OLD TOWN — The fourth annual Chicago Improv Classic starts this weekend, pitting 42 teams of improvisational comedians against one another in the search for a champion by February.
Formerly known as the Under the Gun Improv Classic, it's the brainchild of Chicago comedian Kevin Mullaney, who left Under the Gun Theater last year to start up the Improv Resource Center in Ravenswood. The tournament schedules 10 shows over seven weeks on two stages, both at Second City in Piper's Alley.
The 42 teams, who registered online as word of the contest spread through the improv community, is "near our peak" capacity, Mullaney said Thursday, and up from 28 a year ago.
Now in its fourth year, Mullaney says the show has really found its footing: "I know people have been returning year after year, which I find really great."
Six qualifying rounds take place at 8:30 and 10 p.m. Saturday Jan. 7, 14 and 21 at the De Maat Studio Theater, 1616 N. Wells St.
Each qualifying round advances two teams to the semifinals, set for 10 p.m. Jan. 28 and Feb. 4 and 11 as the location shifts to Donny's Skybox Theater, 1616 N. Wells. Each semi sends a team to the finals, 10 p.m. Feb. 18, also in the Skybox Theater.
The champs win $320, second place is $160 and third place gets $80.
There's a little gamesmanship, however, in that it starts out with two-man teams, but each team advancing has to "draft" a performer from a defeated team for the semis. Then, again, the advancing teams have to select a fourth member from among the defeated for the finals.
Mullaney said the concept behind it was that "it would be a fun twist to get people playing with people they don't necessarily know, and give people another way to move on through the tournament even if their team doesn't win."
Another twist, which Mullaney called "sort of an interesting idea, post-election," is that audience members voting in the competition will have to vote for two teams. "You can't just vote for a team that asked you to come and vote for them," he said. "Teams that do really well but don't necessarily have a lot of friends can still win and move on."
Tickets to the qualifying rounds are $13, as are tickets to the semis and finals, with discounts for students.
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