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High-caliber writing at Chicago's IO

Last night I attended a reading of three television scripts, each written by a student who had just completed Michael McCarthy’s Writing Program (you’ll have to scroll down to see the description) at IO Chicago, formerly Improv Olympic. The scripts, one each for “The Office,” “30 Rock,” and HBO’s “Entourage,” were remarkably accomplished. I found myself laughing aloud and, at times, totally immersed in the imaginative world the script had tapped into, insofar as the scripts were written for familiar shows, but also created, in that the situations and dialogue were all new.

The script-in-hand performances of the assembled actors, all associated in one way or another with IO, no doubt contributed to the success of the readings. But no performance could’ve saved bad writing. The writers had studied their characters, and the levers of their chosen shows—smash cuts on “30 Rock,” talking heads on “The Office,” and celebrity appearances on “Entourage”—and the payoff was the laughs they heard during the minimal performance of their accomplished scripts. Though surely rewarding, my guess is that these young writers won’t be satisfied unless the payoffs for their efforts keep coming. At least, their work seems worthy of that kind of ambition.

Michael McCarthy’s class is expensive. Each eight-week session—there look to be either three or four—costs $300. But given last night’s reading, it would appear that Mr. McCarthy is giving his students their money’s worth.