Annoyance Theatre

The Annoyance Theatre was founded in 1987 by Mick Napier in the back room of a Chicago bar, born from a desire to strip away the rigid rules that had come to dominate improv training and replace them with fearless individual expression. The theater quickly became notorious in the Chicago comedy underground for its boundary-pushing original shows, including 'Co-Ed Prison Sluts,' which became the longest-running musical in Chicago history with over 1,200 performances from 1989 to 2000. Over its nearly four-decade history, the Annoyance has produced thousands of original works and expanded from its scrappy Chicago roots to a two-venue operation. The theater moved to its current Chicago home at 851 W. Belmont Avenue in 2014, a purpose-built space with a 100-seat mainstage and a more intimate second stage. In 2015, the Annoyance opened a Brooklyn outpost at 367 Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg, bringing its irreverent sensibility to New York's comedy scene. The Annoyance has remained fiercely independent throughout its history, never franchising or corporatizing, and that DIY spirit continues to define everything from its shows to its training philosophy.

In 2025, the Annoyance Theatre stands as one of Chicago's most distinctive comedy institutions, occupying a unique niche alongside the more structured approaches of Second City, iO, and the Groundlings. What sets the Annoyance apart is founder Mick Napier's 'no-rules' philosophy — the belief that the best improv comes not from following formats or game structures but from individual performers making bold, committed choices in the moment. This approach, codified in Napier's influential 2004 book 'Improvise: Scene from the Inside Out' (updated second edition 2015), has shaped a generation of performers who bring a raw, unfiltered energy to their work. The Annoyance continues to produce a packed calendar of original shows at both its Chicago and Brooklyn locations, ranging from improvised musicals to sketch revues to experimental solo pieces. The theater's house teams and resident ensembles create new work year-round, and the Annoyance remains a place where performers go to take the creative risks that might be too wild for more commercial stages.

Getting started at the Annoyance begins with the AP1 (Annoyance Program Level 1) class, which is open to complete beginners with no prior improv experience required. Registration is handled online through the theater's website, with new class sessions starting roughly every eight weeks at both the Chicago and Brooklyn locations. The AP curriculum runs five levels (AP1 through AP5), with each level consisting of eight weekly three-hour classes. AP1 focuses on Napier's foundational principle of 'taking care of yourself' in a scene — making strong individual choices rather than relying on your scene partner or external structures. As students progress through the levels, they explore two-person scenes, group dynamics, genre work, and eventually full-length show creation. Unlike iO's Harold-centric training or UCB's game-focused approach, the Annoyance curriculum deliberately avoids teaching specific formats, instead building each performer's confidence to create compelling work from pure instinct and commitment.

The daily experience at the Annoyance is defined by its famously relaxed, non-hierarchical culture — there is no VIP section, no gatekeeping, and students regularly perform alongside veteran house team members on the same stages. Beyond the core AP curriculum, the Annoyance offers specialty workshops in musical improv, sketch writing, character work, solo performance, and directing, taught by a rotating roster of instructors who are all active performers. The theater's two Chicago stages host shows nearly every night of the week, and students are encouraged to attend as much live improv as possible to absorb the Annoyance aesthetic. One of the most distinctive features is the 'Annoyance Open Scene Night,' where anyone — student or veteran — can sign up to perform a two-person scene with a random partner, creating a low-stakes laboratory for trying new ideas. After completing the AP5 level, performers can audition for house teams, which rehearse weekly and perform on a regular schedule. The Brooklyn location mirrors the Chicago programming, offering the full AP curriculum plus its own slate of shows and house teams.

The Annoyance attracts a deliberately eclectic mix of performers who tend to share one thing in common: they have either outgrown or never felt at home in more structured improv environments. Many students arrive having trained at iO, Second City, or UCB and feeling constrained by those theaters' emphasis on specific formats and rules. The Annoyance also draws a strong contingent of performers from theater, sketch, and stand-up backgrounds who want to develop their improvisational skills without abandoning their existing artistic identity. Notable alumni include Andy Richter (Conan O'Brien's longtime sidekick), Susan Messing (one of Chicago's most celebrated improv performers and teachers), Tim Meadows (Saturday Night Live), and scores of performers who have gone on to write and perform for shows like The Late Show, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Key & Peele. The Annoyance's reputation for embracing outsiders and misfits has made it a particularly welcoming home for performers from underrepresented communities who may feel excluded by the more traditional improv pipeline.

Classes at the Annoyance Theatre range from approximately $200 to $300 per level in 2025, making it one of the most affordable training options among major improv institutions in either Chicago or New York. Each AP level consists of eight three-hour sessions, meaning students receive 24 hours of instruction per level — a strong value compared to the typical six-session format at other theaters. The full AP1-through-AP5 curriculum costs roughly $1,000 to $1,500 total, significantly less than completing the equivalent track at Second City ($1,350 to $2,400 for the six-level Conservatory) or UCB ($2,000 to $2,500 for five levels). Specialty workshops and intensives are priced separately, typically in the $150 to $250 range. The Annoyance also offers need-based scholarships and work-study arrangements where students can volunteer at the theater in exchange for reduced tuition. There are no hidden fees — unlike some theaters that charge additional registration or performance fees, the Annoyance class price covers everything.

The Annoyance Theatre is the ideal training ground for performers who feel stifled by traditional improv rules and want to develop a genuinely original creative voice. If you have trained at iO, UCB, or Second City and feel like you are performing 'correctly' but not authentically, the Annoyance can unlock a level of freedom and risk-taking that transforms your work. It is also an excellent choice for performers from theater, stand-up, or sketch backgrounds who want to add improv skills without conforming to a single improv methodology. However, if you are a complete beginner who needs clear structure to learn effectively, you may want to start with a more curriculum-driven program like Second City or UCB and come to the Annoyance after you have a foundation. Similarly, if your primary goal is using improv as a pathway to TV writing or sketch comedy staffing, UCB or the Groundlings may offer more strategically aligned training. For Chicago-based performers, the Annoyance is an essential part of a well-rounded improv education and should be experienced alongside training at other theaters.

Read Mick Napier's 'Improvise: Scene from the Inside Out' before starting AP1 — it will give you a framework for the philosophy you are about to experience and help you get more out of the training from day one. Take advantage of the open-scene nights as early and often as possible, even if you are terrified — performing with random partners in a low-stakes environment accelerates your growth faster than any classroom exercise. If you are training in Chicago, make it a point to see shows at the Annoyance at least twice a month to internalize the aesthetic and see how advanced performers apply the no-rules philosophy. Cross-train at other Chicago theaters simultaneously — many of the city's best performers train at the Annoyance alongside iO or Second City, and the combination of structured and unstructured approaches creates the most versatile skill set. If you are interested in creating original work, pitch a show to the Annoyance as soon as you feel ready — the theater is remarkably open to giving newer performers stage time for original projects, and producing your own show is the fastest way to build a following in the Chicago comedy community.