Improvised Broadway Presents ‘Reindeer Games’ – A Classic Holiday Special

What happens when a classic holiday special about a Reindeer with a very special nose takes a few suggestions from the audience? The North Pole is about to find out.

Improvised Broadway brings its musical improv to The Skokie for a holiday special made up on the spot. With live accompaniment and a little help from the audience, the cast invents the characters, songs, and story as they go. Think snowy North Pole, big holiday feelings, and a plot that could go hilariously off the rails before the first chorus.

Created by Laura Hall of Whose Line Is It Anyway? and Lisa McQueen, Improvised Broadway brings together Chicago musical improvisers who can turn a shout from the audience into a full musical number.

Rated PG-13 for some possible adult language and themes, though pretty tame overall, and younger kids welcome with parental discretion.

General Seating: Lobby opens bar opens at 6:30 pm. House opens at 7:00 pm

For accessible seating or other accommodations, please let us know during checkout or contact The Skokie before the performance at: info@theskokie.com

Cast Bios:

Lisa McQueen
Lisa was music director for The Second City National Touring Company and for Second City’s sit-down runs at Atlanta’s Alliance Theater, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Rochester’s Geva Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, Barbados Holders Festival, and Boom Chicago Amsterdam. She was music director for the Off-Broadway production of Wildmen! with George Wendt and The People vs. Friar Lawrence at Chicago Shakespeare with Keegan-Michael Key. Most recently, Lisa was music director for Second City’s She, The People and a leg of the Whose Live Is It Anyway? 2023 tour. A longtime Annoyance ensemble member, composer, and music director, Lisa has composed numerous original musicals there, including Shark Tank, the Musical, Forty Whacks, Tiny Fascists: A Boy Scout Musical, and Raven and The Messenger. Lisa is a working jazz pianist in the Chicago area and leads a Rolling Stones tribute band, The Rolling Clones.

Alex Garday
Alex is a red-hot performer from red-hot Phoenix, Arizona. He has performed in Chicago for the past 15 years at all of the major comedy theaters and is thrilled to be part of Improvised Broadway. He was recently an understudy for The Second City’s Mainstage production Don’t Quit Your Daydream. He can regularly be seen performing with Baby Wants Candy (all musical improv) at The Second City and The Experts (story-based improv) at The Annoyance Theatre. He has worked across North America as a host, emcee, and facilitator for Fortune 500 corporate events. He is the Talent/Product Coordinator and Marquee Host for Game Night Out, which provides entertainment and curated in-person game nights for clients across Chicagoland. He is 6′5″ and ethnically ambiguous. Find him on social media at @alexgarday.

Amber Linde
Amber (she/her/hers) is an improviser and instructor who has been working professionally in Chicago for over 14 years. Her credits include Baby Wants Candy (The Second City), ImprovAcadia (Bar Harbor, Maine), ANARCHY: The Improvised Rock Opera (The Annoyance, iO Chicago), The Musical Armando (iO Chicago), Fraudway (iO Chicago), Blank! The Improvised Broadway Musical (The Revival Theater), and, of course, Improvised Broadway (iO Chicago). Amber has taught musical improv all over the U.S. and is a proud Music Conservatory teacher at The Second City Training Center. By day, Amber works with veterans as a licensed clinical social worker.

Heather Scholl
Heather (she/her/hers) is a Chicago-based improviser, singer, and actor. In addition to Improvised Broadway, she can be seen performing with Marquee, Baby Wants Candy, Shamilton, ANARCHY: The Improvised Rock Opera, Voilà the Musical, and ComedySportz Chicago. Heather holds a BFA in Musical Theatre and is a graduate of The Second City Training Center’s Conservatory and Music Conservatory programs and the iO Training Center. Follow her on Instagram for travel pics and sometimes bits at @heathermscholl.

Jessica Joy
Jessica (she/her) is an alum of The Second City in Chicago, where she wrote and performed in the Jeff Award-winning e.t.c. revue Sky’s the Limit (Weather Permitting). She toured nationally and internationally with The Second City National Touring Company and performed aboard the Norwegian Dawn and Jade cruise ships. Her television credits include The Bear (FX), The Playboy Club (NBC), Modern Family (ABC), My Life Is A Joke (OWN), and Chicago Med (NBC). Her film credits include Screams From the Tower, Janie Jones, and Bad Johnson. Jessica is a lifelong fan and employee of Cedar Point Amusement Park, where she performed in the early 2000s and wrote and directed shows in the 2020s.

Jonathan Allsop
Jonathan was born in Reading, Pennsylvania. He is a proud first-generation American whose family hails from Trinidad and Tobago. He earned his BA in Music from the University of Pennsylvania and moved to Chicago after graduation to pursue acting, working with theater and film companies across Chicagoland. Jonathan also holds an MFA in Acting from Northern Illinois University. He is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA and is represented by Talent X Alexander.

Mike Gospel
Mike (he/him) is an improviser, actor, and co-host of the podcast How Star Wars Is It? In addition to Improvised Broadway, you can see him across Chicago in shows like Baby Wants Candy and ANARCHY: The Improvised Rock Opera. You can also find him on YouTube, if you’re into that sort of thing. But usually, he’s watching TV with his wife and wiener dog.