According to a recent permit filing, The Revival will have another location at 906 S Wabash Avenue.
A representative of The Revival was unable to provide commentary at this time upon What Now Chicago’s request.
While an official opening date and overall information on what The Revival will be offering at this new location have yet to be released, The Revival is currently described as the birth site of improvisational theater.
Currently located at the intersection of 55th Street and University Avenue, they witnessed the inception of what is described as a revolutionary form of entertainment in 1955 when the Compass Players took center stage. Initially, they delivered scripted “plays” from the back of a local bar, setting the stage for an art form that would “change the course of theater forever.”
What is said to be a destined night, the Compass Players performed to a packed house, and an unexpected request came from an “unlikely” source. Fred Wranovics, the bartender on duty, approached the director, Paul Sills, with a proposition. He asked Sills to extend the show, giving him the chance to sell another round of drinks to the audience. However, with no additional scripted material prepared, Sills faced a challenge with this request.
In a moment of creative spontaneity, Paul Sills made a decision. He chose to present a third act that would consist entirely of improvisational games that the troupe had been refining during their rehearsals. The impromptu performance was considered a resounding success.
In a poetic twist of fate, improvisational theater returned to its birthplace on the corner of 55th Street and University Avenue in Hyde Park in 2015. Exactly 60 years after its first appearance, the art form that was born here came full circle, marking a revival that celebrates the enduring spirit of improvisation, according to the company website.
