Today the Playground turns five years old. Happy Birthday to us. In honor of the event, a brief history of the Playground, according to Megan.

THE CUE CLUB

Before the Playground had its own theater space, it traveled from bar to bar. The first of these was the Cue Club (now known as Cherry Red, formerly Philsophur's - man, do bars turn over in this town or what?). Long before I ever set foot in an improv class or an improv theater, I went to see a Playground show at the Cue Club. I was living with my roommate Kamie at the time, in my first Chicago apartment on North and Halsted, directly across from the Steppenwolf. Kamie and I were always looking for something fun, and preferably free, to do. One day I noticed an ad in the Reader for free improv shows - the deal was, you got in for free if you would provide feedback or "review" the teams playing. Fine, whatever. Free is free. So we go to a Playground show one Friday night. I honestly do not remember the teams playing, but I do remember that they were all pretty god awful. Kam and I were at odds to come up with balanced "reviews" because there wasn't much to work with. One of the guys from the second team came over to ask us how we liked the shows. We lied, finished our beers and vowed never to see improv again, even for free.

CUT TO TWO YEARS LATER

I obviously broke that vow and enrolled myself in classes at Improv Olympic. Like most new improvisers in their first six months at a training center, I was pretty die hard IO. Spent a lot of time at the bar, spent a lot of time with the buddies from class at other bars, spent a lot of time at Allison Bills place when the buddies from class were tired of bars and wanted to chill. Billsy and I got put on a team together fresh out of level two. We were the Sidewalk Ends. We were also eager to play with just about any group that we could.

On to the fateful day. The Incubator Auditions.

It is interesting to look back at life and see some defining moment that inevitably altered the course of your life. Ironically, the Incubators were mine. Had I not gone, I'd probably still be a hanger on at IO, sitting in the Hamlet Lounge, or I'd be out of improv and theater entirely, sitting on my much larger ass in front of the TV watching crap Fox sitcoms in my studio apartment. I'd still probably be working the same job at Northwestern as well.

So. The Incubators. I signed up to audition, thinking it would be good experience to audition. I actually didn't make the connection between the Cue Club and the Playground until much later on, which is probably a good thing. I went, I auditioned, I walked myself over to Joe Bill's class at the Annoyance and didn't think much of it. Was pleased to be put on a team, even though my coach sounded like a bit of a dick. His name was Mark Henderson. I had sort of remembered seeing him around IO, but didn't think much of it. Found out that Jay O'Connor and George Dickson, two guys I knew from IO were on the team as well.

We meet at the Gingerman to have a team meeting. I realize that my coach not only sounds like a bit of a dick, but he IS a bit of a dick. Jay and I walk to IO to watch the end of some improv version of a game show that Jason Chin was doing. We mull over actually staying on the team, given that the coach is an asshole. But stage time is stage time.

Kissing George (aka Lecherous Retards, Cowboy Killers, and eventually Dirty Sweet) was born. We lasted a little over a year. We had good times, bad times and downright craptastic times. Long after IO dumped me from the Schedule (which wasn't a surprise since I stopped taking classes), Kissing George and The Playground were still around. That team is where I met Fuzzy Gerdes, who is a super nice person, good friend, and helped me find employment at the Big Bunny.

In the next few months, amidst the Incubator shows and guest spots we had, I found myself kind of sucked into the volunteering aspect of it. First as a house manager, then as part of the On Site Committee. Fuzzy and I put together Big Bowl Of... my first attempt at producing theater. I went to Board meetings, I ordered lamps for the lights, I cleaned the theater. I was a part of the Playground. One day I came up with an idea for the theater - The Director's Series. Simple little idea about giving new directors a space to put up original shows. It got approved by the Board and from that point forward, I've been working and producing for the theater pretty much nonstop.

A lot has happened over the three years I've been there. We've grown a lot, our programming has changed, teams have come and gone, people have come and gone. It's a pretty amazing place to be a part of. I know I'm biased, but honestly - so much of my time and my life is connected to the theater and the organization, how could I not be biased? I love it. All of it.

Oh - I also have the Playground to thank for a pretty major part of my life as well... I met this crazy guy there that I happen to love very much and now live with. He looks excellent in a beerhat. We caused a minor scandal at the theater because he was my coach at the time. Funny how that doesn't really seem like such a big deal almost three years later. Mark and Megan, a Playground love story. (*gack*, it's just so sweet *gack*... I kid. But seriously. I kid.)

Happy Birthday, Playground.
#