iO theater sold: Buyers plan to resume improv shows and classes

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
Don’t turn the lights out on the iO theater just yet.
The North Side comedy house’s longtime owner, Charna Halpern, said Monday that she has sold the building and the iO brand to a pair of local real estate executives.
The buyers, Scott Gendell and Larry Weiner, intend to reopen the space at 1501 N. Kingsbury St. and resume offering improv shows and classes there, she said.
“I’m so relieved, I can’t tell you,” Halpern said.
In its 40 years in business, iO (formerly ImprovOlympic) built a reputation for nurturing creativity and helped shape future stars including Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Stephen Colbert, Chris Farley and Mike Myers. For many years it was the educational outlet for the volatile visionary Del Close, the late actor and director highly regarded for his eye for talent.

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