The Compass: The Improvisational Theatre that Revolutionized American Comedy

by Janet Coleman

Janet Coleman brilliantly recreates the time, the place, the personalities, and the neurotic magic whereby the Compass made theater history in America. The Compass began in a storefront theater near the University of Chicago campus in the summer of 1955 and lasted only a few years before its players—including David Shepherd, Paul Sills, Elaine May, Mike Nichols, Barbara Harris, and Shelley Berman—moved on. Out of this group was born a new improvisational theater and a radically new kind of comedian. "They did not plan to be funny or to change the course of comedy," writes Coleman. "But that is what happened."

"For anyone who is interested in theatre, underground theatre, improvisational theatre, and the sheer madness of trying something new with a repertory group, The Compass will prove a welcome history with fascinating details."—Norman Mailer

"Janet Coleman has done a spectacular job of capturing the history, the almost alarmingly diverse cultural influences, and the extraordinary people who made up the Compass."—Neal Weaver, Los Angeles Village View

"Engrossing. . . . An open window on a part of the theater that should be known."—Arthur Miller

"A valuable chronicle of an important chapter in the history of comedy and theater."—William Wolf, New York Observer

"The eruptive, disruptive talents who made the theater memorable are the same ones who make The Compass a good read."—Jay Cocks, Time

"A moving, inspirational, anecdote-studded feast."— Publishers Weekly

Genres: Theatre

362 pages, Paperback

First published May 26, 1990

Reviews

[Aden Date · Rating 5 out of 5]

Coleman's history is a wonderful example of balance - It's a book about comedy, but also about the broader American cultural context, it's about individuals and ensembles, it's about grand ideas and the practical realities (and egos) that constrain those ideas. I really appreciated Coleman's willingness to venture her own opinions about improvisation - by having a clear idea of its ideals, she can better track its betrayals - without losing sight that this is fundamentally a book about a handful of nerds from the Playwrights Theatre Club at the University of Chicago.

I read Sam Wasson's Improv Nation before this and it struck me that most of the major tensions in improvisational history were all evident in its earliest years. One notable exception: The glaring exception that Improv's cultural criticism was entirely organised around Marxist lines and seemed aloof to the struggles of both women and African Americans - though this is a critique of improv itself, not Coleman's retelling.

Wasson's history (Improv Nation) is longer and better traces the impressive, star-studded history of improvisation: From stage to screen, from small theatres to big industries. Yet Coleman's history is more intimate, more ideological, and in many ways gives the reader a much more alive sense of what improvisation is and where it may be headed.

[UChicagoLaw]

Depending on how one counts, twelve people have EGOTed, that is, won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award and one of those is the late Mike Nichols, X’53 (that is UChicago speak for he attended The College but didn’t graduate). Nichols attributed his success to his days as an improviser and all of that started during his time at The University and at the Compass Theater, where he performed with Elaine May, who seemingly attended classes at the University but was never officially a student. The Compass, originally located at 55th Street and University Avenue, was where improv was born in the U.S. and the work there eventually led to the creation of Second City and to much of American comedy as we know it. Janet Coleman’s book sets out that history and should be of interest to anyone interested in comedy or the University of Chicago (and if you care about both, it is, as they say, a must read). —Randal C. Picker