Press
“iO’s all-female comedy team for Improvised Jane Austen is one of the strongest improv troupes in the city. They have the ability to use Austen’s 19th century wit and sarcasm and make it recognizable for a 21st-century audience. They have been consistently performing for ten years and continue to make the Austen-inspired stories universal in the millennium, even though they will surely not be able to parody Colin Firth’s epic wet shirt scene from the 1995’s Pride and Prejudice.”
“The ladies in this group were experts at the slow burn, and at picking apart the structure of Austen’s stories in ways that would please both fans and critics of the subject matter. By the end of their long-form set, they had created a sort of chaos and silliness that was both a tribute to and a parody of the author.”
'Review: IMPROVISED JANE AUSTEN'
"Critic’s Pick: ...the team — knowing when to jump in and out of a scene, paying careful attention to the physical world being created around them, and never being afraid to take an idea and run with it. Plus, they were having fun. It’s great to see that kind of female support on and off stage."
''Catholic Child’ Makes Peace with her Ghosts'
by the Marin Independent Journal
“The cast is generally strong, and director Ariel Craft… keeps things flowing nicely.
The child version of Regina (an irrepressibly bubbly Janice Rumschlag), is beside herself with excitement about her confirmation and marrying Jesus.”
'From Jane Austen to Horrible Women'
by Theatrejones.com
“Such a blast it was to watch Improvised Jane Austen from Chicago and hear six women bandy around phrases like “frock about,” on the final night of the Dallas Comedy Festival. Modern mentality rushed headlong into comically entangled family intrigues. All of it unfurled in British accents, Regency language and fey mannerisms—
the audience ate it up.”
'Improvised Jane Austen' by Gaper’s Block
“The ten woman company manages to deftly and hilariously improvise any suggestion from the audience into a… spoof of a Jane Austen novel… There are so many things that are great about them:
1. They’re hilarious.
2. They weave in and out of “drag”, taking on male personas as easily and convincingly as female personas… I can’t think of a time that I’ve seen an all-female cast of comedic actors take on the reverse. IJA made it seem like the easiest, funniest thing in the world to pretend to be a man.
3. In the entire universe of improv possibilities, they’ve narrowed their focus to scenarios that might have come from Jane Austen, which increases the humor quotient instead of limiting it.”
''Lights Out, Everybody’ returns dramatic radio to Chicago' by Examiner.com
”It’s a worthy effort, with the actors giving intense performances. Using lighting effects to ramp up chills by going to black as climatic scenes or using single-color lighting are old theatre tricks, but they’ve fallen into disuse in recent years. If you’re into slightly-campy (but not over-the-top) horror suitable for everyone from teens to adults, catch this show before it closes”
'Lights Out, Everybody' by Rhyme of the Day
“I would highly recommend it as an evening of entertaining theater. Unless, that is, horror stories are just not your cup of tea. The show moves along briskly under Giau Truong’s direction. The six actors are all strong, and those with multiple roles create distinct personalities for each.”
'The Nairobi Project @ The Annoyance Theater'
by Gaper's Block
"The resulting play is a verbatim translation of Gido's script, performed magnificently by six professional actors. Every translative anomaly is performed with hilarious accuracy... it's my job to give credit to the people who brought this hilarious, albeit absolutely absurd, play to Chicago."
'Reinvented ‘Sketchbook’ takes on theme of Reincarnation' by The Chicago Tribune
“And composer Kevin O’Donnell and choreographer Kasey Foster’s ‘Untitled 862’ pays subtle homage to Wim Wenders’ ‘Wings of Desire’ in a movement piece where angels guide several people through moments of their lives both profound and mundane. It’s a fine coda to a festival that… reinvents Collaboractions’s signature show with heart and simplicity."
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