Today we’d like to introduce you to Blaine Swen.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I moved to Chicago to go to grad school at Loyola University. I had dabbled in improv in high school and college and I recognized that living in Chicago gave me a special opportunity to study comedy in the city that is widely considered the capitol of modern improvisation. So, I signed up for improv classes at The Second City. During that time, I started The Improvised Shakespeare Company (ISC). I asked Thomas Middleditch if he would be interested in doing a show where we would improvise a full narrative play in the style of Shakespeare, just like the one we do today. He told me it sounded crazy, but he was in. So, I gathered some more players and submitted to perform a short run (just 5 shows) in Donny’s Skybox, the student theater at The Second City. That’s when we performed our first shows in 2005. Shortly after that, I met Charna Halpern, the owner of the iO Theater, who invited The ISC to begin an open run at iO. In February, 2006, we began performing one show a week at the iO Theater. As the show caught on, one show per week turned into two, then into three, then four; and today you can catch us 5 times a week at the iO Theater. We tour the country throughout the year, and now there is a resident ISC company in Los Angeles as well.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I have experienced a lot of blessing. The performers are incredible people, our audiences are just the best, and really terrific opportunities continue to come our way. That said, like so many small business owners—particularly in the arts perhaps—, I have had to learn a lot on the fly. I started this business to do something that I was passionate about, but I wasn’t necessarily passionate about business management, accounting, and e-mails…So. Many. E-mails. Fortunately, I’ve had a lot of good help and continue to learn.
There are still, however, just so many e-mails. So many. One of the more recent challenges we have been experiencing is how to leverage what we do on stage and turn it into a screen experience. We have some great partners, visions, and ideas and are working hard to make it happen. That said, we will still continue to perform on stages nationally. It is an exciting time for the company!
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about The Improvised Shakespeare Company – what should we know?
It’s all in the name! We are a theater company that improvises Shakespearean-style plays on the spot. We ask the audience to give us a title of a play that has never been written and then we create that play using the styles, themes, and language of William Shakespeare. Everything is improvised. We haven’t memorized any lines. All of the characters, dialogue, and plot are created while the audience watches. So, every show is both the first and last time that play will ever be performed. We’re really proud and grateful to have been able to perform for such a long time (12 years and counting) and to have played all over the country. We’ve won awards in Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles. We’ve performed at places like Bonnaroo, the Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal, and The Kennedy Center. We’ve performed several shows with the incredible Patrick Stewart. But, I think one of the things I like the most is when someone tells me that they are sore from how much they laughed during the show, or how the show provided them with much needed “laugh therapy.”
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Oh yes. I have more people to thank than I have e-mails to answer…so many e-mails, but even more supporters to whom I am grateful. There’s no way I can thank them all here but I can gladly mention a few. So much of our success comes down to the people who have opened their doors, or facilitated doors opening, for us to perform. Charna Halpern gave us a home and a place to grow by opening the doors of iO to us. She has been doing that for so many people for years and years. Our manager, Kirsten Ames, has been a constant source of encouragement and has been absolutely essential in growing the national profile of our show—in New York, Los Angeles, and everywhere in between.
I really could go on and on. In Los Angeles, we perform at the Largo, owned by Mark Flanagan. His confidence in us has given us a performance home in Los Angeles.
Similarly, Lorcan Otway opened the doors of Theater 80 St Marks to us in NYC. Rocky Benloulou-Dubin has opened doors for us to perform in really interesting and diverse venues; like when she invited us to Bonnaroo or 92nd Street Y in New York City. I could keep going, but this gives you a sense of the type of support we have gotten from people who are both clients as well as supporters and mentors. The venues would mean little without the ridiculously talented cast. The performers, who all play with such joy and support, make each show a delight. And on top of this, we are continually blown away by the support of our audiences. We get to perform for some of the best audiences in the world. And I am very grateful to my wife for incalculable support and cheerleading.
Contact Info:
- Address: The iO Theater
1501 N Kinsbury St. - Website: www.improvisedshakespeare.com
- Phone: iO Box Office: 312.929.2401
- Email: info@improvisedshakespeae.com
- Instagram: @improvshakesco
- Facebook: @improvisedshakespeare
- Twitter: @improvshakesco
- Yelp: www.yelp.com/biz/improvised-shakespeare-company-chicago
Image Credit:
Personal Photo: Blaine Swen with Josh Logan (photo by Jason Hensel)
Photo 1: Brendan Dowling, Ric Walker, Kevin Sciretta
Photo 2: Steve Waltien, Matt Young
Photo 3: Asher Perlman, Blaine Swen (photo by Lindsay Williams)
Photo 4: Kevin Sciretta, Matt Young, Brendan Dowling, Steve Waltien, Ric Walker
Photo 5: Ross Bryant, Thomas Middleditch, Blaine Swen, Joey Bland, Greg Hess (photo by Koury Angelo)
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