Lillie Frances | Improv in the Age of COVID

Improv training teaches you to deal with the unknown. But Lillie Frances, owner of Chicago Comedy Company and Laugh Out Loud theaters, says nothing could have prepared her for 2020.

“You would think that as an improviser, I'd be better at this stuff, but I hate ambiguity. I hate not knowing when everything's going to end and we're going to be back up and running in full swing,” she says.

Lillie’s first concern has always been her staff. This stems from her own experiences working for comedy venues that didn’t pay their improv actors — something Lillie has been set on since day one. “They do not make a lot, but they get paid,” she says.

When the COVID-19 pandemic closed the theaters overnight, she and her staff — crew as well as cast — took to Slack, doing prize giveaways and sharing photos to keep up morale. 

At the same time, Lillie started reading up on safety precautions and speaking to other people in the theater industry. She traded business advice and learned how those who had already reopened were handling new procedures.

In September, Laugh Out Loud launched “20,000 Laughs Under the Sea,” a play that cleverly incorporates masks.

“We're all on a submarine and everyone needs to wear their ‘oxygen’ mask,” Lillie says. “It starts out goofy and the audience is rolling their eyes, but we lean into it so hard that by the time we get attacked by a giant squid, they're like, ‘Yeah!’”

It’s not just COVID that’s caused a shift in Lillie’s approach. The protests in support of Black Lives Matter made her realize that she needed to improve on racial diversity.

“When I started Laugh Out Loud, a main focus was gender equality. I accomplished that, but I wasn't thinking about diversity and inclusion,” she says. She’s now set up and funded a committee to tackle the topic; they currently meet over Zoom.

The extra pressure brought on by COVID made Lillie realize just how intense being a small business owner can be. “Your workday never ends,” she says. “There is always something you could be doing, so when you take a day off, you feel guilty.”

However, she’s working on reaching a better work-life balance. 

“I have learned to be patient and say, ‘Today I applied for this grant and I answered these 20 emails, and now I'm going to lay on the couch and cry for a little bit and then drink a glass of wine and watch something on Netflix.’ Some days that's all you can get done.”
 

👧 Name: Lillie Frances

⚙️ What she does: Lillie owns Chicago Comedy Company, which runs improv training classes and corporate packages that include workshops and entertainment. She also owns Laugh Out Loud improv theaters in Chicago and Schaumburg, Illinois. 

😂 Company: Chicago Comedy Company and Laugh Out Loud

💎 Words of wisdom: “I paid the actors before I even paid myself in the first couple of years. I don't want anyone to feel like their talents and skills are being taken advantage of. I want them to be celebrated and appreciated, both vocally and monetarily. That has always been a big goal and really shaped how I run my company.”

🔍 Where to find Lillie: LinkedIn

🔍 Where to find Laugh Out Loud: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

💡 Curtains up: After 10 years at Chicago’s famous Second City, in 2007, Lillie bought her own improv theater. Surviving the Great Recession has made her more hopeful about COVID.

💡 Grin and bear it: Forced to temporarily close her two theaters, Lillie and her staff rallied over Slack, sharing baking projects and keeping morale up with giveaways.

💡 Mask humor: Lillie implemented safety procedures and was able to reopen Laugh Out Loud in September with a show based around masks — but she may have to close again.

💡 Ensemble effort: Lillie got COVID advice from others in the theater industry who had already reopened their venues, and business advice from friends in situations similar to her own.

💡 Performance review: Lillie wants to be better to her staff than some of the venues she’s worked at. She pays her actors and recently launched an initiative to improve diversity.

💡 Need a laugh: Being able to laugh together at a safe distance is even more vital in tough times. One upside of COVID: audiences are so happy to be out that hecklers are not an issue!

💡 Next act: As great as it would be to reopen to full capacity tomorrow, Lillie knows that it’s going to take a while and safety precautions will still be needed. But she’s optimistic.

Lillie Frances:

“Everyone who works at Laugh Out Loud has been amazing. When we would post that we were giving away $100 in groceries, people who were doing OK would reach out to me and say, ‘I would also like to anonymously sponsor $100 in groceries.’ We ended up giving away more than we had intended.”

“With all the racial issues that were going on in the country, we were able to start a diversity and inclusion committee that meets over Zoom. It's made up of current cast and crew and alumni. They're going to make recommendations and come up with a timeline of what we're going to do to be better once we start to return to normal. We’re taking this time to prepare for the future and how we can move forward as a company.”

“No one has refused to wear a mask, knock on wood. That's partly why we opened in September: we decided to give July and August over to Walmart and Costco and McDonald's so they could fight that battle. By the time people got to Laugh Out Loud, the country had already decided that we're all going to get on board with it.”

“Some of the best lessons I've learned were anti-lessons. I was working at places that did not treat people well, and I made a note and said, ‘I want to own a place and never treat people like that.’”

“The audiences are overwhelmed with how happy they are to be out of their houses. To laugh, to forget about it and just be silly for an hour and a half is such a needed escape.”