All Photos by Jill Howe

Scott Whitehair believes in the spoken word. Not spoken word as in a sullen Barnes and Noble cashier’s twenty minute poem about her vagina, although who knows, he might be into that. Whitechair believes in the stories we tell each other, their distinctiveness but also their universality. For three years, his reading series “This Much is True” has compelled enthusiastic audiences to pack The Hopleaf. Our Town spoke with Whitehair about the mounting popularity of reading series in general, and what makes his unique.

Our Town What inspired “This Much is True?”
Scott Whitehair About four years ago, I took a solo workshop at The Annoyance Theater with a wonderful instructor, Paula Killen. Still buzzing from the rush of our performance, a few of us decided it would be fun to continue. We were nomadic at first, just drifting around doing random performances in various coffee shops, some of which would attempt to close for the night before our show was finished. Over the years, we lost some original members and gained some new ones, before landing at The Hopleaf in 2009. Our first shows there were populated by close friends, spouses, and people who owed us money. Currently, we get to standing room only almost 45 minutes before the show starts, which blows our minds every month. A lot has changed, but our goal as a group has remained fairly consistent: tell quality personal stories in an inviting, intimate environment. Also, we love bringing guests in on the fun, and have been blessed with some outstanding featured performers from all corners of the Chicago creative community.

OT What separates yours from other Chicago series?
SW Our audiences make this show special. They are, hands down, the best audiences I have ever been in front of. Not only are they attentive and enthusiastic, but they also have a strong sense of community. We do our part by making the show welcoming and accessible. We want this evening to feel like a gathering of old friends, even if it is your first night joining us.

OT In terms of content, how does a spoken story differ from a story meant to be read alone?
SW There is a huge difference between the written word and oral language. Words are just one element of the told story, arguably no more important than tone of voice, gestures, body language, facial expressions, etc. With the written word, the reader is in control of the experience, alone with the text on his or her own time. However, with storytelling, the experience is much more immediate and collaborative. It is impossible for the storyteller to be absent from the equation in the way that a novelist is. I will say, though, that the written word is definitely easier to bring along to the beach.

OT You’ve studied improv—is there an improv element to successfully articulating a story to a live audience?
SW Absolutely. Storytelling is a conversation, and to ignore what you are getting from the audience is to miss the whole point, in my opinion. The connection and relationship between the teller and the audience dictates the flow of the story. Really, a story should almost never be told the exact same way twice, as every audience is going to have different needs and desires, and a unique energy it brings to the table.

Photo by Billy Bungeroth

Katie Rich and Kate Duffy began writing together while traveling the country for The Second City's National Touring Company. Now, along with director Irene Marquette, the two bring their incisive talent to iO Chicago. Billed as The Mary Kay Letourneau Players Present..., their sketch show tackles everything from working-class girls recovering from a weeknight bender, to the fallout from a facially disfiguring monkey attack. Our Town spoke with Rich and Marquette about--what else?--writing and comedy.

Our Town How did you and Kate realize you had writing chemistry?
Katie Rich We toured together for Second City and when we [were] asked to write scenes individually, it got to the point where we were always saying, "We should probably just write this together." I knew any idea I had, Kate could make even better.

OT Take me through the process of writing a scene.
KR Kate and I also do a lot of our writing when we hang out. We will be chatting about something bugging us or something in the news and one of us will realize, "Holy sh*t, I think we just wrote a scene." Our show is a combination of scenes written the more traditional way, getting an idea and sitting down at the computer and banging it out, and scenes created through improvisation during our late night Sunday show at Second City.

Irene Marquette We had a fair amount of lead-time to discover the scenes. After each [Second City] show we talked about themes, individual scenes and characters. Scenes we really liked were transcribed. From there they were altered, improvised again and revised. We ended up with a massive amount of material that we began funneling into what became Mary Kay Letourneau Players Presents... We always knew we wanted to comment on celebrity, tabloid culture and human interest stories and we filtered everything through our belief that "everyone is one or two bad decisions away from disaster.”

OT Kate, ever have nights performing when you felt the audience wasn’t with you? As a performer how do you deal with that?
KR Many nights the audiences are tired, drunk, distracted, Republican, you name it. I like to find one person in the audience who is enjoying the hell out of our stuff and pretend I'm doing the show for just him or her. It's usually an older man who reminds me of my dad. Or a kid that is blown away just to be there.

Photo by Patty Michels

In 2006 I moved from Los Angeles to Chicago to attend graduate school and right away the city seemed a perfect fit. Sure, I spent nine months out of the year shivering at bus stops or worse, wearing a down vest in my own freaking apartment, but have you seen the glazed expression that passes for affability in LA?

I don’t do fake, I don’t do easygoing and I certainly don’t do Sasquatch boots with shorts. So while LA does have its benefits (warm weather, content-less conversation, the possibility of running into Liz Phair at ArcLight (which totally happened to me—double parenthesis!--)), Chicago feels like home.

Yet since moving here, I’ve lost countless friends to the West Coast. This is not ironic, merely irritating. What with winter’s encroachment, I’m making it my mission to fight for our fair city. In that spirit, I’ve compiled the following list.

Things to Do in Chicago this December That Won’t Make you Decide to Move to LA:

1. Attend Nickel History: The Nation of Heat, New Etchings by Tony Fitzpatrick at Firecat Projects.

Possibly my favorite aspect of living in Chicago, Fitzpatrick seems the ultimate Renaissance Man. A poet, writer, artist and actor, Fitzpatrick is the kind of prolific which usually requires methamphetamines, but as far as I can tell, Fitzpatrick is fueled by nicotine, dirty jokes and the sheer necessity of realizing his artistic vision.

In lieu of electing him mayor (which is actually my goal—the man has more intelligent things to say about politics (and zombies) than any “politician” out there), go see his gorgeous new work on display through Christmas. More information here.

2. Read the brilliant Sara Levine’s highly anticipated novel, Treasure Island!!!

Okay, technically you could read this sardonic jewel in any location, but Levine is a growing presence in the Chicago literary scene; she belongs to the Windy City man. [Editor’s Note: The author meant to leave out that comma. She is in fact referring to a single entity known as The Windy City Man who she believes nests beneath one of her floorboards. Let’s not disabuse her, shall we?] Having crafted a protagonist as fascinating as she is morally questionable, Levine says, “The literature of malcontents is not without pedigree. Achilles brooded. Odysseus was a selfish jerk. And Dostoevsky's underground man—who'd pick his profile on Match.com? Bernhard, Beckett, Nabokov... obviously my heart belongs to the misfits and misanthropes and criminals.”

And my heart belongs to Sara Levine. Learn more about Treasure Island!!! here.

3. See "Let it Ho!"

This burlesque-inspired revue features five of the funniest Broadz in Chicago showcasing an unaccountably rare combination of sex appeal and smarts. This year’s holiday show offers two new songs, fresh scenes and the same raunchy hilarity you’ve come to expect. I asked Broadz member Ricky Dickuless (Amanda Whitenack) what she likes about the holidays and she had this to say: “My favorite part is the Ham seasoning. Ham is a versatile and underrated dish. Ham can be served cold on bread or hot in a stew or at room temperature on my thighs to a single man looking for a free meal with benefits. I'm single. I'm lonely. And I have a freezer full of ham. My real number is (773) 484-5623.”

I’m totally setting her up with the Windy City Man. He likes Ham. For tickets to "Let it Ho!" go here.

I’m a shell. A husk; all my sweet yellow corny bits gone, eaten, tossed aside at the end of some soulless street fest. You see I’ve lost sight of my purpose. Since launching my crush blog and my subsequent meteoric rise, crush suggestions have flown thick and fast. Where once I might follow a crush from Evanston to Pilsen, content only to stare at his back and perhaps tap him on the shoulder before ducking into a Dunkin' Donuts, now I wake sometimes to find crush wannabes camped out in my entryway.

People, crushes are about risk, the potential for public humiliation, sometimes a mild sedative and a telescope. If you prostrate yourselves at my feet and I eat a peeled grape then nod languidly in your direction, is it really a crush?

This month I decided to take a risk. I would renounce my influence, surrender control, I would do the twenty-first century equivalent of standing beneath my crush’s window blasting my boom box. I would tweet. But who to target approach?

In real life, crushes take root slowly. First you spot an attractive stranger at your local five and dime, next she’s cropping up at all your favorite haunts. What’s the online equivalent? I wondered, stepping over Rahm Emanuel, still sitting glumly on my front stoop. That’s when it hit me.
“Not now, Rahm,” I said, averting my eyes from his tattered “make me your crush” sign.
"But I ride the brown line!" He called as I locked the front door.
Back upstairs in my office, I toggled over to Twitter. Heart in my throat I tweeted:

@Zulkey Wanna be interviewed for The Sun Times Blog? This is my first PUBLIC crush request. Be honored.

Claire Zulkey. Blogger, author, critic and local performer. Increasingly, I’d seen her work at various web hangouts, linked to on Facebook, blogging for WBEZ, even moonlighting at Jezebel. Clearly Claire and I were meant to be.

An excruciating ten minutes later she responded:

@SarahTerez me! blush. Thank you--yes, crush on!

Just like that, I was back, adrenaline-fueled and dreamy, all because I took a chance! I encourage you, dear reader, to do the same.

Name: Claire Zulkey
Hometown: Evanston, IL
Profession: Editor's Assistant/Writer
Hobbies: Cooking, Reading, Travel, Chicago Sports, Running, Dogs

Our Town You’re pretty active on the Chicago scene. Tell me about the reading series Funny Ha-Ha.
Claire Zulkey Around 2003 my friend John Green (the future famous writer) and I were talking about how at literary readings, everyone always enjoys the funny pieces most and how it would be great to have a reading that was all funny, nothing serious or pretentious. People seem to enjoy the series despite my constant fear that everyone only comes to be nice and secretly resents me the whole time for passive-aggressively forcing them to attend.

OT So many writers go into writing so as never to speak to a live human being. How important are the increasingly ubiquitous live storytelling/reading series/ stand around having a persona events for a writer’s career?
CZ Unless you're a super famous important person and people are lining up to buy your book and have you sign it, I'm not sure you're very likely to build an audience based off reading appearances. However, I think building a coterie of like-minded people is integral to having a successful creative career and doing and attending readings is great for that. You need friends with whom you can have a beer and bitch about writing [without worrying] they're going to say "Must be nice having 'problems' like that."

OT What inspired your book, An Off Year?
CZ It began as a short story I wrote to entertain myself in an attempt to emulate this book I love called Celine by Brock Cole--it's about an idiosyncratic, strong-voiced female protagonist and I wanted to write a story like that. Over many years it mutated into a full book.

Interested in witnessing live sex acts performed by incredibly attractive young singles within the romantic, dimly-lit confines of a dive bar in Logan Square? Then the Sunday Night Sex Show might not be for you, because we happen to be a bunch of nerdy literary hipsters telling drunk stories of ridiculous sexual exploits often gone hilariously wrong.

I full understand the appeal of a microwave dinner. TRUST ME, I totally do. Especially when eaten while snuggled in your pajamas, bathed in the glow of reality television. And Sunday nights are the perfect night for doing your deep-cleaning acne mask and changing the cat litter, but you really should get off the couch, comb the knots out of your hair, and put on a bra to come to the Burlington and hang out at our inbred hipster soiree. Here’s why.

1. It’s sexy.

Officially, The Sunday Night Sex Show is a reading series featuring true confessions about sex and sexuality! Sort of like Penthouse Forum, but intentionally funny Sometimes sad, often cringe-worthy, and always brutally honest. Robyn Pennacchia, the Sex Show founder, and I host this jam, and we answer anonymous love and sex questions from the crowd and give them the benefit of our sage advice between readers. And there’s trivia, and also sexy prizes.

2 It’s easier than trying to convince a hot person to go out with you.

You walk into the Burlington, which might be the least assuming place in the entirety of Chicago. You buy an inexpensive drink. (Seriously, a giant Jack and Coke is, like, four bucks or something.) There are crayons and paper lying around, and while at first that might seem awfully precious, once you use them to write your burning questions about potential lesbian threesomes and oversized testicles it becomes increasingly less so. Not a fan of human Barbie dolls being drooled over by your stepfather? Great, because everyone here looks exactly like you do. The last thing I ever want to do is stand in a room full of plastic surgery being ignored because there’s spaghetti sauce on my shirt, so I like to go to places where that kind of thing won’t happen to me. You’ll laugh at some readers, maybe find out the truth about digital stimulation, and if you’re a smartypants you could win a box of penis-shaped pasta or some edible underwear for properly answering some sexy trivia. And then you go home and resume your boring life, wondering how you ever got through the days before you met us. UNTIL NEXT MONTH.

Photo by Anya Garrett (From left, Guilia Rozzi & Margot Leitman)

As a creative writing teacher, I’ve noticed some of my students self-censure their work into nonexistence, an approach I discourage. I tell them, only once you’ve unselfconsciously unloaded your thoughts onto the page should you call in your mental editor. I’m on the other end of the spectrum. A former teacher once advised me to “write everything. What else are you saving it for?” Insightful advice which I happily take, pajama-clad and typing in my dining room with only the dog as my witness. However, when my work finds a home online or in print I’m inevitably caught off guard. My uncensored words now public fodder, I’m suddenly accountable for something it seems like someone else wrote.

Back in college I wrote and directed a show called “Girl On Girl Action: An Evening of Theoretical Theory” which is the single stupidest name anything has ever had EVER. In fact, I just had to google it to make sure that was really what I called it. Theoretical Theory? How about Redundant Redundancy? What can I say; I was a women’s studies major…who apparently couldn’t speak English. So, I wrote this show, and performed it and later was recognized by a Big Lesbian On Campus who asked me to take part in this super sexual play she had created. And I sort of blushed and stammered and said I wasn’t sure I was comfortable. Her response? “Oh, c’mon. I saw your show. I know what you’re like.”

But she didn’t. She knew what I wrote, not who I am. I don’t think of my writing as particularly sexual, but then I don’t think of myself as bipedal or American either, still all that I am informs my writing, whether I notice or not. Writing about sexuality isn’t the only way to make oneself vulnerable, of course, however writer/performers willing to make public sexual musings seem brazen and brave.

This week Our Town is highlighting two different live readings: Stripped Stories, an East Coast phenomenon, and The Sunday Night Sex Show, conceived right here in Chicago. Stripped Stories, a hit NYC sex-themed monthly storytelling show has been playing to sold-out audiences since 2007. Guests have included award winning comedians as well as regular folks who have never set foot in front of an audience.

When I spoke with SS hosts Giulia Rozzi and Margot Leitman, I was curious to know how they handle the emotional ramifications of putting personal work onstage. For Rozzi there’s little conflict. “I'm an extremely open person,” she says. “On and off stage. If anything, I find it cathartic to spill my guts in front of people.” Leitman seemed slightly more cautious saying, “I will never perform something I am still broken up about or in the middle of; I don't use the stage as therapy. I would never subject an audience to some story I just "really need to get off my chest." I only work with material where there is humor in the pain because [of] distance.”

The members of Chicago improv group, K.C. Redheart are masochists. There’s no other explanation for the press release I just received. Beginning August 26th at five p.m. they will improvise for thirty straight hours, and we’re all invited to watch. Throughout the marathon performance, the group will interact with tons of other Chicago improv groups and performers, creating kid-friendly shows during the day, and adult comedy at night. Our Town spoke with KC Redheart member Karissa Bruin about the impending event.

Our Town How did you come up with the idea for the Improv marathon?
Karissa Bruin Bill Stern, generally regarded as KC Redheart’s team captain, had done similar stunts with his improv groups back in Austin, TX and wanted to bring [the practice] to Chicago. We're a group of people that are game for anything, no matter how crazy. The marathon is a great and idiotic feat to pull off especially in the name of charity.

OT Right, proceeds benefit Namaste Charter School.
KB Namaste is a public charter school that has a focus on integrating wellness and health with academics. As a group, we're a pretty fit and athletic team. Margaret rows and cycles, Bill plays tennis, Nick plays soccer and George lifts and hits the gym regularly. We all have an athletic streak, so that's definitely the appealing thing about Namaste: it's not just brains, it's brains and brawn.

OT Which brings us neatly back to the marathon. How does one prepare for such a taxing event? Is there carb loading?
KB Mostly we just hoard energy drinks and protein bars. A lot of us will come to the marathon straight from work on Friday, so it ends up being quite the adventure. We also lean a lot on our loved ones and friends. Husbands, wives, girlfriends - those are the people that truly suffer. I sent many text messages last year to my fiancé "Um, could you pick up a ...." because when you're improvising and making up comedy for that many hours in a row, you get weird cravings. I guess it's like being pregnant. But with ideas and a desire to sleep.

OT How does one wind down?
KB Last year, we ended at midnight on a Saturday. I remember we were out in the parking lot and Dave was like, "Hey, we should go get a drink to celebrate," then immediately he said, "We can celebrate later." I think we all felt pretty zombified. I think I slept all day on Sunday.

Micki LeSueur

Searching for a fun night out? Look no further than Fictlicious, a hot new reading series founded by Chicago writer Micki LeSueur. While Chicago abounds with live readings, Fictlicious offers a unique take on the concept, featuring both stories and music created around a specific theme. I spoke with LeSueur about Fictlicious’s inspiration and forerunners without once mentioning I’d recently referred to her as a French mouse. Oops.

Our Town How did you come up with the idea for Fictlicious?
Micki LeSueur For the number of talented writers in Chicago, there are surprisingly few fiction reading events. The ones that exist are great, but we couldn’t find one that meshed with all the different styles of the writers in our group, so we thought, why not create our own? For now, Fictlicious is quarterly and on August 16, we will have our second event at the Hideout. Our first show was in May at Lizard’s Liquid Lounge in Old Irving. We had about 50 people and the writers, musicians, audience, even the bar staff had a blast. Hopefully, we’ll stay around for a long time!

OT Why do you think story telling events are becoming so popular?
ML Salons featuring fiction have ebbed and flowed in popularity, possibly because good writers aren’t always good storytellers and good writers aren’t always good live readers. NPR’s This American Life can probably take credit for putting non-fiction story telling in the spotlight and making it attractive to a large-scale audience through exceptional story telling. Now, The Moth, a non-fiction story slam, is the most successful on-going event I know of, I think because it lifted the idea of competition from poetry slams. The slam component ensures that the storyteller engages the audience as opposed to just providing a stage for the storytellers. I think fiction writers [are learning] how to put on readings from the Moth or we’re all just sick of cable and Facebook and for entertainment, storytelling is about as old school as it gets.

OT What makes your event unique?
ML Fictlicious mixes original flash fiction and music based upon a single theme, different for each event. The stories are created to read aloud and the writing styles are varied – some of our writers read stories that are intricately crafted with layers of imagery and metaphor, while others are just well written yarns that amuse and entertain. We also feature at least three different professional music acts per event, with songwriters ranging from indie pop to rap, each with great stories to tell. We’re the only event that I know of where the songwriters are part of the story telling with music created specifically for the show.

OT What goes into planning/producing a storytelling event?
ML A lot of naïve optimism! I’m fortunate to know incredibly talented writers and musicians who love the concept and are excited to participate. Then it’s finding the right venue, working with the booker for the venue, and next, it’s tending to a lot of details – posters, websites, listing the event, following-up with the venue and artists. Then it’s all about promoting and getting the word out so we can keep it going. I need to make certain the event is rewarding for the artists and a great show for the audience. To keep it viable, once I finish the details for a show, I’m figuring out what to do for the next one. And now that word is spreading, I field inquiries from writers and musicians who want to participate and I need to make sure they’re the right fit.

Erin Nekervis

I’ve been hearing about Cameron Esposito for a while now. Who was this funny woman, I wondered. And is I’ve been hearing actually grammatically acceptable? I’ve been hearing: It sounds like something the old goat farmer up the way might say. Cameron seems to appeal to the hipster lesbian demographic (See also blue, plastic 1980’s glasses, which forward thinker that I am, I was already wearing in the 1980’s.) so I decided to get close to Cameron, I’d better blend. This is a lengthy way of explaining why she opened the curtains to find me drinking PBR in her tree last night. Because Cameron is more than just a whip-smart comedian with an easy, and as it turns out, demographic-defying style, she agreed to do a quick interview before she called the police.

Full name: Cameron Anne Young Anastasia Esposito (for real)
Hometown: Western Springs, IL
Profession: Standup comic/circus ringmaster
Hobbies: yelling instructions at the screen while watching action movies; making delicious meals from various useless household food scraps (think red pepper banana pancakes, Reese's peanut butter cups dipped in salsa)

Our Town What was your first joke?
Cameron Esposito Something about how I dated a very tall Asian man in high school. [It] relied on well-placed Yao Ming reference.

OT What’s the biggest difference between being a novice comedian and a veteran performer?
CE Understanding how much work you have ahead of you. Newer comics tend to think Letterman is a year away and a lucrative film career around the corner; the longer you perform the more you are humbled.

OT With your course Feminine Comique, you teach women how to write jokes but not how to be funny. What’s the difference?
CE Jokes come from truth, from the strength of our opinions about the world. Some folks will always be funnier than others; it's inborn. But you can teach the recognition and conveyance of truth.

OT Teach me how to write a joke.
CE Had someone say something rude to ya on the train? Write it down immediately or text yourself the hurtful comment. Add context to explain that you were just riding the train, being cool. Make sure to hang onto that feeling of being wronged. Get up at an open mic and rage. Refine wording and destroy with joke at a booked show. That rude person may never hear your come back, but you just got paid to tell it, so you win!

Long before storytelling events bloomed like dandelions across the US, Chicago’s Fillet of Solo Festival was on the scene. Now in its fifteenth year, the festival is, according to Lifeline Theatre artistic director Dorothy Milne “a treasure trove of talent.” This year’s three-week event, running July 21st through August 7th features performers like Jenny Allen, Jimmy Doyle, Julie Ganey and even New York artist James Braly. Our Town spoke with Milne about her work on Fillet of Sole as well as her own storytelling group, The Sweat Girls.

Our Town How has FOS changed over time?
Dorothy Milne It started small and got really big. Live Bait was running the thing all summer in two spaces with twenty-four participating storytellers by the time it closed in 2008. Sharon [Evans, Live Bait's Artistic Director] wanted the Festival to continue and approached me with the idea that Lifeline take over production. As a long-time fan of the festival and a regular storyteller there with my solo collective, Sweat Girls, and with Lifeline being a new work theater, as Live Bait had been, it seemed a perfect fit. After a year of hiatus, Live Bait and Lifeline Theatre co-produced the 2010 Festival and, with that experiment a success, Lifeline has taken over production of the Festival, while Sharon remains a guiding artistic force in the event.

OT To what do you attribute its longevity?
DM If you put together a great storytelling festival, it's only going to grow. The start-up may be challenging -- it's hard to describe to newbies what they're going to see. Just yesterday I heard someone in our box office reading a description of a show to someone, and the caller was like "But it sounds like you're describing the performer rather than their character.” And the box office staffer was explaining that the performer IS the character. This idea often baffles the uninitiated. But anyone who comes to see a good storyteller becomes an immediate convert. They not only return, they bring friends. It's a form you want to share with other people.

OT What goes into coordinating the fest?
DM Sharon and I read dozens of submissions and took several weeks to decide on the eleven shows in the Fest. It’s important to us to bring in established artists who already have a following and to provide opportunities for debut performances by as-yet-unknown artists who excite us. There are twenty-four participating artists; some of the one-hour shows have one performer in them and others have multiple performers, each doing a short piece. And this year, the Fest features four artists with national exposure as well. The logistics are a lot to juggle. And we're producing the Fest in two spaces, so our staff is running back and forth between the venues for these shows that are starting at the same time!

OT You’re a director and a performer. How does each inform the other?
DM Starting as an actor helps me in how I communicate with actors. I speak their language, as much as anyone can speak anyone's language. Figuring out best communication with other humans is a life-long struggle. As far as the reverse, the most important thing is to take the director hat OFF when acting. There's a joke about it being a mistake to cast actors who also direct.

I had an urge to title this blog “Look Who’s Funny,” despite the fact that comedienne and poet Elizabeth Wylder has no connection whatsoever to talking babies or Kirstie Alley circa 1989. I don’t think she'd mind though. Wylder’s comedic sensibility is delightfully haphazard, combining humor both razor sharp and wide-ranging. Last weekend, her sketch show, Bea's Knees - A Second City Writing 6 Sketch Revue, opened at Donny’s Skybox. Our Town spoke with Wylder about Chicago comedy, the literary world and her goldfish, but not about John Travolta.

Our Town What’s a comedian doing writing poetry or what’s a poet doing in comedy?
Elizabeth Wylder I wanted to be the female Dave Barry, and I had a brief career writing humor articles for the student newspaper, covering things like the annual Turkey Testicle Festival in Byron, Illinois. I stumbled into poetry in my last year of undergrad [with a] poetry workshop. Free verse seemed like the most logical next step after turkey balls.

OT Say something funny.
EW I’m pretty sure my pet fish, Tommy Hotdog Fingers, is immortal. And miserable. Converting fish years to human years, he’s roughly 425 years old. I mean, I can’t prove anything, but all he wants to do is watch Highlander and listen to old Queen LPs with the lights off.

OT Now say something poetic.
EW Tommy keeps the pH levels in his algae-ridden prison stabilized with his tiny fish tears.

OT What inspired you to start Pure Francis?
EW I was asked to co-edit another journal with two of my classmates from grad school. It followed a format very similar to Pure Francis; a focus on one story, poem, photo per week. Unfortunately, that journal [only lasted] long enough for me to get the editing bug, so I started Pure Francis with my former co-editors’ blessings. It’s named after an abandoned Robbie Williams side project from several years ago. Williams, who is a massive success pretty much everywhere in the world except for the States, was going to start recording experimental electronica under the pseudonym Pure Francis, who he said would be like “Neil Diamond, but with a bit of Kraftwerk or Depeche Mode, and not afraid to do a big chorus.” That seemed like an excellent goal for a literary journal to me.

OT How did you get involved with Second City?
EW Taking writing classes at Second City was something I had wanted to do ever since I moved to Chicago in 2006. Last year, the timing was finally right, and I lucked out by ending up with the particular group of writers that I did. Second City encourages writers to stay together throughout the entire six-part writing program, which is more difficult than it might sound, and there are ten of us who have been working together for close to a year now. Having that shared history benefits all of our work, especially with regard to trust and a sense of comfort—knowing you’re in a comfortable environment makes it a lot easier to put yourself (and your taste) out there and bring in five pages worth of something you think is hilarious, but realize might be absolute crap.

Brian Posen

Whether you want to donate money to people raring to strip to their nipple tassels or attend a fantastic fourteen-day theatrical festival, this blog has something for you. If like me, you are suffering from seasonal allergies and want to tear out your eyes and flay yourself, I suggest an oatmeal bath. It won’t actually help much, but you’ll become distracted trying to understand why sitting in a bathtub full of breakfast cereal is supposed to soothe your skin.

First the festival: Stage773 Artistic Director Brian Posen, a twenty-year veteran of the Chicago theater scene has created 14@Stage773, a two-week celebration of performing arts. Not only does the event feature vaudeville, solo performance, visual arts, children's theater, music, film and comedy, but it also kicks off renovations on the Stage 773 space.

In curating the event, Posen was particularly concerned with providing a performance opportunity for acts that might not often have the opportunity to perform in venues like Stage 773. Says Posen, “we are providing the space for free. We believe in the community and are a strong part of it, so ticket prices reflect that. They are stupidly low and Chicago loves that.”

With only a few days of the festival remaining, Posen is excited about the closing night Graffiti Party, a “lively night of performance and visual arts. We want the neighborhood to come and say good-bye to the old space and help us welcome the new and improved building.”

As for what to expect of Stage 773’s new incarnation, Posen says the theater will “no longer be a place where you come and see a show and leave. We are striving to create a thriving, vibrant artistic home for all of the Chicago arts community. It's going to be home for so many different theater companies and artistic events. [And with] four spaces, two of those turning around shows every two hours, [the space] will be alive!”

Excuse me for a moment; I’ve got to chew off the skin on my upper arm.

But what of the naked burlesquers you ask? Saturday August 20th, queer burlesque troupe Ties and Tassels presents Queerpocalypsee hosted by Chicago comedienne Cameron Esposito. For over a year the troupe has held monthly drag/burlesque variety shows in order to raise money for the event which will take place at The Abbey Pub. However, they’ve not quite hit their goal and in order to make Queerpocalypsee a night to remember, they’re looking for Kickstarter supporters.

If you feel like helping but want some entertainment out of the deal, you can also attend Ties and Tassels’ July 16th performance at Lizard's Liquid Lounge, funds from which benefit Queerpocalypsee.

I’d write more but Lady Gaga is petting a goat in my living room. Either that or the Benadryl I took is making me hallucinate.

A writer with an MFA in Creative Writing from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Sarah Terez Rosenblum freelances for a number of web sites and print publications. Her debut novel, “Herself When She’s Missing," is forthcoming from Counter Point Press. She is also a figure model, Spinning instructor and teacher at Chicago’s StoryStudio. Inevitably one day she will find herself lecturing naked on a spinning bike. She's kind of looking forward to it actually.
IMPORTANT: the official Our Town site doesn't support comments. Join in the conversation by followingOur Town on Facebook and Sarah on Twitter: @SarahTerez

If you’re on the Chicago comedy scene you’re hip to the Chicago Improv Festival. In its 14th year, the event features performers both local and international at a variety of Chicago venues. Rance Rizzutto, a teacher, photographe and ten year comedy veteran, is one of many Chicago performers taking part in the yearly comedy ritual. Below, he talks to Our Town.

Our Town What’s your favorite part about performing in the festival?
Rance Rizzutto I love that a city already so full of improv can get a fresh dose from outside sources. It is refreshing to see the small nuances in the playing styles of teams from across the world.

OT Who are your influences?
RR Late 80’s SNL, Dana Carvey era; Bill Murray, Steve Martin, Seinfeld, the show and the man; and Monty Python. I like a good mix of honest reality, physicality, and absurdity.

OT Your fiancée, Deanna Moffitt is also in comedy. What’s that like?
RR Improv is all about embracing and accepting another person’s ideas. It really helps when both people in a relationship understand that. Plus we have fun in general because we’re immersed in the playful nature that surrounds improv.

OT What’s your worst onstage moment?
RR I haven’t really had any horror stories that I haven’t just rolled with. Most recently I was hosting a show with middle school students in the audience. I made a comment about how Rebecca Black was awful. You would have thought I slapped their grandmothers. I got them back on my side, but I had to work for it. Rebecca Black is awful, right?

OT Best comedy advice?
RR Think as little as possible. By that I mean if you’re thinking about what you’re going to say that means you’re listening to the voice in your head and not the one in your scene partner’s mouth. You’re going to miss something. Make a character choice then listen and listen hard.

OT What can we expect from your work in the festival this year?
RR I’m lucky enough to perform with people I not only love playing with, but watching perform. I’m a bit of a mischievous performer and when I hear the one thing get said that doesn’t seem like it belongs I pounce on it and make sure it is an important part of the world we’re creating on stage. As an added bonus, I’ll be performing with the Istanbulimpro group from Istanbul, Turkey. I performed with them on my brief overnight stay in Istanbul and it was a fantastic moment in my life.

This year Rizutto performs with Chaos Theory on Thursday 4/28 at 10:30 p.m. at the Playground Theater, Deltones on Friday 4/29 at 8 p.m. at iO Chicago and Istanbulimpro at 9 p.m. on Saturday 4/30 at the Playground Theater. For more information on CIF visit www.chicagoimprovfestival.org

A freelance writer with an MFA in Creative Writing from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Sarah Terez Rosenblum, when not writing, supports herself as a figure model, Spinning instructor and teacher at Chicago's Story Studio. Inevitably one day she will find herself lecturing naked on a spinning bike. She’s kind of looking forward to it actually. IMPORTANT: the official Our Town site doesn't support comments. Join in the conversation by followingOur Town on Facebook and Sarah on Twitter: @SarahTerez

Some know AJ Durand as a yoga teacher (perhaps the only one to claim Johnny Weir-asana as a pose. In the realm of yoga humor, this is actually really funny.) Others may recognize him as Our Town’s first ever Crush of the Month (Because love means never having to say “Fine, I’ll stop following your every move and also I will return your underwear.”)

Lately, however, Durand has been living the dream as a gender fluid android, host of Sh*t’s and Giggles, a monthly themed variety show. S&G, which next takes place April third at The Parlour, is Chicago’s one stop shop for all things gender-bending, think “Cabaret” if Joel Grey were an alien android (and I’m not saying he isn’t.) This month, the line-up includes Sherri Stein, Marlene Biscotti (Kristen Studard), Steve Hnilicka and more. Space is limited, so arrive before the 9:30 curtain.

Our Town How did you come up with the Trandroid character?
AJ Durand In the summer of 2005 I was playing with some makeup and costume pieces and my neighbor had a camera and we created this being who appeared on the roof, curious to explore the sexual nature of humans. As a performer, I wanted to blur gender. Trandroid is ambi-gendered, all genders.

OT Trandroid has killer style. Where does zie shop?
AJ Oh, you know, all the finest boutiques, like the village discount thrift in Roscoe Village, Ragstock, my closet, my friend's closets, you know Plato, right? I try not to spend too much money on Mamsir Trandroid because I tend to hack apart and sew together most of it. Although, the sweater dress just made an appearance unaltered. Some garments are just built for bots!

OT What do you look for in a performer?
AJ Light and cheeky, over-the-top sexy, gaudy, but never mean. I don't think mean is entertaining. [We’ve had] comedians, burlesquer/boylesque, drag kings and queens, animal impersonators, jugglers, sword swallowers, belly dancers, and once we had a stripper robot. I encourage people to add a touch of queer to the mix and many do. I send out a once monthly "call to perform" email to performers. If anyone would like to be added, email me at TrandroidChronicles@gmail.com or "like" Trandroid on Facebook.

OT What aspect of the show are you particularly excited about this month?
AJ I don't just host the show, I host the event, so it's nice to see some familiar faces and meet new people and talk about gender and queerness and fun. Every month I'm excited to hang out with the audience. We have some returning artists this month and some new, so I'm excited to see what everyone comes up with. [Also], Maxx Hollywood, a former Chicago King is performing and never fails to win our hearts!

Writer/comic Kelly Beeman and the women of Gayco know their way around gay-themed comedy. A not-for-profit theatre, Gayco has been bringing the LGBTQ fun since 1996. This year, Gayco presents Breast in Show, an original lesbian sketch piece.

Overcoming her fear of public spelling, Beeman spoke via e-mail with Our Town about the show adding, “You can make fun of my spelling if you want. I'm from Virginia.”
Don’t worry, she’s been edited.

Our Town Why a lesbian comedy show?
Kelly Beeman [At] Gayco our audience and most of our ensemble is gay [but] we find in some gay and lesbian shows, the lesbian material gets overshadowed by the big crazy gay material.

OT What’s the line between laughing at and with a minority group?
KB I always think its fine to laugh at yourself. And it’s always fine to laugh at someone when they are being ignorant (looking at you Fox News). For me, its like how I can make fun of my family, but you better not.

OT What writing the show like?
KB Our director Katie Watson gave us a lot of assignments. Instead of bringing in a fully written scene, we improvised off concepts and beat sheets. It made this show a truly collaborative effort.

OT Tell us about your co-performers.
KB Well, there's Judy Fabjance, one of Gayco’s founders, an amazing, smart improviser and writer, great at taking issues from her life and writing about them. Kathy Betts is a fellow nerd. Her Ellen impression is great. Kelly Yacono is the "actress" of the bunch, drama as well as comedy. She has an amazing singing voice. Michelle Marquardt is one of the best improvisers in the bunch and a great dancer. Arianna Wheat is the newest to Gayco and has a great future ahead. Her spoken word poem scene is amazing and something you don't normally see in sketch comedy.

Candice Conner

The ever-edgy Collaboration Theatre is at it again with a new comedy event. Dubbed a “late-night improv asylum,” "200 Funny Things" challenges seven actors to pull two hundred laughs from an audience without use of pre-existing script, premise or even traditional characters. Conceived and directed by Chicago director, actor and teacher Steven Ivcich. the show promises material to tickle your funny bone and challenge your grey matter.

Our Town What inspired "200 Funny Things?"
Steven Ivcich I wanted a performance environment that supported two distinct lines of experimentation; expanding the actor's expressive range beyond socially acceptable behaviors and creating a totally free, unstructured approach to improvisation. I decided this environment should be humor-based, because laughter gives the audience an opportunity to respond overtly to what's onstage. The viewer becomes the "other player" and that erases the formal boundary between actor and audience. I also wanted to find out if it's possible for the actor to engage the viewer with purely abstract content as opposed to the usual narrative devices like dialogue, plot structures and reality-based characters and situations.

OT Your rehearsal process involved the creation of entities as opposed to characters. What’s the distinction?
SI When you talk about a character in a play, you're really talking about a literary device deriving its existence from the words of the author and the situations implied by the plot. Unlike a literary character, an entity is not derived from words, [rather] from what the actor is experiencing on a moment-to-moment basis. Essentially, the entity is a continuously evolving chain of experiences. Each time the actor evokes an entity it will be different because what they are experiencing at that moment is different. The entity can experience itself as human or subhuman or superhuman or not human it all. It's really an experiential universe that continuously unfolds in the consciousness of the actor. To one degree or other literary characters "make sense.” Entities do not. They are completely abstract, and yet, the audience comes to know them through the shared experience of that abstract behavior.

OT You say punch lines aren’t as funny as people.
SI They aren’t innately funny. Ask any standup comedian. If a line was innately funny, the audience would laugh every time the comedian said the line. The abstract interaction between comedian and audience is what gets the laugh. It just happens to do so in the neighborhood of the line being spoken.

OT So, how does one present a full person through unscripted improv?
SI Well, in the person of the actor you already have a full person. We're just expanding the expressive range of that person beyond the usual socially accepted norms of behavior so that the actor can morph into pretty much anything he or she wants to be.

I’m a fan of combining the contrasting: Cottage cheese and French dressing, unexpected, yet delicious; plaid and floral-print, if they share a palette, why not? Sarah Palin and erudite discourse … well, some things just don’t mix. Others, however, beg to unite. For example, comedy and poetry, a union masterminded by Fyodor Sakhnovski and Mojdeh Stoakley (pictured), the brains behind Words That Kill, a monthly poetry/comedy/performance mash-up. The event is just one of the many exhibitions produced by Sakhnovski and Stoakley’s collective/company, Lethal Poetry. With WTK’s third season launch party set for Thursday, Jan 20th, Sakhnovski spoke to Our Town about his event’s aim and inception.

Our Town What inspired you to combine comedy and poetry?
Fyodor Sakhnovski Bringing more than one creative community together always seems to enhance and excite the experience. Comedians and poets live in separate worlds, and people who may be really into comedy might not even experience [Chicago’s] rich poetry community. Many may have prejudice against the other form of expression, so it's a chance to expose artists to one another.

OT Any memorable past performances?
FS Comedian Scott Derenger performed with us several times, but during the first was blown away by performance poetry, so much so that he forgot his own set. It was really funny and kinda precious. I guess he hadn't been to a performance poetry show before, and thought he was booked to perform at some boring monotone reading. We were also one of the last stages where the late Kent Foreman performed after a long hiatus from the Chicago scene.

OT Why make Words That Kill an all ages event?
FS Historically Chicago is a 21+ city. There are a lot of talented youth who need a place to express themselves and learn, but the best is when some 17 year old can teach a 50-year-old how it's done! Age doesn't define talent - but if you nurture it when it's beginning it will only get better.

OT Tell us about your new space.
FS creative lounge CHICAGO is a particularly beautiful gallery. We’re most excited [that] it's in the heart of Wicker Park, a neighborhood which has an history of nurturing the spoken word community.

OT What can we expect from your next shows?
FS This month is a rapid fire retrospective of several of the best performers from our previous seasons, [including] Marty McConnell, HBO Def Poet, Emily Lake and others. Then we'll dive into our main showcase section with our "super feature" Amy David, who has represented Green Mill in 3 National Poetry Slams! Also, Keith Ecker, co-host of Essay Fiesta - another charitable literary event. There will be refreshments for the guests, free wine (for those 21+), and DJ Limbs will be spinning all night! In February [look forward to] poets and comedians lamenting strange, or entangled relationships! This is not a Valentine's love celebration.

Catch Words that Kill Thursday, Jan 20th and every third Thursday of the month at creative lounge CHICAGO. Doors open at 7 p.m. Admission is $5 or free with canned goods donation.

A freelance writer with an MFA in Creative Writing from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Sarah Terez Rosenblum, when not writing, supports herself as a figure model, Spinning instructor and teacher at Chicago's Story Studio. Inevitably one day she will find herself lecturing naked on a spinning bike. She’s kind of looking forward to it actually. Follow Sarah on Twitter: @SarahTerez

This weekend marks the beginning of Sketchfest 2010, a decade old event that claims to attract the best in local, national and international performers. Held at Stage 773, the fest also offers children's programming, workshops, networking opportunities, and other special events. This year, with more than one hundred sketch comedy groups performing over two weekends, actor/comedians Colleen Murray and Robyn Scott will be front and center, presenting the live component of their new pilot, “Darcy & Tess.” Both “corporate actors” and comedy scene veterans, the two discussed their newest venture with Our Town.

Q You’re both corporate actors, what does that entail?
A We both work for Second City Communications, a corporate services divisions. We work with clients who need various services ranging from training and development to live entertainment to industrial films and voiceover.
Q What made you two team up?
A We got to know each other through Second City, got along really well as friends and have the same comic sensibility. We thought up these characters and wanted to develop them, and that ultimately led to creating this pilot.
Q What assets do you both bring?
A We’re both very flexible and adaptable to change. We each have a lot of really funny friends and resources in Chicago’s comedy community. And as performers, we’re both very willing to take risks with our characters.
Q How did the pilot evolve?
A It came from our original idea of two friends trying to run different businesses to make it in a bad economy. Then we expanded upon that so that we could give them an origin story to give their experiences meaning and context.
Q What’s your writing process like?
A We wrote the entire thing together, side by side, visualizing and creating each scene. We were always in the same room and we truly did equally create every piece of it.
Q What are your hopes for it?
A We’d love to see it on TV, but we’d be happy with it on the web or on your butt. We don't care as long as people see it and enjoy it. We just hope it finds its niche and it tickles people’s fancies.
Q How did you become involved with Sketchfest?
A We both had performed in it in previous years and knew it was a great festival that we wanted “Darcy & Tess” to be a part of. Colleen’s previous Sketchfest performances included “Moist,” a hit sketch show that went on to be feature at the HBO Comedy Festival in Aspen.
Q You’ll be performing elements from your pilot. How did you go about converting the material to a different medium?
A Everything we wrote was from an improvisational core, so we were able to pretty easily go back and adapt for stage. Parts that would be fun to play live, we could just reformat to a live sketch performance.
Q What can audiences expect from your performance this weekend?
A You can expect us to play multiple characters, expect a multimedia experience, and hopefully expect to laugh a lot. You can also expect to see us both in mustaches, and maybe even a roller skate routine.

The duo perform Saturday, January 8th at 6 p.m.

A freelance writer with an MFA in Creative Writing from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Sarah Terez Rosenblum, when not writing, supports herself as a figure model, Spinning instructor and teacher at Chicago's Story Studio. Inevitably one day she will find herself lecturing naked on a spinning bike. She’s kind of looking forward to it actually. Follow Sarah on Twitter: @SarahTerez

What happens when you combine one talented comedian and singer and one rocking pianist and improviser? You get LA-based lesbian cabaret duo, That’s What She Said. Comprised of pianist Kathryn Lounsbery and singer Amy Turner, the two have been wowing LA audiences since 2007. Now it’s Chicago’s chance. Thank goodness they brought their rainbow jackets!

Our Town What brought you together?
Kathryn Lounsbery I was looking to do something different [when] I saw Amy perform [at Second City], improvising amazing and funny songs. I knew I had to work with her.
Amy Turner After the show, Kathryn gave me her card, and we started working on songs that were already written. Then we started writing our own.
KL And they happened to be about lesbians.
OT You two are a couple. Any challenges?
KL Of course!
AT You answered really fast.
KL See what I mean? Can you imagine living AND working with this attitude?

With the burlesque trend sweeping the country and Christina Aguilera strutting into a theater near you, seems like every Chicago woman is taking off her clothes in the name of nostalgia. Not these Broadz. Though billed as a burlesque sketch comedy troupe, the women of Off Off Broadzway do more satire than stripping, but their comedy leaves nothing to the imagination.

Our Town How’d you Broadz get together?
Off Off Broadzway Most of us were involved with sketch comedy groups [and] crossed paths. We got talking…and drinking…and decided we needed to get a bunch of us ladies together and show that women can be funny and hey, kinda sexy too. Our first show was in June of 2008 at The Spot. Since then we've been whoring ourselves out to anyone that will have us!

OT Your humor pushes boundaries. Ever worry about offending your audience?
OOB We hear time and again that we get away with comedy murder because 1) we’re all female and 2) we’re in our panties. We do try to see what we can get away with. If you are going to a show called “Let it Ho” you can’t expect Shakespeare. We’re gonna poke fun at you, around you and on you. Sit back and enjoy the f**king ride….wait…can we say f**king?

OT Where do you fit in the Chicago burlesque scene?
OOB [Initially] we all got together to watch videos of old timey burlesque shows [which] really just confused us. The women were only there to take out their boobs and the men did the joke telling. We were like, "Are people gonna expect to see our boobs? ARE WE GONNA TAKE OUT OUR BOOBS????" Then we reminded ourselves we were a sketch comedy group parodying burlesque.

OT Is your no nudity stance a feminist thing?
OOB [Our characters] want your money but are too fat to take their clothes off. We don't care who takes off their clothes as long as it's not us.

OT Speaking of feminism, what inspired that puppet song? By the way, what’s it actually called?
OOB The name is Puppet Song…you’re good. Jill Valentine (Dolly Natrix) wrote [it] to poke fun at women’s stereotypes. She wanted something funny but that also made a point. Like putting a pill in a piece of cheese, we make a point and hide it in a dirty, glittery, foul-mouthed package so you can stomach it.

OT You each convey a distinct persona--
OOB Each girl’s character is a facet of their personality totally enhanced and amplified.

OT So, what’s up with Ricki Dickyouless’s ham fetish?
OOB Mandy Whitenack, who "plays" the "character" has a bit of an obsession with meats. We were once at a fundraiser and when Mandy found out they were throwing away a half-eaten ham, she asked if she could take it home. And she did...in a trash bag. She also can only give directions in relation to the closest Long John Silvers.

OT What can audiences expect from the holiday show?
OOB Tops of boobs, original music, hot-ish ladies, XXX funny, and free boners.

“Let it Ho!” runs Thursdays at 8 p.m., December 2-23 at The Spot. To learn more about The Broadz visit http://offoffbroadzway.com/

A freelance writer with an MFA in Creative Writing from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Sarah Terez Rosenblum, when not writing, supports herself as a figure model, Spinning instructor and teacher at Chicago's Story Studio. Inevitably one day she will find herself lecturing naked on a spinning bike. She’s kind of looking forward to it actually.