The 2nd Act Players will hold a night of all-star improv at Little Ricky’s in downtown Winnetka, Thursday, August 20 beginning at 9 p.m. Featured improv groups will include Wizards & Oz and Snow, along with the 2nd Act Players improv wing.
All three groups wowed the crowds at the 2015 Piven Theatre improv showcase this past February, so it’s sure to be a raucous night of wild and frenetic improv. Get there early for a good seat, there’s no cover charge and you’ll enjoy the friendly, casual vib at Little Ricky’s, a North Shore favorite for many years.
“Every non-profit I know of is always asking for money. We want to be different, we want to give our audiences fantastic entertainment in return for their contributions to our burgeoning theater company,” says 2nd Act Players creative director and co-founder John N. Frank.
Wizards & OZ is a large group of improvers working in fast-paced, quickly changing scenes. The 2nd Act improv wing does dramatic improv, creating scenes based on audience suggestions about key second acts in people’s lives. Snow is a two-man improv team that can be anything from animals in the forest to knights of a slightly skewed round table.
Each group will do a 10-minute lightening round of improv and then, after a short fund-raising pause, will do it again, with no two skits every the same. It’s improv like you’ve never seen it before on one night in one place.
Donations will go to fund this year’s 2nd Act Players season which will consist of an original Frank-written two-act play, Boys in the Basement about divorced men and their shattered dreams, this November. The second play of the season will be Remembrance, an original work of noted Chicago-area author ArLynn Lieber, about those we have loved and lost but will always remember. Remembrance will be staged in January with all performances for both shows at the Piven Theatre in Evanston.
Theater companies typically garner from 40-60% of their annual operating budgets from donor contributions, so every dollar you give at the improv night will be greatly appreciated and put to good use. In addition to its inaugural season spanning 2015-2016, the 2nd Act Players also plans a one-act play competition next year so it can further its mission of showcasing the work of emerging artists.
To donate now, click on this link to reach our donation page where you can sue PayPal or a credit card to make your donations.
One thought on “2nd Act Players announce first fund-raiser — a night of all-star improv”