Off-Off Campus is the oldest improvisational and

sketch comedy Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches" or, "skits", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. While the form developed and became popular in ...

group at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

. It was founded in 1986 by

The Second City The Second City is an improvisational comedy enterprise. It is the oldest improvisational theater troupe to be continuously based in Chicago, with training programs and live theaters in Toronto and New York. Since its debut in 1959, it has b ...

co-founder Bernie Sahlins, who is also an alumnus of the University of Chicago. 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 the Compass Players, went on to form

. In 1986, Bernie Sahlins returned to the U of C in order to re-establish improv and sketch comedy on the south side of

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. The first generation of Off-Off Campus was trained by Sahlins, and the group continues to build on the foundation he created.

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

winner

David Auburn David Auburn (born November 30, 1969) is an American playwright, screenwriter, and theatre director. He is best known for his 2000 play ''Proof'', which won the 2001 Tony Award for Best Play and Pulitzer Prize for Drama. He also wrote the scree ...

was a member of Off-Off's second generation. Sarah Koenig, host and executive producer of the acclaimed podcast '' Serial,'' was a member of the same generation as Auburn. In addition,

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

-winner

Greg Kotis Greg Kotis (born 1965/1966) is an American playwright, best known for writing the book and co-writing the lyrics for the musical ''Urinetown''. Biography Career Kotis studied political science at the University of Chicago, where he was a memb ...

was one of Off-Off's original members. 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.Univ. of Chicago, University Theatre
/ref> New members train significantly (roughly 20 hours a week) during fall and winter quarters before becoming responsible for mainstage revues in the spring and the following fall. Offoffcampus 273431056 517317936367556 5905013204009004107 n

Offoffcampus 273431056 517317936367556 5905013204009004107 n

References

External links

Off-Off Campus official websiteGuide to the University of Chicago, Off-Off Campus Records 1986-2008
at th
University of Chicago Special Collections Research Center
{{authority control American comedy troupes Sketch comedy troupes Theatre companies in Chicago University of Chicago University performing groups