Charm Scene: Improvised Musicals
Join Lily Ludwig, Austin Packard, Music Director Sam Scheidler, and drummer Chris Ditton as they create brand new musicals — completely on the fly — alongside some of Chicago’s most charming music improvisers and performers. Welcome to the scene!
- Update frequency
- every 7 days
- Average duration
- 55 minutes
- Episodes
- 56
- Years Active
- 2024 - 2025
#34: "Notker? I Hardly Know Her" with Jono Mammel!
Things are HEATING UP! Charming guest Jono Mammel RETURNS, this time taking us all the way back to early human history in this fully improvised musical - complete with ferocious fires, time travelers…
#33: "Doctor Vanya" with Liz McCreight!
The doctor is IN. Join charming guest Liz McCreight in our sexiest improvised musical yet. Hot healers, infectious friendships, rambling reporters, and more! Can this doctor heal his patients, and mo…
#32: "A Dating Game" with Christian Torres!
Are you single and looking to mingle? Amiss and looking to kiss? Look no further than this week's fullly improvised musical! Charming guest Christian Torres takes us to a pop-up dating game, complete…
#31: "Jack of the Jungle" with Derek Demko!
We're "hanging on by a thread" in this week's fully improvised musical - with charming guest Derek Demko! Jealous Jacks, preoccupied parents, dirty dodos, and more. It's a jungle out there in this we…
#30: "Fast & The Furious 1 1/2" with Natalie Younger!
It's time to impress your mom as charming guest Natalie Younger takes us back to our collective theatre-kid childhoods in this week's fully improvised musical! Captivating cousins, impractical plays,…
#29: "Return of the Tooth Wizard" with Deshawn Mason!
Brush up for this week's fully improsived TOOTH-sical as we welcome charming guest Deshawn Mason! Killer cavities, bumbling bicuspids, wisdom-toothed wizards, and more! It's all smiles on this week's…
#28: Charm Scene LIVE at The Last Word Comedy Festival - Williamsburg, VA
#27: "No One Leaves The Library" with Ben Hebert!
Escape the stacks. Burn the books. Trail the Oregon. Charming guest Ben Hebert (host of the phenomenal podcast - "Bite-Sized") takes us to a public library in this week's fully improvised musical. Bu…
#26: "Monkey in Chair" with Will Nicholson!
Your wish is granted! It's charming guest Will Nicholson - but at what cost?? A magical monkey, a seasoned shopkeeper, his distant daughter, and so much more in this week's Charm Scene. Let's go go!
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#25: "Saturday Nate Live" with Nathan Jansen!
Live from Sam's apartment - it's Charm Scene! Charming guest Nathan Jansen recounts his time on a mysterious podcast at Edinburgh Fringe and takes us deep into the world of late night variety televis…
#24: "Forever Twelve" with Ali Gordon!
Tween theatre ghosts, metaphysical four square, and a janitor with big original dreams. All this and more in the first Charm Scene improvised musical of 2025 - featuring Team Starkid's Ali Gordon! Ha…
#23: "Noir Year's Eve" with Keenan Camp!
Happy New Year from Charm Scene! Raise a glass as we round out 2024 with old acquaintance Keenan Camp! What do a grizzled detective, a bowl or oatmeal, and a mansard roof have in common? Absolutely n…
#22: "Keep The HR in cHRistmas - PART TWO" with Allen Lucas and Ben Auxier!
Welcome back to PART TWO of our Christmas two-parter, featuring charming guests Ben Auxier and Allen Lucas! Will we make it out of Santa's underground Christmas garage? Will our friends finally fulfi…
#21: "Keep The HR in cHRistmas - PART ONE" with Ben Auxier and Allen Lucas!
Happy Holidays from Charm Scene! We've brought together TWO of our favorite charming guests for a TWO ACT Christmas musical! Ben Auxier and Allen Lucas take us to a world of winter whimsy, where tria…
#20: "Life's Not (Ren) Fair" with Haley Karlson!
Hear ye! Hear ye! Charming guest Haley Karlson takes us back in time in this renaissance era improvised musical! Are you sexy? Cool? BItey? All of the above? See where you fit in in this week's Charm…
#19: "The Last Six Scandals" with Sage Huston!
An alien dog, a spy mom, and a scandalous mayor? What else could go wrong in this week's fully improvised musical, with charming guest Sage Huston! We're pulling back the curtain on local politics, s…
#18: "The Belmont Blues" with Tyler DeLoatch!
It's a time jump jamboree! If you like "Merrily We Roll Along," "The Last Five Years," or that one episode of "Phineas and Ferb," you'll love this week's fully improvised musical - featuring charming…
#17: "Man vs. Beast vs. Mortality" with Cat McDonnell!
It's a classic tale of backyards and bears in this week's fully improvised musical - featuring charming guest Cat McDonnell! Join us as we discover the true nature of paternity, immortality, and Phil…
#16: "One Billion Cousins" with Andrew Baldwin!
Some assembly required in this week's fully improvised musical! Inspired by charming guest Andrew Baldwin's real life family ties, we visit a family reunion, a nintendo-aided falling out, and a... re…
#15: "The Angel With No Name" with Beth Nelsen!
Names must be EARNED in this week's fully improvised musical! Charming guest Beth Nelsen, alongside a heavenly host of characters, takes us through the big bang, phone calls between realms, and the R…