| Off-Off Campus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Improvisation Sketch Comedy |
| Date of premiere | 1986 |
| Location | Chicago,Illinois, United States |
| Creative team | |
| Founder | Bernie Sahlins |
| Artistic Director | Kelli Lynch |
| Production Manager | Madison Esrey |
| Official website | |
Off-Off Campus is the oldest improvisational andsketch comedy group at theUniversity of Chicago.[1] It was founded in 1986 byThe Second City co-founderBernie Sahlins, who is also an alumnus of the University of Chicago.[2][3]
Off-Off Campus stems from a tradition of improv comedy at the University of Chicago. In the early 1950s, improv as it is known today was invented on the University of Chicago campus at the Woodlawn Tap. In 1959, the group, called theCompass Players, went on to formThe Second City.[4]
In 1986, Bernie Sahlins returned to the U of C in order to re-establish improv and sketch comedy on the south side ofChicago.[1] The first generation of Off-Off Campus was trained by Sahlins, and the group continues to build on the foundation he created.[5][6]
Pulitzer Prize winnerDavid Auburn was a member of Off-Off's second generation.[7][8]Sarah Koenig, host and executive producer of the acclaimed podcastSerial, was a member of the same generation as Auburn.[9] In addition,Tony Award-winnerGreg Kotis was one of Off-Off's original members.[2]
Off-Off Campus operates in accordance with the University of Chicago's quarter system. Auditions are held during the first week of each fall quarter.[10] New members train significantly (roughly 20 hours a week)[11] during fall and winter quarters before becoming responsible for mainstage revues in the spring and the following fall.
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