Chicago artists from two wildly different worlds converged in Bloomington to create a mashup of improv comedy and fine art photography. In conjunction with the opening of Clarissa Bonet’s exhibition Chasing Light, comedians Timothy Felton, Thomas Kelly, Jes Benson, and Will Sonheim improvised sketches based on photographs featuring scenes of city life. 

Bonet virtually presented her images of monumental buildings, glimpses through windows, and moments from daily life while the comedy group created scenes based on the work, pulling inspiration from awkward encounters on public transit, romance and friendship, and even the pigeons that roam the city. Moving between artist descriptions and hilarious scenes, Bonet, Kelly, Benson, Sonheim, and Felton worked in tandem to deliver a unique discussion surrounding the practice of photography. The experience was an opportunity to experience Bonet’s work in a new context and an invitation to consider the endless narrative possibilities that exist outside the frame. 

In addition to the show, the visiting improv artists hosted a two hour workshop of Chicago style of improvisation with the goal of getting performers comfortable with both scenic and show flow.Through silly group exercises, games and scenes, they explored the power of emotion and discovered the heightened stakes of even the most mundane human interaction.

Clarissa Bonet uses urban spaces as a dynamic backdrops for the subtle, often overlooked dramas of daily life in the city. Bonet studies the shape and behavior of sunlight and shadow, and then carefully constructs street scenes that are suspended in time, briefly illuminating the psychological space that runs under the daily routines. Click here to learn more about the exhibition.

Special thanks to the Visit Bloomington Venue Grant for making this event possible!

Our visiting improvisers and comedians are veterans of the Chicago improv scene, training and performing at iO Theater, CIC Theater, Second City, Lincoln Lodge, and more! They are thrilled to bring their take on Chicago style improvisation to Bloomington. Chicago style improvisation is longform improvisation that often follows a story as it is spontaneously emerging and puts emphasis on building characters and their relationships.

Thomas Kelly is a veteran Chicago performer and teacher. On top of studying improv for two decades, he also completed the two year Jacques Lecoq inspired physical theater and devising course at the London International School for the Performing Arts. He can be seen performing in Chicago and around the world with the award winning improv ensemble, Sand. He can be seen on TV on shows like Showtime’s Work In Progress, NBC’s Chicago Med, NBC’s Shrink, the feature film Monuments, and in the stop motion short, Sleepy Steve.

Will Sonheim’s is a true renaissance man about Chicago! His credits include: THE ARROW at The Neo-Futurists, Steppenwolf’s First Look Series: Seagulls, production for Work In Progress (Showtime), iO Harold Team THE RUCKUS for 3+ years, Write Club Winner, and Potluck Variety Hour (producer & performer). 

Jes Benson is an artist from Chicago who has studied and performed improv for over 15 years. She has been teaching improv workshops and coaching since 2019. Her team, Holy Goat, produces and performs in The Friday Show at Logan Square Improv, the best show in the city ;)

Timothy Bernard Felton is a writer/​actor/​producer in Chicago by way of southern Indiana – ahem … BLOOMINGTON BABY! Tim is an earnest elder-millenial whose comedy explores the often-sad underbelly of an otherwise humorous moment. Timothy co-writes, produces, and plays lead in the animated web series Afternoons With Owen, premiered his solo show Dad(dy): An Earnest Attempt At Manifestation in 2022, and currently produces a vaudeville-style variety show called Freshly Waxed! at the Lincoln Lodge. Give him a follow on instagram (@timothyfeltoncomedy) and catch one of his many shows around the city!