St.Vitus

e a staple of American culture, and it has its roots here in Chicago at Hull House, University of Chicago, The Compass Theatre and the Second City. Based directly on the teachings of the originators of art of improvisation, St. Vitus Improv Workshop, directed by Tony Papaleo, begins its 2013 session at a new location, the side project theatre, 1439 W. Jarvis in Rogers Park. Tony Papaleo is a 1970s graduate of the world's first official school of improv, Josephine Forsberg's Players Workshop of The Second City. St.Vitus draws upon the techniques of Forsberg, her mentor Viola Spolin and Spolin's son, famed director Paul Sills. St.Vitus creates a workshop like no other in Chicago. Called “Improv Into Film,” the focus of the St.Vitus class is to produce a character-driven screenplay and produce a short film at the end of the session. Several of their past films can be found on vimeo.com and YouTube. Every member of the workshop is given the opportunity to contribute to the final screenplay, and appear in the film. Eventually, the film is submitted to one or more festivals around the country. Classes at St.Vitus are beginning now and will run until December. The 10-week course costs $150 for new students. To reserve a seat in the class, call Tony Papaleo at 312-931-7234, or send a request to [email protected]