The Evanston-based 2nd Act Players will hold a night of all-star improv at Smylie Brothers Brewing Co. in downtown Evanston, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 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 their first show in August at Little Ricky’s in Winnetka. They’ve also appeared in 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, look for us on the mezzanine level of Smylie Brothers, which has quickly become the place to go in downtown Evanston.
“We strive to give our audiences fantastic entertainment in return for their contributions to our burgeoning theater company,” says 2nd Act Players creative director and cofounder John N. Frank.
Wizards & OZ works in fast-paced, quickly changing scenes prompted by audience suggestions. The 2nd Act improv wing does dramatic improv, creating scenes dealing with 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.
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.
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.