AUDITIONS FOR MAINSTAGE RESIDENCY ‘26
The BCC is excited to announce auditions for our Mainstage Residency program, in which an ensemble creates an original show. Helmed by Artistic Director, Philip Markle, and Associate Director, Maya Sharma, this cast of 8 performer/writers will craft a revue featured in a 6-week run on the Mainstage at BCC in March, 2026. Over the course of a 2 month-long rehearsal process, cast members will devise sketch, character, clown, musical comedy, and solo pieces, in addition to improvised elements, that will add up to a thematic whole for the show. This professional process will include significant out-of-rehearsal writing and preparation, all geared toward creating a polished show that plays to the BCC's "fuck it, love it / fun & dumb" style of comedy. This residency is a way to build your performance chops and strengthen your collaborative process, and increase exposure to industry and critics.
Deadline to Submit: Saturday, Nov 29 (end of day)
SHOWS
“If you've ever wanted to see the future of comedy—head to the BCC.” - Time Out New York
No shows this week! Go ahead and eat food and buy a tv and blast off!!!! We’ll see you in December (the winter’s month).
Students from Broken Box's Mime Class Level 1 show off what they've learned over the past 5 weeks.
Welcome to our weekly house improv show where a rotating cast of 6 primo indie teams do some of the most GOATED improv you've ever seen!
THIS WEEK IT’S DOG TEAMS: GUPS, Morgan & Morgan & Morgan & Morgan & Morgan, Not Like Other Girls
Pump Up: The Jam is a weekly improv mic hosted by William Banks, Maya Sharma, and Tej Khanna where anyone can put their name in and perform improv in a mash up group with other comedians.
Tickets: FREE with a suggested donation to BCC Diversity Scholarship fund.
Performers get 3 minute slots to try their material out with little pops from After School Special in between. Show off standup, sketch, a character, or even a little poem you've been working on. There is a ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY FOR BIGOTED MATERIAL.
Tickets: FREE with a suggested donation to BCC Diversity Scholarship fund.
Students from the Improv Level 4 Class, instructed by Andy Junk, show off their hard work from the last 7 weeks. Show #1 of 3!
Students from BCC's Character Workshop class, instructed by Jamie Linn Watson, show off their hard work from the last 5 weeks.
The Good Time is a fully improvised show based on one suggestion from the audience. The Good Time is a team made up of Chicago improv veterans who have performed at The Second City, iO Chicago, The Annoyance, Logan Square Improv.
Openers: Former Child, Stress Dream
Do you like laughing? Do you like doing good? What if I told you both were possible AT THE SAME TIME???
Descend. Join the freaks of the BCC for a night of mania. All new wild-ass improvised sketches every week. Welcome to hell, it’s a party.
“The right mix of scrappy and chaotic.” - The New York Times
Tickets: FREE with a suggested donation to BCC Diversity Scholarship fund.
YOU the audience will share a tale of being ghosted, and our improv mediums will reveal their whereabouts!
BCC is thrilled to announce our new podcast F*CK IT / LOVE IT, all about platforming the community at the BCC and our ethos of not taking ourselves too seriously (f*ck it) and loving what we do and everyone we do it with (love it).
Hosted by Philip Markle and Maya Sharma and featuring CHICKEN BIG (@chickenbigcomedy) + 5-min of stand-up from Katherine Gorham (@katherine_gorham)
Beloved sketch group BOOBIE TRAP presents a beautiful end of year variety show with their extended family!
It’s the Holidays and Donna’s Beef have got a big Secret Santa celebration!!!
It's gonna be full of holly, jolly, and fun so only miss it if you have a lot of that already
Eight Grinches take the stage, to do improv most foul. Eight comedians clad in green, to make you laugh and howl.
Come join us at BCC on Dec 6th as we try to bring the Holiday Spirit to NYC!!
Devon + Co. return for another spectacular night of original sketches, stand up comedy, interactive games in celebration of the birthday!
For his 40th bday, Founder of the BCC Philip Markle gets roasted alive by comedians and friends. Come toast his mid-life crisis!
Welcome to the BCC's longest-running haus improv show - where everything is totally made up on the spot, for one night only.
Opener: Gerdy
What do you do when the world feels crazy? Turn to clown!
A brilliantly bizarre live fever dream where comedy, chaos, clown, clever stupidity and sincere nonsense collide.
Students from the Improv Level 4 Class, instructed by Andy Junk, show off their hard work from the last 7 weeks. Show #2 of 3!
Welcome to BABES! An improv show featuring students & grads of the BCC training center. Catch some of the best rising teams from the BCC. It’s time for the community to fuck around, mess around, and be a god-damn lunatics. By that, we mean do improv.
Featuring: Granny Fully Loaded, Oof, Plan C
A brand new weekly stand up show brought to you by our beloved BCC stand up faculty!
Featuring: TBA
Live music, a bar ten steps away, and "one of the most entertaining improv shows in the world," - Santa Claus & Moses.
From The Daily Show's Lily Blumkin (@lilyblumkin) comes a hilarious solo show about growing up and getting worse.
Welcome to our weekly house improv show where a rotating cast of 6 primo indie teams do some of the most GOATED improv you've ever seen!
THIS WEEK IT’S PIG TEAMS: Boy Basement, Mercy Santos, The Twinkle Brothers
Students from the Sketch Level 2 Class, instructed by Alise Morales, show off their hard work from the last 7 weeks!
Pump Up: The Jam is a weekly improv mic hosted by William Banks, Maya Sharma, and Tej Khanna where anyone can put their name in and perform improv in a mash up group with other comedians.
Tickets: FREE with a suggested donation to BCC Diversity Scholarship fund.
“The right mix of scrappy and chaotic...a leading house of improvisation.” - The New York Times
Classes
Discover your voice, hone your craft, find your people.
HIRE US
Applied improv classes and customized shows.
Comedy shows to delight and improv workshops to enhance communication, innovation, leadership, and trust among your team.
GIFT CARDS
There’s no gift like comedy.
This gift card can be applied toward any class or merch at the BCC.
This gift card can be used for tix to any of our shows via Eventbrite.
TESTIMONIALS
Nice words from BCC peeps.
COMMUNITY
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MERCH
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INSTA
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