Theodore J. Flicker
Founder of The Premise in New York City and a member of the original Compass Players in Chicago. Flicker opened The Premise on Bleecker Street in 1960, creating one of the first improvisation-based theatres in New York. He later directed the film The President's Analyst and co-created the television series Barney Miller.
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.
Something Wonderful Right Away
An Oral History of The Second City and The Compass Players
Jeffrey Sweet
The Funniest One in the Room
The Lives and Legends of Del Close
Kim Howard Johnson
Improv Nation
How We Made a Great American Art
Sam Wasson
The Art of Chicago Improv
Short Cuts to Long-Form Improvisation
Rob Kozlowski
Theatrical Improvisation, Consciousness, and Cognition
Clayton D. Drinko
Theatrical Improvisation
Short Form, Long Form, and Sketch-Based Improv
Jeanne Leep
References
How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). Theodore J. Flicker. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/people/theodore-j-flicker
The Improv Archive. "Theodore J. Flicker." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/people/theodore-j-flicker.
The Improv Archive. "Theodore J. Flicker." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/people/theodore-j-flicker. Accessed March 17, 2026.
The Improv Archive is a systemically maintained repository. The archive itself acts as the corporate author.