YouTube Channel
Charna Halpern
A series of films, archived material, promotional videos and other stuff from the legendary iO Theatre (formerly ImprovOlympic) in Chicago, IL.
Videos
Standard-length performances, demonstrations, interviews, and instructional material.
5:07iO Gets An Assist From The Chicago Blackhawks
Members of the iO Roadshow perform alongside NHL legend Tony Esposito and Chicago Blackhawks players Jake Dowell and Corey Crawford at the WGN Night of Improv, held at Park West in Chicago. The event benefited the Children's Neuroblastoma Cancer Foundation.
2:35iO Rocks The Auto Show
The iO Road Show delivers a musical improv tribute to Suzuki at the 2011 Chicago Auto Show, demonstrating the kind of corporate and event-based performance work that iO's touring ensemble regularly undertakes.
4:55Cook County Social Club
A performance clip from Cook County Social Club, an iO Chicago house team, published on the channel of iO co-founder Charna Halpern.
4:48Cook County Social Club
A performance clip from Cook County Social Club, an iO Chicago house team, published on the channel of iO co-founder Charna Halpern.
2:31The Deltones ~ Take The Fall
A scene from The Deltones, an iO Chicago house team, published on the channel of iO co-founder Charna Halpern. The scene depicts a confrontation between campers and their counselors.
2:45The Deltones ~ The Number Revolution
A scene from The Deltones, an iO Chicago house team, published on the channel of iO co-founder Charna Halpern. The premise follows a math teacher leading an enthusiastic but factually dubious lesson in mathematics.
1:48Whirled News Tonight ~ Sister Act
A scene from Whirled News Tonight, iO Chicago's long-running topical improv team known for generating scenes from current headlines. This clip builds on a news story about a program pairing Roman Catholic nuns with immigrant detainees at a local prison.
2:12Whirled News Tonight: Gary Gygax (1939-2009)
A scene from Whirled News Tonight, iO Chicago's long-running topical long form show, riffing on the proposal to memorialize Dungeons & Dragons creator Gary Gygax with a statue in his hometown of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Gygax died in March 2008.
6:25iO & The Harold
A compilation reel featuring performance excerpts from iO Chicago shows including Beer Shark Mice and The Reckoning, interspersed with interview segments from notable iO alumni Tim Meadows, Tina Fey, and Amy Poehler. The clip serves as a capsule overview of the theatre's output and the trajectory of performers who trained there.
7:14iO On Chicago 24/7
A television feature on iO Chicago produced by Chicago 24/7, offering a profile of the theatre and its role in the city's comedy landscape.
3:54Improvised Shakespeare Company - Fairies
A scene from the Improvised Shakespeare Company's full-length improvised play "Madame, Wherefor Art My Pants?" The ISC performs entirely improvised plays in Elizabethan style, holding a weekly Friday night residency at iO Chicago.
3:19Improvised Shakespeare Company - Sisters
A scene from the Improvised Shakespeare Company's fully improvised play "Madame, Wherefor Art My Pants?" at iO Chicago. The ISC specializes in improvised full-length plays performed in Elizabethan style.
1:27The Cupid Players - For Angela
A short clip from The Cupid Players performing their show "Cupid Has A Heart On" at iO Chicago, where the group held a late Saturday night slot.
4:00The Deltones - I Don't Mind
A performance clip from The Deltones, a house team at iO Chicago performing improvised musical long form. The Deltones held a regular Saturday evening slot at the theatre.
5:49The Prank
Charna Halpern orchestrates an elaborate prank on iO performer Joe Canale, posing as a casting agent and soliciting a videotaped audition for a fictional Shakespearean television pilot. The resulting audition tape is screened for the audience at an Uncle's Brother performance.
6:21Schaumburg: 2016
A comedic piece from Charna Halpern's channel making the case for Schaumburg, Illinois as a host city for the 2016 Olympic Games. The satirical premise plays on Chicago's real bid for the 2016 Olympics by proposing its suburban neighbor as a rival candidate.
3:38The Voice Of Chicago
A segment titled "The Voice Of Chicago" from Charna Halpern's channel, featuring a performer named Danielle conducting street interviews. The piece blends person-on-the-street comedy with the iO Chicago sensibility.
4:56Improvised Shakespeare Company
A promotional excerpt featuring the Improvised Shakespeare Company, the long-running iO Chicago house team known for performing fully improvised plays in Elizabethan style. The clip captures material from their Friday residency at iO.
6:27The Cupid Players
A performance excerpt from The Cupid Players, a house team appearing on Saturdays at iO Chicago. The clip captures roughly six minutes of the ensemble's work on the iO stage.
2:31The Deltones
A clip of The Deltones performing improvised musical comedy during their Saturday residency at iO Chicago. The ensemble specializes in the improvised musical format, creating songs and scenes without a script.
5:06Whirled News Tonight
A clip of Whirled News Tonight, a long-running iO Chicago house team that performs longform improvisation inspired by current events. Recorded during their Friday show at the theatre.
1:41Sex And The Sitting: Saturday
The Saturday installment of "Sex And The Sitting," a comedic segment from Charna Halpern's channel. The clip plays on the cultural footprint of "Sex and the City" through an improvised lens.
3:28iO Corporate Training
A promotional overview of iO Theatre's corporate training program. The video outlines how iO applies ensemble-based improv skills, particularly listening and spontaneous thinking, to business team development.
2:42iO Roadshow
A promotional spot for iO Theatre's touring program, which brings the theatre's shows to venues outside Chicago.
2:46iO Tour
A walkthrough of iO Theatre's Chicago facility hosted on the theatre's channel. The video offers a look at the physical space of one of the foundational longform improv institutions in the United States.
3:14Hostage Negotiator - Mike Lehrer
A segment from Mike Lehrer's solo show "C'Mon" at iO Theatre. The piece, titled "Hostage Negotiator," is a comedic one-man performance.
2:19Messing With Ike
A longform improv set at iO Theatre featuring Susan Messing performing alongside Ike Barinholtz, then a cast member on MAD TV. The clip captures a drop-in session, a common occurrence at iO where working professionals in television and film return to perform.
3:16The Cupid Players- "She Likes You"
A sketch from the Cupid Players, a long-running musical sketch comedy group at iO Theatre in Chicago. The piece, titled "She Likes You," is drawn from their show "Cupid Has A Heart On: A Musical Guide To Relationships." Released as part of iO's podcast series featuring material from the theatre's productions.
Shorts
Vertical and short-form entries grouped separately for easier browsing.
0:42Sex And The Sitting: Friday
A short promotional clip from Charna Halpern's channel featuring "Sex And The Sitting," a recurring comedic segment. The Friday installment runs under a minute, offering a brief glimpse of the show's irreverent tone.
0:59Sex And The Sitting: Thursday
A short comedic sketch from iO Theatre titled "Sex And The Sitting: Thursday," produced as a topical tie-in around the release of the 2008 Sex and the City film.
0:44We can teach anyone to improvise.
A brief promotional clip for the iO Training Center, emphasizing the theatre's open-door philosophy toward improv education.