My husband and I love to come here for the Halloween themed comedy plays they do every year. It's super intimate and we love that it's byob. Unfortunately this year there was a group of drunk older women who talked the whole time and ruined the show. I felt bad for the actors :( would definitely recommend if you are looking to get out and do something different! read more

Watched "Welcome to our Party"- I walked in with no expectations, just by chance became aware of that small, but somehow unique place and had a blast. Great acting, good fun and definetly worth going again. read more

The first time I attended the Cornservatory, I didn't know what to expect. My boyfriend and I were going to see "The Somewhat Gelatinous Blob From Beyond the Grave (and also the grave's in outer space)." We heard good things about the Cornservatory on Yelp. ;) I was very happy with my experience. The play was great! The actors were loud and energetic. I loved the creativity that was put into the props and the dialogue of the story. It was very funny and entertaining. I look forward to going back again and seeing something new! read more

My one and only experience at the Cornservatory was for a 3 group comedy show which I have no idea what they were called now. The theater reminds me of the original days of Comedy Sportz, small, dark, cramped, bathrooms behind the curtain, etc. The main "comic" who did stand-up in between the groups was painful to watch, he just was not good. Of the 3 groups, the last ones were the best. Each group asked for a phrase or something from the audience for which the first group didn't even incorporate (at least that I noticed), the second group did in the beginning but the last group did the whole skip based on events in the life of an audience member. Our tickets were 1/2 price for a Saturday show and BYOB makes it a fairly inexpensive night out. read more

Would have given them four stars, but they started making racist jokes. Never funny! It was also freezing in there.

As a child, did you ever put on a show in the basement? Remember how you acted your heart out? Remember the lights, the applause? Cornservatory is where those kids who did that and were good at it come to show you their love of comedy theater. This is one of the best places to see hard working actors do comedy in Chicago. Recently saw "Jesus Camp: The Musical" - as you can imagine, it was in turns hilarious and thought provoking. Not as (gut wrenchingly) funny as the musical rendition of "The Bad Seed", but every bit as good in song and story. read more

I took my family to see the Gladiator show and I can honestly say I wasn't impressed. First off, the show was divided into two sections: the free-improv for 8 minutes per team in the beginning, followed by the attempt at Who's Line is it Anyway where they draw sketches from the hat. I understand these were three teams in training and they were being critiqued by the judges, but the first portion was just not funny. Honestly, we were thinking of leaving during intermission at that point. The second half was better, but one or two of the sketches definitely fell flat. The "serious" sketch about death was just awkward and long. Couple pieces of advice: one, if you're wanting honest criticism as a comedy team in training, don't fill the entire audience with your friends and family to cheer. That was a portion of the points, and that group was seriously the worst. Second, WTF was going on with the man with the sax in his pants dressed like a woman? Third, in no instance is a child sex joke funny. Seriously. read more

You know a show's going to be bad when the second sketch is a direct ripoff of a five-year-old SNL bit. We saw the 10/27 run of "Death Toll," and it was pretty much a disaster right from the start. Half of the sketches hinged on some sort of celebrity or pop culture reference, which might have worked if they were at all timely or topical (Susan Sarandon? Call Me Maybe? Tanya Frigging Harding?) There were probably about 20 people at the show, but the players and the host had no control over the audience, who started entertaining themselves by shouting their own worthless punchlines at the stage. The players and host were obviously flustered by the heckling. While I do feel bad that they had to deal with these jerks, rowdy crowds kind of come with the territory of a show that bills itself as a BYOB drinking event. I can't wait to come back in five years' time and see what great work this company will be doing with Gangnam Style and Fifty Shade of Grey. read more

So I was looking for something different to do tonight. This was definitely different. We saw "I know what you did last summer." And I can honestly say I still have no idea wtf happened. This show was ridiculous. It was different than sitting at a bar... But I have no idea what I just saw. It wasn't funny... Just... Odd I guess. I wouldn't really recommend this show, but the reviews are so great so I must be missing something. Maybe see a different show. I don't know but I am left really confused. read more

Unique and very Chicago. All original writing & songwriting, very high level of performance skills, funny as hell and an irresistable antic atmosphere. "Improv Gladiators" is the first truly original improv I've seen in years. Go! read more

I saw 'Mrs. Bob Cratchit's Holiday Binge' recently at The Cornservatory. The production was lively and original despite its obvious bare bones budget and its quality was even better in retrospect. The theater is tiny, no more than 50 seats and its amenities are limited. There are only two public toilets in the joint and the drinking fountain wasn't working... Nothing in the way of concessions so bring anything you'll want along. All in all, this place has great potential for interesting and engaging productions but don't dress for or expect a top quality production. read more

This is a great example of chicago theater. This place is small but the talent is HUGE! They offer a wide variety of shows from kids-adults. They are a must see!! read more

I was super excited to see Death Toll- who doesn't love comedy and drinking combined w/ death in time for Halloween?! But I (and my entire group) was really disappointed. We were even sufficiently liquored up! I also like to think that I am not offended very easily but at one point I was a little shocked about their choice of a "humorous" topic. I felt like there was potential but it really just fell flat. read more

To any person with common sense: I often find it funny that the people who least like Floss are the people who don't get what theatre is all about. I find, that as both an actor and a theatre goer, that if a show has been running for 7 years, that it must be doing something right. The fact is, any idiot with a computer can sit down and decide what is great and not great without looking into a premise of a show. As an actor who has performed in Floss, I can say that if you take a moment to understand where you are at and what you have come to see, you will understand that this particular theatre company has yet to put up a non-original piece of work. For a store front theatre that seats 50 to have a show run with an average audience of 18 (store front theatres average 9 people per show) for 7 years while only canceling the show due to poor attendance 4 times, I can say that we must have something special. Often, a person who comes in to Floss and thinks that it is silly to be greeted by an actor in character will not have a good time. If you do not understand the word "parody" or its meaning, then you will not have a fun time. If you are the type of person who chooses to get hammered and talk during a performance, then you guessed it, you wont have fun. But, if you enjoy character performances and fun dances and laughing, then you will enjoy Floss. Now, if you have any sense, you will take this message with a grain of salt as you should from anyone else who posts on here. You can sit in a theatre and watch actors who get paid money to perform. With Corn, you will get a chance see performers who aren't getting paid. Most of us work 40 hours a week and then spend another 30 hours at the theatre because it truly is our passion. This is what you get when you see Floss. You get a chance to see 11 people get rid of the world they know and put themselves out there. There are no reservations on that stage. We will perform because it is what we love to do. Honestly, you will get that with any show that you see at Corn because every actor who steps on to that stage truly loves to be there. For anyone out there who saw Floss, it is ok if you didn't like it, not everyone does. I just hope that you know how much we truly enjoyed performing for you. Floss runs Saturdays at 8pm thru 05/19/07. Please come and see us. read more

I'm always looking for inexpensive good entertainment ; and I find the shows at Corn to be a good bang for my Buck. This past weekend I went to Corn and saw a dark comedy musical about Super Heroes "Nefarious". I laughed and found myself caring for the characters. But, the closeness of the stage to the audience made the parts were the Super Heroes and Super Villains fight AWESOME! There was so much action during the fights. I'm making plans to see it again. read more

Always a treat to enjoy live shows at the Cornservatory... I've been here a few times and enjoy it more with each visit. You'll be laughing till you cry... all for less than $15 and the beers you can find at the Jewel down the street. Grab a bite in the neighborhood and then head over to Conservatory for a fun night out. read more

gorgeous place! Seats are amazingly comfy. Such an intimate space where you can definitely see the beauty of the comedic actors. So creative and understanding of what the audience is looking for. Not much diversity but the Latino actor there is just as talented as an SNL cast member. Really recommend going to see shows here. Especially one with the Latino actor. I think his name is Manny. read more

We love this place! Energetic performances, low cost, BYOB, and wacky productions. If you are looking for a full scale production of "Cats" this isn't for you, but if you are looking for a few hours of fun this is a great place! read more

Prepare to get generous portions of the commodity of chuckle! Feel free to gluttonously sip and stealthily nibble. THESE GUYS ALL DO ARM DAY!!!! read more

We caught the last performance of Happy Holly-Daze and laughted through the entire show. The quality of the comedy and innovativeness of the sketches was better than 75% of SNL sketches. The host (who played Tim Burton) was hilarious and engaging. The BYOB drinking game was a blast (note-bring your own cups and mixers if having mixed drinks). The only reason I gave 4 stars instead of 5 was because the place had 2 unisex bathrooms (insufficient for a show involving drinking), and the males in the audience obviously had bad aim which made it unpleasantly messy. Also, we had problems ordering tickets on-line so left a request for seats via phone, yet when we arrived, there was no reservation us (and our e-mail 9 hrs before the show and 2 other voice mails went unanswered). Luckily they added some flimsy chairs and we got in. This place could easily charge more for tickets (the price was ridiculously cheap) and fill a larger venue. read more