BY MECHELLE MOE
Annoyance Theatre’s artistic director Mick Napier and managing director Mark Sutton announced to company members on Wednesday, Apr. 5, that the building–which for the last six years has housed their 300-seat theatre and training center–has been sold. Although they soon will be without a home, they are not defunct. In fact, the unscheduled move from 3747 North Clark may be a blessing in disguise.
"This is my guts," said Susan Messing, founding member of the Annoyance and director of last year’s critically-acclaimed What Every Girl Should Know… An Ode to Judy Blume. "I was in tears until I learned the facts. I learned about something that is only going to be better and I am ready to jump on this band wagon."
You need only glimpse any other article in this particular issue of PerformInk to gather just a fraction of the significance and history of the Annoyance Theatre. It was founded in October 1987 by Napier and other "like-minded" improvisers for the purpose of "creating original pieces of theatre through the process of improvisation." The company–along with Second City and ImprovOlympic–is the backbone of improvisation–the study, art and performance. It’s known for such cult hits as Co-Ed Prison Sluts–Chicago’s longest musical, which will close sometime this summer–and Screw Puppies, the late-night improv experiment.
Annoyance is seizing this moment of transition as an opportunity to restructure. They have gone back to their corner between rounds. Although everything remains in the planning stages, goals have been set. They intend to come out swinging when the bell rings.
"One of the reasons I am so positive," says Messing, "is that since the first couple of years we have always been on the run from one place to another. This is the first opportunity to really plan our dream space with architects, lawyers and financial backing."
Over the years Annoyance has dabbled with the multi-media, and many members have even been courted to provide material for various Internet sites like www.pop.com. The future of entertainment and improv, as they see it, is in multi-media digital-based production on the Internet. That is where they intend to focus their creative energy.
"There are two types of people in the market right now: those that have the technology and are looking for content and those that have the content but don’t know how the technology works," said Sutton. "We want to fuse the two together, a one-of-a-kind place that houses both the technology and the art." The dream space being discussed will not only house a theatre and school, but also a production and post production studio.
Another mission of the Annoyance is that they wish to pursue their new interests here in Chicago, rather than the ever-popular LA and New York venues. "We don’t want this to be a clubhouse," says Sutton. "This opportunity exists for the people here–actors, writers and film guys. The goal is to make this a universally Chicago thing."
As of now, no dates have been announced regarding the close of Co-Ed Prison Sluts or for the theatre space itself. They do not intend to close the training program, but as of now they have not finalized any plans for relocation. "We won’t lose our school," says Messing. "It is such a needed niche. People come out of there and they have learned something valuable."
There is definitely an air of excitement emanating from these improv innovators. The opportunity not only exists for them to re-invent the organization, but also their individual roles within that organization. "This is a mode of determining the future, to satisfy new goals," says Ruderman. "The core group does not see this as a negative, but a way to create a whole new look."
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