FAR

For one night only a gaggle of Chicago’s best improvisers will create characters, comedy, and narrative inspired by the photography of Clarissa Bonet! Clarisa’s exhibition, titled Chasing Light, draws on a mix of lived experience, observation, and research contemplating topics such as pedestrianism, anonymity, urban planning, surveillance, and the divide between public and private space. In real-time our visiting improvisers will go back and forth with Clarissa using her photos and her explanation of her journey to create them as the catalyst for silly scenes, earnest stories, and hilarious scenarios ranging from the smallest meet-cute to the grandest odyssey!

This event is made possible by the Visit Bloomington Venue Grant.

IMPROV WORKSHOP : Thursday, September 5th 5-7pm

Interested seeing how the magic is made? Visiting Comedians Timothy Felton, Will Sonheim, and Alex Prichodko for will be hosting a two-hour intensive workshop in which you'll explore the power of emotion, discover the heightened stakes of even the most mundane human interaction, and follow the fun that is organically arising between you and scene partner without forcing it!

Workshop registration is $20 and includes a ticket to the 8pm show! Register for the workshop here.

ABOUT THE VISITING IMPROVISERS AND COMEDIANS

Our visiting improvisers and comedians are veterans of the Chicago improv scene, training and performing at iO Theater, CIC Theater, Second City, Lincoln Lodge, and more! They are thrilled to be bringing their take on Chicago style improvisation to Bloomington! Chicago style improvisation is longform improvisation with an emphasis on characters and relationships often following the story that is spontaneously emerging no matter how small or huge the scale. Our comedians look forward to collaborating with Clarissa to bring you a patently unique set of stories and experiences!

Thomas Kelly is a veteran Chicago performer and teacher. On top of studying improv for two decades, he also completed the two year Jacques Lecoq inspired physical theater and devising course at the London International School for the Performing Arts. He can be seen performing in Chicago and around the world with the award winning improv ensemble, Sand. He can be seen on TV on shows like Showtime’s Work In Progress, NBC’s Chicago Med, NBC’s Shrink, the feature film Monuments, and in the stop motion short, Sleepy Steve.

Will Sonheim's is a true renaissance man about Chicago! His credits include: THE ARROW at The Neo-Futurists, Steppenwolf's First Look Series: Seagulls, production for Work In Progress (Showtime), iO Harold Team THE RUCKUS for 3+ years, Write Club Winner, and Potluck Variety Hour (producer & performer).

Jes Benson is an artist from Chicago who has studied and performed improv for over 15 years. She has been teaching improv workshops and coaching since 2019. Her team, Holy Goat, produces and performs in The Friday Show at Logan Square Improv, the best show in the city ;)
Alex Prichodko is an improviser originally from Indianapolis. He has trained and performed in Chicago at iO, CIC Theater, The Second City, The Annoyance, and more. Alex is the Co-Founder of Logan Square Improv theater in Chicago. See what he is producing @logansquareimprov and catch him improvising with @littleheroesimprov!

Timothy Bernard Felton is a writer/actor/producer in Chicago by way of southern Indiana–ahem … BLOOMINGTON BABY! Tim is an earnest elder-millenial whose comedy explores the often-sad underbelly of an otherwise humorous moment. Timothy co-writes, produces, and plays lead in the animated web series Afternoons With Owen, premiered his solo show Dad(dy): An Earnest Attempt At Manifestation in 2022, and currently produces a vaudeville-style variety show called Freshly Waxed! at the Lincoln Lodge. Give him a follow on instagram (@timothyfeltoncomedy) and catch one of his many shows around the city!