Pictured: iO’s Jason Chin Cabaret space. 

iO has announced the line-up and dates for the third annual CHICAGO MUSICAL IMPROV FESTIVAL, which will feature over forty groups hailing from Chicago, Los Angeles, NYC, Boston, Boca Raton, Miami, Philadelphia, Ferndale and Kansas City. Additionally, this year’s festival will feature comedian Dickie Smothers from the famous comedy duo The Smothers Brothers. Smothers will join the cast of THE MUSICAL ARMANDO as the guest monologist on Friday, August 18tth, as well as a special Q&A on Saturday, August 19th.

“I am so thrilled that iO will be hosting the 3rd Annual Musical Improv Festival. There’s nothing like it anywhere, and musical improv is my favorite thing to watch. It’s a challenge for the performers to not only improvise a show but to create a musical with songs and choreography – it’s an amazing, exhilarating thing to watch,” says co-founder and Artistic Director Charna Halpern. “This festival gets bigger and better every year and having Dickie Smothers makes this the most exciting one yet.”

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The Chicago Musical Improv Festival Line-Up (from the press release): 

THURSDAY, AUGUST 17TH
JASON CHIN CABARET
7:30 PM – INFINITE SUNDAES / MY FAIR LADIES
8:30 PM – LISA FRANKLY / CHEAP TRILLS (Miami)
9:30 PM – STACKED: ALL-FEMALE MUSICAL IMPROV
10:30 PM – GIRL GANG (Musical Edition)

FRIDAY, AUGUST 18TH
CHRIS FARLEY CABARET
7:30 PM – FIRST TIME OR FAN / THANK YOU PLACES (Philadelphia)
9:00 PM – IMPROVISED HISTORY (Boston) / GROOVEBOX
10:30 PM – SEARCH ENGINE / DEFRANCISCO (Columbus)

FRIDAY, AUGUST 18TH
JASON CHIN CABARET
7:00 PM -SHALLOW HOWL (Boca Raton) / AFTER PARTY
8:30 PM – CASH & CARRY (Ferndale) / MANSICAL
10:00 PM – ALL-STAR JAM / MATT GEILER (LA)
11:30 PM – MUSICAL IMPROV JAM

FRIDAY. AUGUST 18TH
THE MISSION THEATER
8 PM – THE MUSICAL ARMANDO feat. DICKIE SMOTHERS

SATURDAY, AUGUST 19TH
CHRIS FARLEY CABARET
7:30 PM – CATE BLANCHETT’S CAFTCAN / THE SOUND OF MUSICAL (LA)
9:00 PM – BUZZED BROADWAY / IMPROVISED SONDHEIM
10:30 PM – RAPSCALLIONS (Denver) / DIRTY DISNEY (Boston)

SATURDAY, AUGUST 19TH
JASON CHIN CABARET
7:00 PM – HERE (Columbus) / Q&A WITH DICKIE SMOTHERS
8:30 PM – B.U.M.P. (Boston) / THE DELTONES
10:00 PM – BROUHAHA: AN IMPROVISED PUPPET MUSICAL / MATT GEILER (LA)
11:30 PM – HANDSOME NAKED AFTER PARTY (Free event)

SUNDAY, AUGUST 20TH –
7:00 PM – PREACH
8:00 PM – FRAUDWAY: AN IMPROVISED MUSICAL

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For more information, including individual and festival pass tickets, visit ioimprov.com/chicago.