Athenaeum Theater (Studio 1) $15

2936 N Southport AVE Chicago, IL 60657

Debbie Downer: 

In June 2015, Calvin Dittmore and Joseph Kyle Rogan both lost a parent. The two parents had been disabled for over a decade -- Mrs. Dittmore by addiction and injury, and Mr. Rogan by stroke and heart disease -- and the young men had been their caretakers. Amidst their grief, Dittmore and Rogan created their Debbie Downer "Dead Parent Show": a brutally honest and immensely cathartic exploration of what it means to be a caretaker, to be a son, to know the end is nigh, and to finally experience great loss. The two swap stories from their experiences, never shying away from unpleasant details, and then use improvised scenework to deconstruct and build upon the themes hidden therein. Although the duo insists that the performance is purely for their own enjoyment... and therapy... audiences also get to experience a rollercoaster of raw emotion, and quickly discover they have permission to laugh along in an exultant display of gallows humor at its finest.

NOTE for CIF 2017 Submission: Joe Bill, who recently lost his father, has offered to be a special guest performer for our set, should we be accepted to perform.

Improvised Sitcom: 

Come see a new format where a team of sketch/improv performers take premises from the audience and try to write out a full length sketch show BEFORE YOUR EYES. Performers will only have 7 minutes after getting the sketches to quickly make them up and perform them for YOU, THE AUDIENCE!