Annoyance Theatre
Encyclopedia
The Annoyance Theatre, or Annoyance Productions as it is sometimes called, is a theater and associated ensemble based in Chicago
that deals mainly in absurd, pretentious and outrageous humor. Many people that have performed with the ensemble have gone on to become successful stage and screen actors. Popular productions included Co-Ed Prison Sluts
and That Darned Antichrist.
, as Metraform in 1987 and changed its name to the Annoyance after moving into a new building in 1989. The Annoyance moved again in 1994 to a theater on the 3700 block of North Clark Street where it would remain for six years. In 2000 the Annoyance was forced to move out so the building could be demolished to make room for a temporary parking lot for nearby Wrigley Field
, and later a mixed commercial/residential building containing a Blockbuster Video. At the time of its closing in 2000, Co-Ed Prison Sluts, a musical comedy with a frequently rotating cast, was the longest-running musical comedy in Chicago, having played for 11 years. The Annoyance took up residence in a new building in 2002, and signed a lease for a permanent home in 2004.
In 1992 the Annoyance opened a show called The Real Live Brady Bunch, in which a troupe of performers, with an eye toward irony, acted out entire episodes of the 1960s and '70s family sitcom The Brady Bunch
. The show was hugely successful, riding the wave of 1970s nostalgia
that came in part to define the 1990s and continues to this day. What Every Girl Should Know... An Ode to Judy Blume was another popular show and even gained the respect and approval of author Judy Blume
. Throughout the late 1990s iconic film director John Waters
and comedian Charlie Callas
made appearances at the Annoyance.
The Annoyance opened a new theatre and bar in July 2006 in the Uptown
area of Chicago (4830 N Broadway) and the company continues to produce original material created by their own ensemble. The new location opened with a production of President Bush is a Great Man directed by Mick Napier
.
In October 2006, the theatre revived their very first show, Splatter Theatre
, first performed in 1987. This has become a Halloween tradition at the theater.
In July 2008, the theatre revived their flagship show, Co-Ed Prison Sluts
, first performed in April 1988. The show has since been given an open run.
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
that deals mainly in absurd, pretentious and outrageous humor. Many people that have performed with the ensemble have gone on to become successful stage and screen actors. Popular productions included Co-Ed Prison Sluts
Co-Ed Prison Sluts
Co-Ed Prison Sluts is a musical revue that originally opened at the Annoyance Theatre in April 1989, closed in June 2000, making it the longest-running musical in Chicago, Illinois, a title that still holds to this day....
and That Darned Antichrist.
History
The Annoyance Theatre was founded by Mick NapierMick Napier
Mick Napier is an actor, director, teacher and author living in Chicago. He is the founder and artistic director of the Annoyance Theatre and an award-winning director at The Second City. He has worked with people such as Stephen Colbert, Tina Fey, Rachel Dratch, Horatio Sanz, Nia Vardalos, Andy...
, as Metraform in 1987 and changed its name to the Annoyance after moving into a new building in 1989. The Annoyance moved again in 1994 to a theater on the 3700 block of North Clark Street where it would remain for six years. In 2000 the Annoyance was forced to move out so the building could be demolished to make room for a temporary parking lot for nearby Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field is a baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago Cubs since 1916. It was built in 1914 as Weeghman Park for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales...
, and later a mixed commercial/residential building containing a Blockbuster Video. At the time of its closing in 2000, Co-Ed Prison Sluts, a musical comedy with a frequently rotating cast, was the longest-running musical comedy in Chicago, having played for 11 years. The Annoyance took up residence in a new building in 2002, and signed a lease for a permanent home in 2004.
In 1992 the Annoyance opened a show called The Real Live Brady Bunch, in which a troupe of performers, with an eye toward irony, acted out entire episodes of the 1960s and '70s family sitcom The Brady Bunch
The Brady Bunch
The Brady Bunch is an American sitcom created by Sherwood Schwartz and starring Robert Reed, Florence Henderson, and Ann B. Davis. The series revolved around a large blended family...
. The show was hugely successful, riding the wave of 1970s nostalgia
Nostalgia
The term nostalgia describes a yearning for the past, often in idealized form.The word is a learned formation of a Greek compound, consisting of , meaning "returning home", a Homeric word, and , meaning "pain, ache"...
that came in part to define the 1990s and continues to this day. What Every Girl Should Know... An Ode to Judy Blume was another popular show and even gained the respect and approval of author Judy Blume
Judy Blume
Judy Blume is an American author. She has written many novels for children and young adults which have exceeded sales of 80 million and been translated into 31 languages...
. Throughout the late 1990s iconic film director John Waters
John Waters (filmmaker)
John Samuel Waters, Jr. is an American filmmaker, actor, stand-up comedian, writer, journalist, visual artist, and art collector, who rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films...
and comedian Charlie Callas
Charlie Callas
Charlie Callas was an American comedian and actor most commonly known for his work with Mel Brooks, Jerry Lewis, and Dean Martin and his many stand-up appearances on television talk shows in the 1970s...
made appearances at the Annoyance.
The Annoyance opened a new theatre and bar in July 2006 in the Uptown
Uptown, Chicago
Uptown is one of Chicago’s 77 community areas. Uptown has well defined boundaries. They are: Foster on the north; Lake Michigan on the east; Montrose , and Irving Park on the south; Ravenswood , and Clark on the west. Uptown borders three community areas and Lake Michigan...
area of Chicago (4830 N Broadway) and the company continues to produce original material created by their own ensemble. The new location opened with a production of President Bush is a Great Man directed by Mick Napier
Mick Napier
Mick Napier is an actor, director, teacher and author living in Chicago. He is the founder and artistic director of the Annoyance Theatre and an award-winning director at The Second City. He has worked with people such as Stephen Colbert, Tina Fey, Rachel Dratch, Horatio Sanz, Nia Vardalos, Andy...
.
In October 2006, the theatre revived their very first show, Splatter Theatre
Splatter Theatre
Splatter Theatre was the first show for The Annoyance Theater. The show was first performed at the Cabaret Metro, on October 31, 1987 and directed by Mick Napier...
, first performed in 1987. This has become a Halloween tradition at the theater.
In July 2008, the theatre revived their flagship show, Co-Ed Prison Sluts
Co-Ed Prison Sluts
Co-Ed Prison Sluts is a musical revue that originally opened at the Annoyance Theatre in April 1989, closed in June 2000, making it the longest-running musical in Chicago, Illinois, a title that still holds to this day....
, first performed in April 1988. The show has since been given an open run.
Notable alumni
- Ike BarinholtzIke BarinholtzIsaac "Ike" Barinholtz is an American actor, comedian and screenwriter. Barinholtz is most notable for his membership in the recurring cast of comedians on sketch comedy series MADtv from 2002-2007.-Early life:...
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castmember - Beth CahillBeth CahillBeth Cahill is an American television actress who is best known for having been a featured cast member on Saturday Night Live during the 1991–1992 season. She was also a writer for some episodes...
, Saturday Night Live castmember - Stephen ColbertStephen ColbertStephen Tyrone Colbert is an American political satirist, writer, comedian, television host, and actor. He is the host of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, a satirical news show in which Colbert portrays a caricatured version of conservative political pundits.Colbert originally studied to be an...
, television host - Martin de MaatMartin de MaatMartin de Maat was a teacher and artistic director at The Second City in Chicago. He also taught at Columbia College and Players Workshop. He studied under Viola Spolin...
, teacher - Paul DinelloPaul DinelloPaul Dinello is an American actor, comedian, writer, director, and an alumnus of Chicago-based The Second City, Improv Institute, and Annoyance Theatre...
, Strangers with CandyStrangers with CandyStrangers with Candy is a television series produced by Comedy Central. It first aired on April 7, 1999, and concluded its third and final season on October 2, 2000. Its timeslot was Sundays at 10 p.m....
actor/director - Jon FavreauJon FavreauJonathan Kolia "Jon" Favreau is an American actor, screenwriter, film director and comedian. As an actor, he is best known for his roles in Rudy, Swingers , Very Bad Things, and The Break-Up. His notable directorial efforts include Elf, Iron Man and its sequel, and Cowboys & Aliens...
, actor, writer, and director - Kate FlanneryKate FlanneryKatherine Patricia "Kate" Flannery is an American actress best known for playing the role of Meredith Palmer on the NBC hit series The Office.-Personal life:...
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actor - Jeff GarlinJeff GarlinJeffrey "Jeff" Garlin is an American stand-up comedian, actor, producer, voice artist, director, writer and author, best known for his role as Jeff Greene on the HBO show Curb Your Enthusiasm...
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actor/producer - Melanie HutsellMelanie HutsellMelanie Hutsell is an American comedic actress best known for her tenure on Saturday Night Live.Hutsell was born in Maryville, Tennessee. She began her career starring in a Chicago stage production, The Real Live Brady Bunch in 1990...
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castmember - Lisa LewisLisa LewisLisa Lewis is an American poet, who was recently awarded a 2011 National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship for Poetry.-Life:She graduated from University of Houston, with a PhD.She teaches at Oklahoma State University.-Awards:...
, actress/voiceover artist - Jane LynchJane LynchJane Marie Lynch is an American comedian, actress and singer. She gained fame in Christopher Guest's improv mockumentary pictures such as Best in Show and is currently best known for playing the role of Sue Sylvester in the television series Glee...
, actor - Susan MessingSusan MessingSusan Messing is a director and actress living in Chicago. She graduated from Northwestern University and was a performer on The Second City mainstage. Messing is an ensemble member of Annoyance Theatre. She has performed in The Real Live Brady Bunch and directed What Every Girl Should Know......
, Late Friday comedian - Mick NapierMick NapierMick Napier is an actor, director, teacher and author living in Chicago. He is the founder and artistic director of the Annoyance Theatre and an award-winning director at The Second City. He has worked with people such as Stephen Colbert, Tina Fey, Rachel Dratch, Horatio Sanz, Nia Vardalos, Andy...
, Exit 57Exit 57Exit 57 was a 30-minute sketch comedy series that aired on the American television channel Comedy Central from 1995 to 1996; its cast was composed of comedians Amy Sedaris, Paul Dinello, Stephen Colbert, Jodi Lennon, and Mitch Rouse, all of whom had previously studied improv at The Second City in...
director - Kerri RandlesKerri RandlesKerri Lee Randles is an American actress, writer and producer.- Early life :Randles was born in Decatur, Illinois, the daughter of Virginia, a secretary, and Terry, a business owner. She attended the University of Illinois at Chicago with an art scholarship but soon switched her major to Theatre...
, actress - Andy RichterAndy RichterPaul Andrew "Andy" Richter is an American actor, writer, comedian, and late night talk show announcer. He is best known for his role as the sidekick of Conan O'Brien on each of the host's programs: Late Night and The Tonight Show on NBC, and Conan on TBS...
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cohost/actor - Amy SedarisAmy SedarisAmy Louise Sedaris is an American actress, author, and comedian. She is known for playing the character Jerri Blank in the Comedy Central television series Strangers with Candy. Sedaris regularly collaborates with her older brother, humorist and author David Sedaris...
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actor - Faith SolowayFaith SolowayFaith Soloway is a folk-rock musician, comedic performer, and creator of several folk-rock musicals, based in the Boston area. She studied theater at Indiana University and performed improv comedy regularly, along with leaving school to tour with Second City...
, musician - Jill SolowayJill SolowayJill Soloway is an American comedian, playwright, a feminist and an Emmy-nominated television writer.Soloway was an executive producer and show-runner of the Showtime show The United States of Tara created by writer Diablo Cody. Soloway exited the show in November 2009...
, Six Feet Under writer/producer - Jason SudeikisJason SudeikisDaniel Jason Sudeikis is an American actor and comedian currently starring as a cast member on Saturday Night Live.-Early life:Sudeikis was born Daniel Jason Sudeikis in Fairfax, Virginia, the son of Kathryn , a travel agent who was president of the American Society of Travel Agents, and Dan...
, Saturday Night LiveSaturday Night LiveSaturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
castmember - Matt Walsh, Upright Citizen's Brigade actor