TJ Medel and Terrence “T-Baby” Carey first performed as the improv group Preach in March 2016. The two comics met at iO, bonded over their spoken-word backgrounds, and decided to incorporate the art form into an experimental show—the audience makes a suggestion, Carey and Medel turn it into a slam poem, and then transform the poem into a performance. The format was immediately successful, and since then the group has grown from two to seven members and has appeared at comedy venues all across the city.
The rare combination of poetry and improv also crosses artistic boundaries, offering a more serious foundation for comedic scenes and giving the sometimes buttoned-up world of poetry some room to joke around. Medel and the rest of Preach want to introduce the blend into communities that may not have been exposed to improv, including younger generations on the south and west sides of Chicago who often turn to rap and spoken word as a means of expression.
Wed 2/1,7:30 PM Greenhouse Theater Center 2257 N. Lincoln 773-404-7336facebook.com/preachimprov $16
