BY Jenn Q. Goddu

Once upon a time there was a group of likeminded people who met at the Second City conservatory class. They decided, after class let out, to do something unusual at the time: put on a sketch comedy show.

“I remember thinking, ‘Wow, what a cool thing to do, a sketch show, because not a lot of people are doing it,’” recalls Sandy Marshall, co-founder of Schadenfreude (named for a German word for taking pleasure in others’ misery).

Yes, it’s hard to imagine a sketch comedy show being a rare thing in Chicago but this was many, many years ago – 1997 to be exact.

They first performed at an Andersonville bar. Sitting around a Rogers Park apartment on weeknights, the comedy troupe’s members came up with original ideas to perform each weekend on a small stage with two microphones picking up what they might of the sketch sound, a rambunctious crowd in attendance and the disregard of a bartender who would talk through every show. “But there was a charm to it,” said co-founder Justin Kaufmann. “We learned to perform that way.”

The lessons learned took them on to a two-year open run on weekends at the Heartland Studio Cafe. The company prided itself on a “do it yourself” attitude and considered its stage shows just a part of something larger. “It was always an event more than a revue,” Marshall said. It was “sort of the first act of an all night party.”

Buzz was generated and the company became itinerant. They mounted runs at the Wing and Groove Theater, Metropolis Performing Arts Centre and Lakeshore Theater, and headlined Chicago Improv Festival shows from 1999 to 2002. They traveled far and wide and continue, to this day, to journey regularly on college and university tours.

Even as other sketch comedy troupes surfaced around the city, Schadenfreude’s brand of comedy remained distinct. “It’s always been hard to put a label on it,” Marshall said. “We’ve always said, ‘It’s sketch comedy for the audience.’ Kind of like the anti-sketch sketch show in a way where it’s not the typical revue.

“We try to take the piss out of institutions, so to speak,” Marshall continued. “We try to say ‘What are the social, political, relationship issues that we are facing at our age?’ Because we always try to write from our point of view, and our age, and we try and mock those in a certain way that other people aren’t doing. We kind of, I guess, have the opinion that nothing is a sacred cow.”

Many years passed before everything began to change. Schadenfreude was simply minding its own business in the magical forest known as the Windy City – the company’s Kate James, Kaufmann, Marshall, Stephen Schmidt and Adam Witt are determined to remain Chicago-based – when the Chicago Public Radio fairy came along and cast a spell on the company. (Kaufman’s a producer at the station which probably helped said fairy track the Schadenfreude folks down).

The troupe’s live stage shows were overwhelmed by the work that went into the radio show running for two seasons (61 half-hour episodes). When it ended, the ensemble members began putting more energy into building an online presence. Toiling away as diligent elves, the company members have now established Schadenfreude.net as a daily source of comedy.

Visitors can read blogs written in character, find ruminations about short-haired chicks, action figures or guilty pleasures, or download a Weekly Bit of video from the newly launched monthly “Rent Parties” at which Schadenfreude performs its typical short set of eight or nine sketches. “It’s all part of this cycle that we’re trying to have feed itself,” Marshall said.

Today it is quite difficult to determine all the spells and fairies the company has been touched by. Like a wizard retiring to his cave to mix a battery of potions in boiling cauldrons, Schadenfreude now has its hand in many pots.

“One of the things that brings us together is that we’re not focused solely into the sketch comedy world. Schadenfreude isn’t really just a sketch comedy ensemble any more. We’re more of this sort of creative house/writing team that can write and produce content over numerous different mediums,” Marshall said.

It’s all taken more seriously now, too, Kaufmann said. “Now I think we’re disciplined in terms of how much time we spend on it.”

After all, they continue to have a radio presence thanks to syndication and a film arm (their short films such as “Phudie Mart “can be downloaded via Sprint PCS) and podcasts and videocasts are available on their own site and through I-Tunes. A feature-length screenplay and an ensemble-written book about a fictitious local politician are in the works. That’s all along with the commitment to provide fresh content daily to the Web site and the Rent Party revues.

“We’re always like, “Don’t spread ourselves too thin’,” said Kaufmann, “but now we’re just busting at the seams with all these goings on.”

But being busy is a case of “we should be so lucky,” he said. “We’ve found opportunities to continue to create together and, if they weren’t there, we would be probably grinding our wheels or not in the position that we’re still working together.”

The ensemble has grown together as a collaborative unit, Marshall said. “It’s very familial. We definitely have a creative and artistic shorthand and we’re very aware of what our individual strengths and weaknesses are as an ensemble. We know what this person is going to bring to the table to make something better. There are a lot of people who really prefer the individual route, and it works for some, [but] I’ve had a complete blast staying committed to the group route of doing things.”

Schadenfreude.net has become the company’s own fiefdom. Although the ensemble had been working away at the Web site for the past five years, it’s only in the past nine to 10 months that it has truly built up its Internet presence.

“We actually have a home and that’s all that it’s about,” Kaufmann said. “Whether it’s a brick and mortar, whether it be a radio station that you can tune in every time on Sunday night or Saturday afternoon, or whether it be a Web site that you come to every morning and count on something. I just feel like our goal is to be creative all the time and the Web site gives us that opportunity.”

Changing technologies making it possible for each member to access the site and input content, even from their own home computers, made all the difference, Kaufmann said. Traffic to the site has been doubling on a monthly basis. In April 2006, Schadenfreude.net enjoyed 25,000 page views and approximately 10,000 unique visitors.

But Schadenfreude aims not to forget its roots, and with the Rent Parties (the next one is July 21), the company continues to perform live. “This is really exciting to us again,” Kaufmann said.  “It energized us when we had all these projects on our table.”

The adventure now is to build a bigger following, even in faraway lands, for Schadenfreude’s unique point of view. “We’re not driven by trends, we’re not driven by what’s going on and what the current culture is just gobbling up like a carp,” Kaufmann said. “I think there is a niche of people who feel left out by ‘American Idol.’ I’m not saying we’re going to rule the world with this kind of material, but we’re definitely going to say something and hopefully our community will grow larger with people who have been shut out.”

 Equating the comedy scene with the music industry, Kaufmann said, “There are a lot of independent bands that produce good material and have great followings and make money that aren’t Pearl Jam or U2. I’d like to continue to be respected by our following and the industry and be in a position where we’re in control.”

Controlling one’s fate isn’t typical of a fairy tale but it seems fitting for a company so determined to be different. The golden key is the Internet. “I feel like the days of trying to get a presence any other way are just outnumbered by what we can do online,” Marshall said. “We kind of see the Web site as our open run now.”

The Schadenfreude Rent Party, a monthly showcase of new content from www.schadenfreude.net, is at 8p.m. on July 21, Aug. 18, Sept. 15, Oct. 20, Nov.17 and Dec. 15, at the Gallery Cabaret, 2020 N. Oakley. Suggested donation of $10. Call 773/489-5471 or visit www.schadenfreude.net for more information.