicago's strongest and most diversely hilarious voices!

Cafe Underground, Coffee Shop by the Lake, Lounge by the Water, Sea Bass Underground. These are all things our closest friends and family have referred to our sketch comedy show, Cafe Lounge Underwater, as.

Which may make you want us to explain what the name means. But guess what! It doesn’t matter what you call it, because all you need to know is this show will make you laugh and make you have the time of your life! Start your weekend off right with us. There will be music, dancing, singing, and maybe a couple of jokes in between. You may not leave knowing what we’re called, but you will leave laughing!

Kentucky Dirty! A monthly revue of original sketches, video shorts, and bullet-paced blackouts. Galloping from the elegantly grounded to the downright feral, this comedy show doesn't trot, it bucks! There's no telling how this show crosses the finish line, but it's sure to be a real humdinger!

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.

Ghost Rats and Cat Bath are double booked at the Annoyance Theater once again for Middle School Regrets and Crime Night! Are we going to solve a murder mystery on stage? Dive deep into some of our cringiest memories? Discuss the fashion crimes of mid-2000s Disney Channel stars?

The only way to find out is to come see the show on Friday, October 10th at 10:30pm in the Small Theater for only $15! No criminal activity here!

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.

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.

In the town of Mayfield, thirteen cliched horror movie characters find themselves at the murderous whims of a guy in a hockey mask.


Splatter Theater showcases the best performers from The Annoyance Theatre as cliche horror movie characters: Each murdered in wild, creative, bloody ways. With freshly painted white walls, the stage will be drenched in gallons of blood while both horrifying and delighting the audience along the way. Splatter Theater has been an annual tradition of Annoyance since its inception in 1987, and this production continues that hallowed tradition.

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/

We not proud to say this, kiddos, but we're terrified. Your dads are frightened, but back! For an all-new hour of Halloween sketch comedy! If you get so scared you throw up, we won't blame you, but we also won't help you clean up.

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.

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.

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

CRYPTIC is an improvised mystery show about how the paranormal can bring people together. We explore relationships, secrets, intrigue and lies in a made-up documentary. From missing persons to urban legends, cryptid sightings to alien encounters - if you love true crime and tall tales, you'll love Cryptic.

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

What do you want to be when you grow up? This 1-hour one-woman sketch show explores the path and mind of comedy writer Chevelle Blackburne. Watch her hilariously tackle the domino effects of big decisions, navigating what we have control over, and what being multifaceted means in the face of failure. Remember, this could have been your doctor...

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.

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.

Hosted by four Belladonna editors sharing one non-referential pair of traveling jeggings, this 90 minute show has been described as "wait, your parents are going to be there? I have to take my pants off in front of your parents??" With staged readings, stand-up, sketch, interstitial bits, and a closing musical number featuring our editors, contributors, and special guests, The Belladonna Comedy Presents: The Jeggings Jubilee will bring you right back to your middle school slumber parties, if your middle school slumber parties had a cash bar. You're gonna have FUN!

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!

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Rascal Pants presents SHOCK JOCKS, a high voltage sketch show that feels like sticking your finger in an outlet. Shock Jocks pushes sketch comedy to the brink and combines wacky characters with electrifying sounds and kooky visuals. Featuring the musical stylings of Jessica Rickert on electric guitar and the wonderfully weird artwork of Logan LaBrake, Shock Jocks is a comedy experience that's sure to make your hair stand on end.

Catch Shock Jocks every Monday night at 8:30pm for four weeks, running September 29 through October 20. Stay in the loop by following @rascalpantsproductions on Instagram.

A night for Annoyance students to JAM!

Beneath Luis Carreon's suave and debonair exterior lies La Bestia (The Beast)–a magician of unparalleled skill with a mischievous sense of humor. In his one-man show, Luis combines his jaw-dropping magical skills, his Latin heritage, and off-the-wall comedy to share his real-life experiences, poking fun at stereotypes, cultural differences, and himself.

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!

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!

There’s a spirit that haunts the Annoyance Theater….

Come with us on a journey where the fate is in your hands…every night the Petite Boy haunts a new member of our improv group, and we need your help to catch him!!! Inspired by the hit TV show Traitors, as well as Mafia (the fun childhood camp game, not the criminals) and the Jackbox game “Fakin’ It”, come join us for a fun night of improv, drama, accusations, deception, and spooky vibes!

Modern Butchood is an explosive, hilarious, new play about a big lesbian mess. This one woman show follows the misadventures of “Butch” the sardonic girlfriend of a semi-famous lesbian Tik-Toker. Dissatisfied in her relationship and seeking excitement, Butch begins sneaking out of her apartment at night, sparking a riotous descent into lust, chaos, and queer identity. Balancing sharp wit and biting examinations of queer life, Modern Butchood is a fresh theatrical experience you won’t want to miss!



Modern Butchood has played at the Hollywood Fringe Festival (2024) and Providence Fringe Festival (2025).


Written and Performed by Molly Gloeckner

Directed by Charlie Towle



This show runs 1 hour with no intermission.

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

Hear ye, hear ye! Goody! is back by popular demand!



This October, join the town elders of Brian’s Hollow in the meetinghouse for an immersive 55-minute folk horror sketch comedy show about a cursed 1600s Puritan village spiraling into chaos — told one town meeting at a time.



Come witness the folklore for yourself and become a part of the town. The proceedings will include BRAND NEW sketches, original music, immersive elements, and even more four-headed Beast sightings.



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’s written and performed together for over a decade. Their past appearances include the BBC, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and in theaters across Chicago.

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.

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.

A creature is stalking the streets of Wrigleyville in 1927 - this 70-minute comedy follows an investigative journalist and her ex-girlfriend, a private eye, as they look into a series of murders that have been afflicting this sports enthused neighborhood in Chicago. They'll chase rumors of a wolf the size of a man as they are faced with thrills, farces, a cavalcade of incompetent men, and of course - a big ol' moon! There's plenty to sink your teeth into here for a howling good time this October at The Annoyance Theatre.

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!

Just like your favorite snack, Comedy Chex Mix serves up a crunchy combo of comedy styles that keeps you coming back for more. Each show features these two dynamic high energy improv teams—Old Friends and Heya Toots!—whose sets are inspired by a guest stand-up's performance.

It’s the perfect blend of sharp local stand-up, spontaneous scenes, and that unpredictable flavor you didn’t know you needed. Every show is different, every laugh is fresh, and every bite-sized bit hits just right.

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.

Widespread cases of body swaps. A disgruntled warlock. A committee meeting of Karens. All of this and more can be seen from Can Jimmy Play?, a Chicago Sketch collective. You will scream. You will laugh. But you will also ask the most important question: Can Jimmy Slay?