Improv teams celebrate 45 years of iO Theater with IO45 festival

By the Editorial Team · Friday, October 30, 2026

Chicago’s iO Theater is celebrating its 45th anniversary with the IO45 festival from November 5 to 7, showcasing a range of veteran and emerging improv groups. The event highlights the theater’s ongoing influence in evolving long-form improv and promoting diversity and inclusion within Chicago’s comedy scene.

Chicago’s iO Theater, a cornerstone of the city’s improv comedy scene, is marking its 45th anniversary with a special festival, IO45, scheduled from November 5 to 7. Founded in 1981 by Charna Halpern and David Shepherd as the ImprovOlympic, the theater originally focused on team-based comedy competitions. However, in the 1980s, Halpern and the influential comedy figure Del Close shifted the theater’s emphasis toward long-form storytelling improv, especially the “Harold” format, which has become a defining style.

Brad Pike, iO Theater’s current creative director and a performer on the long-running Harold team Devil’s Daughter, noted the evolution of the improv art form over the past four and a half decades. He highlighted how the theater's community has become increasingly diverse and inclusive, reflecting broader changes in comedy and society.

The IO45 festival features a mix of veteran performers and newer groups that are continuing to push the boundaries of improv. Among the highlighted acts are Improvised Jane Austen, an all-female troupe; Escándalo, which celebrates Chicago’s Latinx comedic community; and Stir Friday Night, an Asian American comedy team with a legacy that includes notable alumni such as Danny Pudi, Steven Yeun, and Mary Sohn.

Stir Friday Night has maintained a longstanding relationship with iO Theater, regularly hosting monthly AAPI-focused improv jams. Their performance at IO45 incorporates a set developed in part by Julia Morales, iO’s house teams and specialty programming director. According to executive artistic director Jonathan Lee-Rey, Stir Friday Night’s continued presence is essential for representation and inclusivity within the comedy community.

The IO45 festival not only celebrates iO Theater's significant history but also underscores its role in shaping Chicago’s comedy landscape and fostering an environment where diverse voices continue to thrive. The event serves as both a retrospective of the theater’s influential past and a platform for innovative performances that signal the art form’s future direction.

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