Charna Halpern

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Charna Halpern
Born (1952-06-01) June 1, 1952 (age 73)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Occupation(s)Improvisation teacher, writer
Years active1980–present

Charna Halpern (born June 1, 1952) is an American comedian who cofounded iO theater with Del Close.

Contents

In 2020, the company closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a targeted racial justice protests.

Early life

Halpern graduated from Southern Illinois University in 1974 with a major in English and Speech. [1] Following graduation, worked for a juvenile delinquency school. [1]

Career

Halpern moved home to Dixon, Illinois following university, where she worked for a McDonalds owned by her father and interviewed locals to promote the franchise leading to a job on a radio show. [2]

Halpern met Del Close in 1981 and they later held competitive improv tournaments under the iO brand and adapted a long-form improvisational style that Close had been creating over the years called the Harold. [3] In 1995, Close and Halpern decided to acquire a more permanent location in 1995 by Wrigley field. [4] iO West opened in 1997 in Los Angeles. [3] Following Close's death, the theater lost one of their largest assets. [5] [6] By the Covid-19 pandemic, iO was drowning debt including a $100,000 property tax. [7]

Halpern and iO also came under criticism after a student in California reported harassment by a director. [4] Others who had interacted with the theater, historically, had claimed instances of racism by the theater as an institution and individual racism by Halpern. [8] In 2020, Halpern listed the theater's building for sale. [9]

References

  1. 1 2 Badowski, Christine (March 31, 2002). "CHARNA HALPERN, FOUNDER AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, IMPROVOLYMPIC ; Class struggle". Chicago Tribune.
  2. ↑ Davis, Deidre Ann (2012-04-25). "Talking to Charna Halpern About Working with Del Close to Create Longform Improv". Vulture. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
  3. 1 2 Bernstein, David (2005-09-03). "In Chicago, Honoring Athletes of Improv". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2021-05-04.
  4. 1 2 Ryzik, Melena (2020-06-18). "Chicago Comedy Institution iO Theater Is Closing". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2021-05-04.
  5. ↑ Vitello, Barbara (August 19, 2005). "The revolution continues Improv Olympic broke new ground in comedy - 25 years later, they're still at it". Daily Herald.
  6. ↑ Nunzio, Miriam Di (2020-06-18). "Chicago's iO Theater owner says comedy hub will not reopen". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
  7. ↑ Nunzio, Miriam Di (2020-06-18). "Chicago's iO Theater owner says comedy hub will not reopen". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
  8. ↑ Jones, Chris. "Chicago's iO Theater is hit by accusations of racism and a petition demanding change". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
  9. ↑ Jones, Chris. "iO Theater of Chicago is for sale, a sad week for Chicago comedy". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
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