shows at Annoyance ...
Who Slaughtered Daddy Dearest?
Cabaret Theater
THU
7:30 PM
4/2 - 4/30
How queer... From the minds that brought you the holiday sensation A Very Steamworks Christmas comes a new murder mystery! Tucked away in the mountains of Aspen, Colorado is the sleepy Hoggy Log Inn and Ski Resort, where there have been no murders... Until a rich daddy brings together his dearest friends (and enemies) for a big announcement.
Was it his sweet sugar baby? The jealous brother? The spoiled daughter? The bitter ex? In this farcical, chaotic, and very queer play, find out Who Slaughtered Daddy Dearest, written and directed by Noah Lanos and Connor James Hirsch.
Training Center: Solo Character Showcase
Cabaret Theater
THU
8:00 PM
5/7
It's a solo character showcase featuring the students of our latest class! Educating students on preparations for showcase performances, don't miss the next generation of character-based talent!
To What End?
Blackbox Theater
THU
8:00 PM
4/23 + 4/30
Did you miss them…? To What End? returns to The Annoyance with a brand new show! Featuring original sketch comedy & improv. Follow them on Instagram @towhatend and come see what the hype is all about.
Phat Dragon
Blackbox Theater
THU
8:00 PM
3/12, 4/9, 5/16
Phat Dragon is a uniquely hilarious longform improv group originally founded in a college dorm room. Roommates Ian Toppall, Ben Levy, Josh Hoover, and Hunter Gill, would pack as many as 50 audience members every Wednesday night into a space that fire code said could only fit 12. After outgrowing their apartment, they now do weekly shows all over the city of Chicago. Phat Dragon combines a unique blend of charm, energy, and hospitality to make an hour of comedy you'll never forget!
Mud City Improv Festival @ The Annoyance
Blackbox Theater
THU
9:00 PM
6/4
Mud City Improv Festival is an annual Chicago-based improv festival that connects college improv teams to the Chicago improv community. This year’s festival will take place June 4th-6th at various venues in Chicago, with three nights of performances, workshops with veteran improvisors, and the opportunity to meet other college improvisors from across the country.
Revolving Door
Blackbox Theater
THU
9:30 PM
4/2 - 4/30
New forms. New Players. Big Laughs. Every week.
Beave It To Leaver
Cabaret Theater
THU
9:30 PM
4/2 - 4/30
One location. Infinite chaos.
Inspired by your suggestion, the Circuit Comedy Club ensemble builds an entire world inside a single place — and every time someone walks out of a room, we follow them.
Behind every door: a new twist, a new disaster, a new character you didn’t see coming.
Fast, playful, and completely unscripted, Beave It To Leaver is a joyful night of improv where the story keeps moving and the surprises never stop.
And at some point in the night… something special will be rolling through.
Students get in free and are invited to jam with the ensemble in "Pump Up the Jamz."
Historically Inaccurate
Cabaret Theater
THU
9:30 PM
5/7, 6/4, 7/2, 8/6
Come join us as we explore different historic moments and blend together factual storytelling with creative and witty moments that were never documented. Each show will cover a different event that is researched and studied. We, then, take that information and improvise everything else that was lost to history.
Blue Velvet Lounge
Cabaret Theater
FRI
6:00 PM
2/27, 3/27, 4/24, 5/29, 6/26
Step into the one glamorous but now lovingly frayed Blue Velvet Lounge, where the only thing not improvised are the jazz standards crooned by lounge singer Seth Lowery. As Seth’s velvet voice fades, the ensemble sweeps in, spinning spontaneous scenes inspired directly by the songs just performed. One moment, you’re eavesdropping on the eccentric regulars tucked into the lounge’s candlelit corners; the next, you’re whisked far beyond the club to follow the unexpected lives of the characters you just met—bartenders with secret ambitions, mysterious strangers with tangled pasts, and dreamers who stepped into the Blue Velvet for reasons they can’t quite explain. Playful, surprising, and steeped in a retro-cool vibe, this show blends live music and improvised storytelling into a one-of-a-kind night where every note inspires a new twist—and every visit to the Blue Velvet reveals something you’ve never seen before.
Duluth: An Improvised Midwest Murder
Cabaret Theater
FRI
8:00 PM
4/3, 4/10, 4/24
Inspired by the classic movie and hit FX show "Fargo", Duluth takes audiences into the world of true crime in the Midwest.
The cast improvises a story of murder, malfeasance, and general mayhem, all set against the backdrop of an audience member's hometown. Complete with cops, criminals, and the everyday townsfolk who get caught in between, this show mixes horrible crime with "Minnesota nice".
Missed Call
Blackbox Theater
FRI
8:00 PM
Open Run
Missed Call is a premiere Chicago comedy group that writes and performs an entirely new sketch show every Friday.
Fool's Gold
Blackbox Theater
FRI
9:30 PM
4/10, 5/8, 6/12
Fool’s Gold is a hybrid comedy show with the structure of a stand-up showcase. The first half features 3-5 minutes from the host, a 5 minute guest spot of a solo-sketch/character comedian (if one is available—if not, this time is given to the feature), a 10 minute feature act and then a 30 minute headliner. Immediately following the headliner is a 10-slot open-mic. Sign-ups follow the same format as Open Stage sign-ups (starting 15+ mins before curtains) except the list is posted on the host’s socials and displayed in-person outside of the room right after the host introduces the first booked performer. Each open-micer (stand-up, clown, character, etc.) can perform 3 minutes maximum: the only requirement is it must be a solo comedy act with no tech requirements. Open-micers will be played off at 3 minutes, their voice being drowned-out by music for toddlers.
Baby Wine
Blackbox Theater
FRI
9:30 PM
10/31, 11/28, 12/26, 1/30
An LGBTQIA+ themed variety show featuring some of Chicago's strongest and most diversely hilarious voices!
Escapades
Blackbox Theater
FRI
9:30 PM
1/2, 2/6. 3/6
Hail and well met, traveler! Grab a drink, put up your cloak, and I’ll tell you a tale. Escapades is a completely improvised choose-your-own adventure. Sprinkled throughout each story are opportunities for the audience to vote on what happens next. Whether we’re riding jetpacks on Mars or a unicorn through a gumdrop forest, you’re guaranteed a night of gasps, laughs, twists, turns, and daring rescues. Excelsior!
Hitch*Cocktails
Cabaret Theater
FRI
9:30 PM
Open Run
A Chicago based improv comedy show and drinking game based on the works of Alfred Hitchcock. Based on an audience suggestion, the cast weave together an intricate Hitchcock-like drama, while holding true to the amount of drinking shown in his movies. You'll barely be able to stand the suspense, and the cast will barely be able to stand.
Holy Fuck Comedy Hour
Cabaret Theater
FRI
11:59 PM
Open Run
See a collage of character studies, scenes, songs and maybe even some audience interaction, all written in a week by some of Chicago’s most accomplished comedians. The “Holy Fuck Comedy Hour” is a curated hour of eclectic, comedic material written in a week with no rehearsals. Featuring a powerful collective representing a wide cross-section of the Chicago comedy community, the material varies every week.
Voila! The Improvised Musical
Cabaret Theater
FRI
8:00 PM
5/1, 5/22, + 5/29
Voila! The Improvised Musical unleashes a unique style of musical improvisation born in the heart of the Chicago comedy scene. This fearless cast spins sharp-witted scenework into showstopping numbers, keeping the melodic madness in perfect tempo. This show samples styles from your favorite musicals, neat and with a twist on the Great American Songbook.
Catch Voila! The Improvised Musical on the Annoyance Theatre Mainstage, Fridays May 1, 22, and 29th at 8pm!
Blue Dress
Cabaret Theater
FRI
7:30 PM
6/5 - 6/26
Blue Dress is a fast-paced queer meta-fantasy that unites Alice from Wonderland and Dorothy from Oz in a shared, unstable world where familiar rules no longer apply. As they search for a way home, the two encounter strange characters, shifting realities, and growing tensions that challenge how they see themselves and each other. What begins as an adventure becomes something deeper as both are forced to question the roles they’ve been assigned and whether they’re willing to break from them. Blending camp, comedy, and emotional honesty, Blue Dress explores identity, friendship, and the courage it takes to define your own story.
Decadent and Depraved
Cabaret Theater
SAT
6:00 PM
5/2
Celebrate the fastest [and drunkest] two minutes in sports with Decadent and Depraved, a Derby sketch show.In a nation built on its stupid, decadent sporting traditions, the Derby is the stupidest and richest of them all. This is a loving roast of these lithe and temperamental four-legged equines, and all the hype surrounding them, their keynote event, the entire economy underpinning it. Oversized hats optional; mint juleps mandatory.
Trigger Happy: Annoyance Signature Improv
Blackbox Theater
SAT
7:00 PM
Open Run
Annoyance founder Mick Napier created the Trigger Happy form out of a desire to make improv look as slick and beautifully put together as a scripted show. Through a language invisible to the audience, the fully improvised show magically comes to life. There is truly nothing else like it. An Annoyance Signature Improv show.
Review: https://www.newcitystage.com/2015/01/31/review-trigger-happythe-annoyance-theatre/
Halfway to Fifty...5
Cabaret Theater
SAT
7:30 PM
5/30
Laura is back and older than ever. Join her as she looks back on her 29 years of life through stand-up comedy, music of all genres and self- deprecation.
After performing iterations of this show for the past four years, Laura is thrilled to be bringing her life back to the stage. Laura is a recent winner of Best Comedian (Non-Standup) from the Chicago Reader. She has been at The Annoyance, iO, The Second City, Zanies, The Laugh Factory and Lincoln Lodge. Steve Cochran also deemed her a "Comedian To Watch."
Come see stand up comedy and live music weaved together in a way that will make you wonder, "Was that really necessary?"
The show will also feature the blessing of world famous music director, Micky York. The sassiest stand-up in Chicago, Joe Nicastro, will open. What more could you ask for? Probably a lot- but that doesn't matter. Just come!
Andrew & Ryan Do Musical Theatre
Cabaret Theater
SAT
7:30 PM
4/25
Two comic relief character actors get to play the leading man type ... and everyone else, for one night only.
The Crash Test Show
Cabaret Theater
SAT
8:00 PM
5/8
Deep in the heart of a volcano, Crash Test Labs is hard at work creating the funniest sketch ever. Join Gus, David, Jonah, and their robot sidekick for an hour of outrageous laughs and non-stop fun. Featuring original songs, characters and the best alternative stand up comics in Chicago.
Fire & Beer: Annoyance House Ensemble
Blackbox Theater
SAT
8:00 PM
Open Run
Enjoy an evening of off-the-cuff improv with some of the best emerging talent in the Chicago area. Fire & Beer is a fully improvised comedy show that explores the dark sides of life, relationships and human beings. The show features the Annoyance House Ensemble who excel at both long- and short-form improv. You can expect lots of laughs during this unpredictable improv show.
Best of Annoyance Sketch
Blackbox Theater
SAT
9:30 PM
Open Run
An hour long comedy show featuring some of Annoyance Theatre’s best and funniest. Show Runner: Hails Reeves
Lipstick Lounge: Dama Productions & The Annoyance
Cabaret Theater
SAT
10:30 PM
SAT 4/25
Lipstick Lounge🫦 is your new monthly haven for 💥bold sapphics💥, 💃🏽alluring femmes💃🏽, and ✨magnetic thems✨ to connect, celebrate, and ignite something special TOGETHER. This is more than a party; it’s our space to be seen, desired, and truly at home in each other’s company!!! We’ll be fully taking over 📍The Annoyance Theater📍with TWO DJS, a tattoo parlor, tooth gems, drag, market, and even a place where you can play board games when you have a touch of the overstimmys 💓
⭐️Poster Design by the talented @javi.x.gutierrez ⭐️
❤️🔥And as always, Dama Productions is committed to creating a safe and celebratory space for our BIPOC, queer, and differently abled family.❤️🔥.
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We Took Edibles an Hour Ago
Cabaret Theater
SAT
11:59 PM
Open Run
They take edibles. Then they improvise. There's a 'too-high' button, for when it gets too crazy.
Cheesie's: A Sitcom Pilot Staged Reading
Bar
SUN
3:00 PM
5/17
The late night staff at a local grilled cheese restaurant in Chicago allow their personal lives to run amuck in the workplace. A workplace sitcom pilot written by Chris Jowett. This one-night only reading is to present this pilot script to gauge the strength of the script and raise money to finance the making of the pilot.
Gameshow Gameshow Gameshow
Blackbox Theater
SUN
6:30 PM
4/26
In Game Show! Game Show! Game Show! A chaotic host pits one side of the audience against the other in a bizarre and riveting showdown! Get on your feet and compete in over 40 games, from trivia and physical challenges to a custom built video game made just for this show. — there's something for everyone. Games Build and Overlap until the show verges on Chaos. It's an electrifying hour of unity, rivalry, and uproarious fun! Witness an unforgettable show hailed by one audience member as “One of the best shows I’ve ever seen!”
The madcap host of Game Show! Game Show! Game Show! Is the off Beat Manic Joe Pisanzio. Joe takes his knowledge of immersive development and smashes it together with his training in clown. The result is a wild, ever-changing interactive performance. Joe, currently residing in Los Angeles, developed this show while living in the California desert with a band of cutting-edge technologists. It premiered in April 2023 at the Bombay Beach Biennale. Over the past ten years, Joe has received mentorship in clown from world-renowned masters including Phillipe Gaulier, Aitor Basauri, and Paola Coletto. He has performed in France, Italy, London, Maine, Chicago and Los Angeles.
Spitball
Cabaret Theater
SUN
6:30 PM
5/17
Spitball is a new monthly sketch show presented by The Annoyance Sketch team, Shake the Baby. Every month the cast will produce a mix of digital and live sketches and showcase up and coming comedians and filmmakers.
VIDEO SUBMISSION FORM: https://forms.gle/WsgMW8xZk5jzrkym7
Guerrilla Press
Blackbox Theater
SUN
7:00 PM
OPEN RUN
Guerrilla Press is a Chicago-based progressive independent media company founded by comedians and best friends, EJ Cameron and Nick Hausman. Every Sunday night, they take over The Annoyance to record their flagship podcast!
Each episode features Cameron and Hausman making jokes and having "partially educated conversations" about the week's top news, before welcoming special guests for interviews and games.
For more information about upcoming guests, please visit Guerrilla-Press.com or check out their Instagram page @Guerrilla_Press.
Every episode of Guerrilla Press is available on YouTube and all major podcast platforms.
A Night of Unexpected Passion
Blackbox Theater
SUN
8:00 PM
4/19 - 5/10
A night of honesty, a night of joy, a night of passion.
Bean There, Done That and The Best Policy follow two queer Chicago-based comedians as they discuss their unconventional passions. Henry Hipp loves the Bean of Millenium Park. Lily Valentine loves gossip. These performers will argue, with the help of accompanying presentations and unapologetic enthusiasm, that their unique passions are ones that everyone should be talking about. No one understands them, but maybe after you watch, you will!
A Night of Unexpected Passion will feature two different openers every week discussing their unique interests.
Semicolon Parenthesis
Blackbox Theater
SUN
8:00 PM
4/12 + 5/17
Semicolon Parenthesis is a sketch show with comedians Evelyn Mae and Connor Snow, two former Southerners from Kentucky & Texas respectively. Consisting of optimistically absurd relationship sketches, solo character monologues, offbeat improv shells, and the occasional song, this sketch show is less sketchy and more like a journey with good pals filled with whimsy and most importantly love.
Better
Cabaret Theater
SUN
8:00 PM
5/31
Raised religious, wired anxious, diagnosed obsessive, trained in pointe work with a heaping sprinkle of golden age musical theatre, and working a STEM day job, Thea L. Anderson is a consummate devotee to getting Better: a dedicated pursuit of the list of tasks that, when completed with diligence and focus, get you where you want to go - whether that means hot, holy, talented, safe, loved or successful.
This show is a solo musical about what happens when trying to become better fails - or when it succeeds in ways you couldn’t predict and aren’t prepared to handle.
Single Sided
Cabaret Theater
MON
7:30 PM
6/15
AJ is that classic gay guy mix of ironic distance and earnest enthusiasm, and he's determined to make this the year he gets a boyfriend. Just like going to the Olympics, finding love is all about setting goals, pounding the pavement, wanting it the most. Through swiping, ghosting, and mismatched expectations, AJ's disappointment cracks his facade and reveals why he's so urgent, and hopeful. Single Sided is a hilarious, and at times heartfelt, show that explores the all too retable intersections of desire, technology, and healing.
The Prattic Presents: Matt Walsh
Cabaret Theater
MON
9:00 PM
5/11
THE PRATTIC' is a grassroots comedy venue in Evanston, right outside of Chicago. Since our founding, over 100 individual comedians have performed at our weekly open mics. The Prattic FringeFest runs from May 7-11, with its culminating event at the Annoyance Theater featuring Matt Walsh of Veep, Bob's Burgers, and co-founder of the Upright Citizens Brigade. All proceeds will go to the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.
Best of RU Funny
Cabaret Theater
MON
9:00 PM
4/27
Come see R U Funny, Roosevelt University’s sketch comedy group, perform the “best of the best” of their sketches. The members have compiled some of their favorite sketches throughout the years, and will perform them all for you in just one unforgettable hour. Come have a magical night and support original sketch comedy! See R U Funny!
Student Jam
Blackbox Theater
MON
9:30 PM
Open Run
A night for Annoyance students to JAM!
Collective Rage: A Play in 5 Betties
Cabaret Theater
MON
7:00 PM
4/27 - 6/1
Meet five different women named Betty: one rich, one lonely, one charismatic, one lovelorn, and one who keeps working on her truck. Oh, and one has decided to stage a production of that play-within-a-play by… that old English guy, what's his name? Ah, forget it.
In Jen Silverman’s unpredictable comedy Collective Rage: A Play in 5 Betties, five women collide at the intersection of rage, love, and the “thea-tah,” provoking each other to take a look in the mirror and face the person they didn’t know they could be.
Y'all Mic
Blackbox Theater
TUE
5:30 PM
Open Run
Looking for a Stand-up Comedy Open Mic that’s a supportive room and always a good time? Look no further than the Ya'll Mic. Whether you’re a seasoned comic, an improvisor who’s always wanted to try standup, or you just decided that today’s the day for your first open mic (kudos) – The Ya'll Mic is a great venue to workshop your bits. The show is every Tuesday from 5:30pm – 7:30pm. Signup is online and the signup sheet is posted on Facebook & IG on Mondays. The list is emailed out a few hours before the show. Comics get 4 minutes of stage time (and a lifetime of memories.) While all are welcome, the room prioritizes BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and Femme comics. Come laugh with us!
Music Jam - FREE!
Cabaret Theater
TUE
7:00 PM
Open Run
Hosted by members of Tuesday Musical Improv, this free weekly jam allows anyone to try out musical improv on the Annoyance Mainstage. Sign-ups begin at 6:45--no experience necessary!
Tuesday Musical Improv
Cabaret Theater
TUE
8:00 PM
Open Run
The Annoyance's very own musical ensembles. Every Tuesday at 8pm, two groups improvise brand new musicals based on audience suggestions. Featuring Musical Director Lisa McQueen and starring the Annoyance Musical Ensembles. Follow us on instagram: @tuesdaymusicalimprov
BYOT - Free!
Blackbox Theater
TUE
9:00 PM
Open Run
Are you and your improv team looking for another place to get on stage? We've got a warm and supportive room ready to give you laughs and claps! Bring your own team to Annoyance on Tuesday nights to get a rep in and giggle. If you don't have a team to bring, no worries! There's a mashup team and we're happy to throw you on it! Signups are at 8:30PM and we'll hit the stage at 9:00PM. See you every Tuesday!
Open Stage - Free!
Cabaret Theater
TUE
9:30 PM
Open Run
Open Stage is an opportunity for anyone to get on stage and try out whatever they're currently working on - standup, sketch, songs - you name it. At Open Stage anything can happen and it usually does!
HELP ME!!!!
Blackbox Theater
WED
7:30 PM
6/3
THANK GOODNESS YOU’RE HERE! A DEAD MIME NEEDS HELP.
In this interactive mime seance, the audience must help a family of ghosts complete their unfinished business. Play charades, solve puzzles and pierce the veil between life and death on a madcap quest for forbidden knowledge.
Single Sided
Cabaret Theater
WED
7:30 PM
6/17
AJ is that classic gay guy mix of ironic distance and earnest enthusiasm, and he's determined to make this the year he gets a boyfriend. Just like going to the Olympics, finding love is all about setting goals, pounding the pavement, wanting it the most. Through swiping, ghosting, and mismatched expectations, AJ's disappointment cracks his facade and reveals why he's so urgent, and hopeful. Single Sided is a hilarious, and at times heartfelt, show that explores the all too retable intersections of desire, technology, and healing.
The Insignificant Mile
Blackbox Theater
WED
9:30 PM
2/11 - 2/25 + 4/8 - 4/29
Ellen Dunn, Jess Wilson, Elaine Stewart, Shaina Stark, and Matthew Stiuso present their new form, The Insignificant Mile! Developed in the Annoyance Training Program, the form features improvisers scene painting based on audience suggestions, building out a strip mall that will become the central location for the show. Have you ever seen a shopping center with a five star restaurant, exotic pet store, and laser tag arcade? Well you’re about to, at the Insignificant Mile!
Jury Duty
Cabaret Theater
WED
9:30 PM
Open Run
You've been summoned...to laugh.
Jury Duty is a fully improvised courtroom comedy where the only thing on trial is sanity itself.
Each night, the cast creates a brand new legal disaster based on audience suggestion, questionable logic, and total chaos. Watch as the foreperson loses their mind, evidence makes things worse, and deliberations go off the rails.
No script, no rules, no justice. Just comedy
The trial is fake, the laughs are real
Comedian Cabaret
Cabaret Theater
WED
7:00 PM
4/29
Join us for Comedian Cabaret: Show Tunes with Comedy Flair! It's a night of talented comedians cosplaying as Broadway singers! Chicago is just overflowing with talent, and there's not nearly enough stage time to see it all. That's why Comedian Cabaret began: to give comedians a chance to flex more than their improv and stand up chops. Love showtunes? Then this is the show for you!
Paint & Pyro
Blackbox Theater
WED
7:30 PM
4/29 + 5/27
“Paint & Pyro” is a fast-paced, 60 minute stand-up comedy showdown where five comics each perform a tight individual 5–6 minute set while the remaining comics paint live onstage, racing the clock and each other. When the brushes stop, the audience votes the best finished portrait and chooses the worst one to be dramatically burned in the alley, blending comedy, chaos, and creative destruction into one unforgettable spectacle.
Music Flows Through Us Like a River
Blackbox Theater
WED
8:00 PM
5/6 - 5/20
Comedians and chosen ones: Abby Rankin and Max Balderston, enlighten audiences through a series of comedic sketches, music, and heartfelt truths about the universe. In the end, Abby, Max, and director Aidan Tappert, hope you walk away from this experience one hour older and wiser.