2nd Annual Playground Improv Marathon Kicks Off 8/26

K.C. Redheart, a Chicago-based improv troupe, has announced the 2nd Annual Playground Improv Marathon, 30 straight hours of improvised comedy alongside a different guest group each hour, a charity event benefiting Namaste Charter School and the Playground Theater.

8 actors. 30 hours. No script. No sleep. No sanity.
The brave members of local improv troupe K.C. Redheart will once again test their wits, endurance, and sanity as the core group of "marathoners" going without rest while improvising for a good cause. Will they survive? Will improv survive?

"Basically, you have to break down your barriers," explained K.C. Redheart member Karisa Bruin. "Improvising for 30 hours straight will really highlight any bad habits or tendencies you have, so it's crucial to get out of your comfort zone and really take some risks."

New Guest Stars Each Hour!
In effect, the marathon is 30 unique shows, as each hour K.C. Redheart welcomes guests from around the city to improvise with them, including performers from the Second City, iO, ComedySportz, the Annoyance Theatre, and K.C. Redheart's home, the Playground Theater.

"[Guest teams] 3033 and Family Tree House Boat Accident are incredible veterans of the city's improv scene, and we're all really looking to playing with them," said K.C. Redheart member Dave Maher. "But more than anything, I'm looking forward to playing with the Playground's newer crop of Incubator teams. There are a lot of really funny, exciting performers on those teams, and it's always a blast to play with people who are young and enthusiastic."

From Family-Friendly to Anything-Goes!
With the help of so many different performers, the Playground Improv Marathon will showcase the remarkable diversity and vitality of Chicago's improv scene. There will be short-form games in the style of Whose Line Is It Anyway?, experimental and narrative long-form shows, family-friendly shows during the day, and anything-goes sets during the late night hours.

"I am most excited to get to the moments where it's no longer fresh and energetic, because that's when it gets really fun," said Maher. "Last year things got very loopy for me around noon on Saturday. I felt completely invincible: physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Other people would call that insanity."

Insanity for a Cause
This year, the proceeds from the Marathon will go to Namaste Charter School, whose groundbreaking approach to education emphasises nutrition and exercise, because healthy, active children perform better in the classroom.

"Namaste is really awesome. It's a public charter school that has a focus on integrating wellness and health with academics," said Bruin. "As a group, we all have an athletic streak, so that's definitely the appealing thing about Namaste. It's not just brains, it's brains and brawn."

"We like to think that we are one of the fittest teams in improv," said K.C. Redheart member Bill Stern. "And I'm personally really fascinated by the positive effects of physical fitness on the mind. Does that sound smart? Don't use that quote unless it sounds real smart."

K.C. Redheart presents the Playground Improv Marathon.

Friday, August 26 @ 5pm through Saturday, August 27 @ 11pm.

The Playground Theater, 3209 N Halsted Ave (Halsted & Belmont), Chicago, IL 60613.

$5 for matinee hours, $10 for prime time hours, or $25 for passes to the entire Marathon. Tickets for each hour can be purchased at the door or in advance at BrownPaperTickets.com/event/192509.

Matinee hours are suitable for all ages, prime time hours are suitable for those 13+, and late night hours are suitable for those 18+. For those 21+, the Playground Theater is BYOB.

For more information, visit Facebook.com/PGMarathon or The-Playground.com, or call 773.871.3793.

About K.C. Redheart
Since it was formed in 2008, K.C. Redheart has become one of the most respected, experimental, and flat-out fun improv teams in Chicago. Now a full-fledged Playground Member Team, K.C. Reheart was originally a product of the Playground Theater's Incubator program, which first assembled its members: Karisa Bruin, Margaret Conway, Nick Leveski, Mark Logsdon, Dave Maher, George Serad, Adam Shalzi, Bill Stern, and Katie Thomas. K.C. Redheart has since performed its narrative-bending long-form improv formats at festivals such as Out of Bounds Comedy Festival in Austin, TX and i3 in Raleigh, NC. Recently, their improvised play-within-a-play, Process, was named a "Critics' Pick" by Time Out Chicago, saying "Improv this good can't help but put a smile on your face." For more, visit Facebook.com/KCRedheart.

About Namaste Charter School
Namaste Charter School is making a measurable difference in children's lives by implementing and sharing a groundbreaking approach to education that combines health and wellness with academic rigor in a peaceful environment. Because healthy, active children perform better in the classroom, Namaste's unique approach includes: nutritious breakfast and lunch program, including salad bar; ample physical activity, including 60 minutes of Physical Education daily; family wellness programming; and an emphasis on conflict resolution and social-emotional health. Namaste Charter School's approach has received national recognition for its meaningful impact on students' health and academic outcomes, and dozens of educators and policymakers visit Namaste each year for lessons to bring to their own school sites. Awards include the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Gold Award of Distinction in the Healthier US School Challenge and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation's prestigious silver Healthy Schools award. By the end of 2011, Namaste Charter School will serve 450 diverse Kindergarten - 8th grade students from across Chicago. For more, visit NamasteCharterSchool.org.

About the Playground Theater
A Chicago comedy institution, the Playground Theater is the nation's only not-for-profit co-op theater dedicated to the performance and instruction of improvised comedy. The Playground's 140 affiliated actors work on a 100% volunteer basis to perform and operate the theater, which has been getting national acclaim for it's work with the TBS Just For Laughs Festival. The Playground is widely regarded as a top venue for local and national talent to produce shows and build their craft. For more, visit The-Playground.com.

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