Chicago Improv Productions

For Immediate Release: December 18, 2020

23 Years of Chicago Improv Productions’ Archives Donated by Jonathan Pitts to the Chicago Public Library’s Special Collections And Preservation Division

On Monday, December 14, 2020, Jonathan Pitts, founder and former Executive Director of Chicago Improv Productions, donated the entire collection of 23 years worth of Chicago Improv Productions’ archives to Sarah Zimmerman, Chicago Theater Librarian, Special Collections and Preservation Division of the Harold Washington Library Center, Chicago Public Library.

“We’re very excited to accept this artistically important and historically significant collection from Jonathan”, says Sarah Zimmerman. “These Chicago Improv Productions archives become the primary source materials about improv in our ongoing Chicago Theater history collection.”

Chicago Improv Productions’ collection are archived from its many programs including Chicago Improv Festival, College Improv Tournament, Teen Comedy Fest, Chicago Podcast Festival, CIP Touring Co., and Education Outreach. The archival collection is a time capsule that showcases multiple generations of this beloved Chicago art form, while also having a national and international perspective on the work. The archives document improv’s pioneers, world renowned improv theatres, celebrity improvisers, improv artists from 51 US cities, improv artists from 27 countries, as well as student improvisers from 155 colleges and 33 high schools.

Jonathan Pitts says, “I’m very happy that this work, which was made in Chicago, will remain in Chicago, free and available for academic researchers, improvisers, and the public, in perpetuity. I’m very excited that this work becomes its own legacy, and that these lively shows and events can live once more for whoever wants to see them.”

The Chicago Improv Productions’ archival collection includes:

616 Videos (each with 1-3 shows, and/or awards speeches and/or backstage interviews)
286 CDs (photos of shows, backstage candids, workshops, awards, parties)
7 External Hard Drives (8.82 TBs of videos and photos)
61 posters (signed and unsigned)
20 years of Chicago Improv Festival press kits and program books
5 bankers boxes with audio tapes, marketing materials, media interviews, organizational papers, press clippings, and press releases

Once catalogued, the Chicago Improv Productions Records at the Harold Washington Library Center (400 S. State St., Chicago, IL 60605) will be available for viewing by appointment only. For more information contact the Special Collections and Preservation Division at 312.747.4875 or [email protected]

For interviews, contact Jonathan Pitts at 773.875.6616 or [email protected]