Welcome Fans and Tourists!

Welcome to the Chicago Stand-Up? Comedy Wiki.
This is a website maintained by comedians, with the most up-to-date listings of shows and dates for the discerning fan.
Please keep in mind that this is primarily a stand-up wiki - while comedians who perform in improv and sketch comedy may update the wiki with that information, the critical mass of updates are done on the stand-up comedy side of the funny-making business.
That's also why there's very little information on no-limit hold 'em strategy on these pages. Not enough comics are interested.

But stand-up?

Now you're talking!

There's really three different ranges of live stand-up in the Chicago-land area:

1. Clubs like Zanies and the Improv - these venues typically have national headliners, and a format of Emcee, Feature, Headliner. They tend to be very consistent in quality, have 2 drink minimums, and are the priciest of the comedy choices on this list.
2. Showcases - these are booked rooms, run by a person or persons involved directly involved with the comedy scene. Most of the comedians you'll see in these shows are up-and-comers in the Chicago scene; most showcases will run around 6-8 comedians doing about 10 minutes apiece. Most of these comedians also appear semi-regularly at the clubs as emcees and features.
3. Open Mic - this is where the magic happens. These shows are the best bang for your buck - free. The downside to free - anybody can get up and try their hand at jokes. That means even you, the tourist/fan can try giving this thing a shot. Quality wildly varies - the same guys you see working their craft at the Improv will appear at open mics, itching to try a new bit they've just written. These can be fantastically fun and casual events, and if you're the type to like a band "before they were cool", this is the place for you.

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