It was a dark and snowy night, and a certain reporter was running late due to…well, it doesn’t matter. Calling Robert Bouwman, co-founder of Corn Productions, to apologize for the delay, he responded, “We’ve waited 11 years. What’s another hour?”

Such is the great spirit and good humor of Corn Productions. Founded in 1992 by Bouwman and Todd Schaner (a.k.a. Mom), their mission is to bring new work to new audiences while cultivating new talent. In fact, they’ve brought new work to seemingly every storefront in the city.

Much like the Beboian tribe in their long-running show Floss!, this group has led a nomadic existence. Putsch Studios, Factory Theatre, Organic Theatre and Zebra Crossing are just a few of the now-defunct spaces that housed Corn productions. “Yeah, every theatre we’ve been at is now closed,” says company member Michelle Thompson-Hay.

Their first show, Danny’s Show A Go-Go, was produced upstairs at Danny’s Tavern in Bucktown. Describing their origins, Bouwman recalls, “I went to them and said I’d heard there was a theatre in their upstairs room. When they looked at me and said 'Theatre?’ I said, 'So…how about putting a theatre in your upstairs room?”

The space had 13 seats, and they performed two shows, rent-free, on Monday nights. This weekly revue spawned the popular characters Tiff (Bouwman) and Mom (Todd Schaner), who started out as filler between acts. Their first season was cut short as they were kicked out of Danny’s due to the bar’s lack of a PPA license. Fortunately, by then they had so much Tiff and Mom material, they ended the season with a Tiff and Mom show in Bouwman’s backyard.

In 1997 they finally incorporated. Bouwman notes, “That’s when I stopped just dragging Mom along (pun intended) and we realized we were a company.” At that point, they had a lead on a space in Wicker Park at what is now Korean restaurant Soju. They built it into a theatre, where they did their first Halloween show. “The space really lent itself to a Halloween show,” says Thompson-Hay. “It was so rickety.”

When the owner kicked them out to turn it into a restaurant, Corn joined Sweetback in a space in Andersonville. Mom wanted to take a break, so they created the show Spin Off, a variety show with the secondary characters from Tiff and Mom. The Passion Follies trilogy soon followed, bringing their first critical acclaim for The Last Dinner Party of Christ, written by company member Patrick Brooks.

In 1999, they moved into their current space, a 60-seat home called the Cornservatory in the Lincoln Square area. Formerly a dive bar, “You can still see where they cut the cocaine in the bathroom,” says Bouwman. It’s a small, awkwardly shaped space, perfectly suited to the off-kilter comedy produced there.

The neighbors have been happy to have them. “The guy from the auto body shop next door thanked us because, before we moved in, he had to replace a window almost every week. We’re pretty sure it was from the bar fights,” said Thompson-Hay. Currently, their PPA license is pending, and they’re working with their alderman, Gene Schulter, and the League of Chicago Theatres to get everything in order.

Influenced by Mel Brooks, Carol Burnett, the Marx Bros. and Looney Tunes, Corn produces all original work—mostly comedy and mostly written by company members. Thompson-Hay loves the artistic freedom Corn provides. “I’m an unusual type. I don’t have to wait for a part to come along. I can write it myself.”

Corn is proud of their work with emerging talent and, actually, people who have never set foot on a stage. “We’ll cast the less experienced actor,” says Bouwman, preferring learning and artistic exploration to the tried-and-true. “Just because you’re 50 years old and a man doesn’t mean you won’t play the ingénue.”

Casting against type and bringing a diverse array of talent to the stage is the norm for Corn. “We’re like a Benetton ad,” notes Schaner. “If you can’t sing, you’ll get the solo,” adds Bouwman. Even the theatre’s work frequently plays against type. “Take Floss! for example,” says Bouwman. “It’s been running for three years.” Gesturing to his decidedly non-balletic colleagues, “It’s a dance show, for God’s sakes!”

Corn is now in its 4th season of their kids’ program, running workshops and producing children’s theatre. They also make it a priority to affordably rent their space out to other companies. Given the number of small theatres shuttered recently, a surprised Bouwman says, “We even have emails from people wanting Wednesday and Thursday late nights.”

He feels obligated to help other young companies grow, the way so many helped them. “It’s important that we preserve the legacy of Chicago storefront theatre. I feel indebted to pass that on,” says Bouwman.

Meanwhile, Corn now has 15 company members, and Bouwman and Thompson-Hay are Corn’s first two employees, running everything from facilities management to grant writing and artistic decisions. In their history they’ve had three Corn marriages, five Corn hookups and two Corn kids.

In the future, they hope to open the Silo, which would be a comedy-oriented theatre with workshop rooms and two black box theatres. Thompson-Hay also looks forward to the day that Corn can run itself, so she and Bouwman have the freedom to take on other projects. As company members take on additional responsibilities she says, “People now feel a sense of ownership about the company.”

As Corn builds its audience and support base, Thompson-Hay would like the community to “get to know us on and off stage. When you’re around us and see the passion for what we’re doing, it’s hard not to support us.”