Susan Messing
A founding member of the Annoyance Theatre and a performer and teacher at iO Theater. Messing has been called the funniest woman in Chicago by Chicago Magazine and has received the Improviser of the Year award from the Chicago Improv Festival. She has taught improvisation at DePaul University, the University of Chicago, and Loyola University.
Companies and Organizations
Associated venues and institutional relationships currently documented in the archive.
Recommended Reading
Books are ordered from the strongest direct connection outward to broader relevance.
Whose Improv Is It Anyway?
Beyond Second City
Amy E. Seham
Long Form Improvisation and American Comedy
The Harold
Matt Fotis
Chicago Comedy
A Fairly Serious History
Margaret Hicks; Mick Napier
The Funniest One in the Room
The Lives and Legends of Del Close
Kim Howard Johnson
The Art of Chicago Improv
Short Cuts to Long-Form Improvisation
Rob Kozlowski
The Second City Unscripted
Revolution and Revelation at the World-Famous Comedy Theater
Mike Thomas
References
How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). Susan Messing. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/people/susan-messing
The Improv Archive. "Susan Messing." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/people/susan-messing.
The Improv Archive. "Susan Messing." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/people/susan-messing. Accessed March 17, 2026.
The Improv Archive is a systemically maintained repository. The archive itself acts as the corporate author.