Windy city workforce

This department spotlights a relatively recent addition to the workforce, focusing on the person’s educational or working background, daily responsibilities, challenges, passions, frustrations and outlook for his or her future in the field.

Name: Guy F. Wicke
Company: pH productions
www.whatisph.com
Title: Marketing director, company member

How you ended up here: One night I was handed a flyer for an improv comedy show, and my life was never the same. I had always loved comedy but was only vaguely aware of improv, even though I had grown up in Chicago, the improv mecca. When I saw that show, I was introduced to an incredibly fun and interactive form of entertainment where literally nobody knows what is going to happen next. I was in love. It didn’t take many more shows before I had signed up for classes and was soon performing myself. Years later, I was there when a group of comedians decided to start something different in Chicago’s comedy scene, and pH Productions was born. pH is a non-profit improv and comedy theater company that performs several shows every week at the historic Stage Left Theatre in Wrigleyville. If you were wondering, the name pH came out of the idea of group “chemistry.”

How long you’ve been at it: I’ve been doing improv since the turn of the century, and I’ve been with pH since it was founded in 2002. I stepped into the Marketing Director position at the end of 2006, and I’ve been plugging away ever since. pH’s five-year anniversary this past November was a huge milestone for the company and for me personally. A lot of blood, sweat and tears went into those five years.

Who you answer to, if anyone: My work is overseen by the ever-growing pH board of directors, and I also answer to my peers in “cast leadership,” the small, dedicated group that runs the company. But most of all, I feel that I answer to the pH cast itself. These are extremely talented improvisers who perform terrific shows every weekend, and they’re counting on me to get the word out and fill the seats.
hours you expect to be at work: I’m always on the clock for pH. Anytime I can, I’m working on making us a city-wide sensation.

Breakdown of what people anticipate from you: I’m the information man. I talk to the press, get reviewers to our shows and provide anything they need. I keep our pHans up to date on our shows, classes and special events. I work on getting sponsorships and partnering with businesses in our community. And I’m always trying to reach out to new audience members.

What your friends assume you do all day: I think they picture me in pH marketing HQ, a massive marketing nerve center with walls of TV and computer screens all around me. I sit in a big leather chair, petting a small Komodo dragon on my lap and keeping my finger on the pulse of Chicago arts & entertainment. I know that’s what I picture.

Making people laugh is ... a dream come true. I’m not quite making a living doing it, but being able to say that I’m an actor who does comedy in Chicago is still an honor and a thrill. Making people laugh is about as rewarding an occupation as I can imagine.

Best perk: True love! My amazing girlfriend and I met in pH. You can’t beat that. In addition, I’ve met and worked with some great comedians and made some wonderful friends. pH has even given me the opportunity to travel across North America to various improv festivals. Great adventures I’ll never forget. (But, the love thing is really the best.)

In your mind, who are the comedic geniuses of today? I’m a huge fan of the smart, cutting satire of Steven Colbert. And I have a great love of Don Rickles, a living legend. I could go on and on. There are so many brilliant comedians out there, and even right here in Chicago.

I have trouble dealing with… a light house, when we have a small audience for one of our shows. It happens, but it’s always frustrating. The great thing about pH is that we’re going to do the same show for 10 people that we’d do for 100. And we know that those 10 will go tell their friends and join us again in greater numbers.

When people hear what you do for a living, do they expect you to be funny all the time? Sure, or they challenge me to say something funny. It’s like, “You’re a monkey, huh? Well then dance, little monkey, dance!” Sometimes I ask for a suggestion and then initiate a scene with a nearby lamp. When the lamp doesn’t respond, I yell “This scene sucks!” and storm from the room.

The key to a successful improv act is really... playing smart and trusting your scene partner.

Things can get tense when... we’ve got some rowdy audience members to deal with. When your shows are BYOB, there’s always the risk of someone becoming disruptive. Fortunately, we can take whatever is thrown at us and make it gold.

Where do you usually draw the line when trying to generate laughs? I don’t like to dumb it down or be gross just to get a reaction.

I know it’s a good day when... we have to put in an extra row of seats. A sold-out theater has such an electric collective energy that powers the actors to even greater comedic heights. Everyone has an amazing time. The audience laughs all the way out the door and is already looking forward to coming back. That definitely brings some joy to the actors and the staff that work so hard to make it all possible!

Why you have a smile when you come to work: I love what I do. The marketing work is an exciting challenge with tremendous rewards when the hard work starts to pay off. And when I arrive at the theater to perform, I’m there to play with some extremely funny people. I hang up my marketing hat and just enjoy what pH is all about. I’m a lucky guy.

What might you change if given the chance? I’d like to be independently wealthy so that I could focus on comedy full-time and actually build the pH marketing HQ I described before.

Where can you go from here? I’m looking forward to pH becoming another comedy institution in Chicago. When the time is right, we’ll obtain our own theater space and perform an even wider variety of shows to an even larger audience. Our board of directors will grow, we’ll obtain more sponsorships and generous donations from our patrons. The new pH training center will continue to grow as well, and we’ll see our students do great things. I’ll be loving every second of it.

Advice for joining the field: Start with taking classes. Whether your goal is to be a rock star comedian or not, I firmly believe everyone should take an improv class at some point in their lives. The skills you learn are invaluable and can seriously change your life. The concept of “yes, and” is a great tool for comedy, for business and for applying to life in general. You’ll get over your fear and learn to get up in front of people and just wing it. Not to mention the great people you’ll meet and how much damn fun you’ll have. Oh, and if someone hands you a flyer for an improv show, take it.

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