In this episode of Fear No ART Chicago, host Elysabeth Alfano goes behind the scenes with improviser Susan Messing, just minutes before her TBS Just For Laughs performance with Michael Patrick Thornton at the Annoyance Theatre.

Then, in a rare, unedited interview, Elysabeth talks with Susan and Michael on the stage of the Annoyance Theatre, just minutes after the show.

Finally, it wouldn’t be a Susan Messing interview without a few bloopers and out-takes. Enjoy!

Susan Messing is a director and actress living in Chicago. She graduated from Northwestern University and was a performer on The Second City mainstage. Messing is an ensemble member of Annoyance Theatre. She has performed in The Real Live Brady Bunch and directed What Every Girl Should Know… An Ode to Judy Blume based on the work of Judy Blume. She performed on NBC’s Late Friday and Comedy Central‘s Premium Blend along with her puppet Jolly after showcasing at the HBO/US Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen. Her critically acclaimed improvised show, Messing With a Friend, is in its fifth year, currently playing at the Annoyance every Thursday night. She also voiced the character “Eos” in the 2001 video game Red Faction.

Susan teaches and performs at the Annoyance Theatre and the Improv Olympic. She also teaches improvisational comedy for DePaul University, The University of Chicago and Loyola University. Her essays have been published in The Second City Almanac of Improvisation and in Charna Halpern‘s book, Art By Committee and endorsed Jon Jon Lannen‘s book The Giraffe That Taught Me How To Laugh.

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Tags: elysabeth alfano, fear no art chicago, michael patrick thornton, susan messing, theatre

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 5th, 2011 at 9:27 am.