In the new issue of Time Out Chicago, Comedy Editor Steve Heisler profiles African American comics in Chicago, including sketch duo KevInda and friends-of-CIC Pimprov.
From the article, here’s creator Marz Timms on the origins of Pimprov:
Timms decided to found Pimprov in 2004 simply because he thought the idea of pimps performing improv was hilarious. (It is.) “I’d have a problem if I felt we were representing the voice of black improvisers, because this show is merely for entertainment,” he says.
Still, Timms says sometimes Pimprov offends—both those who see it as glorifying the pimping lifestyle and those who read further between the lines. “I bashed Tyler Perry the other day, and this lady just had a heart attack,” Timms says. The woman countered that he should support Perry out of race solidarity, and that she would see one of Timms’s shows just because he’s black. “And I said, ‘Look, don’t come see my show ’cause it’s a black show—come see it because you find it funny.’”
Full article can be found here: http://www.timeout.com/chicago/articles/comedy/28311/diverse-engineering
Be sure to check out Pimprov, whose open run at Chemically Imbalanced Comedy starts this Saturday night at 8!