"Save Chicago Transit: The Comedy Show", presented by Funny You Should Care, is a production that combines sketch comedy, improv, and interviews. It takes place Tuesdays in September at 7 p.m. at Donny's Skybox theater at Second City, 1608 N. Wells St. in Old Town.
"Save Chicago Transit" was created, written, and directed by Streetsblog contributor Ellen Steinke, and co-directed by Megan Mikaelian with additional material by Zach Masso. The cast includes Steinke, Mikaelian, Masso, Hayley Cox, Satvika Ananth, Joe Boersma, and Devin Sugerik. The stage manager Maroline Johnson and the musical director is Matthew Pollack
Back in February, Steinke put together Funny You Should Care as a series to highlight different advocacy campaigns with sketches and interviews them. After watching the show last Tuesday, I talked with Steinke about the process of making the show, and what she hopes people will learn about efforts to avert the upcoming $771 million total Chicagoland transit fiscal cliff. The interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Cameron Bolton: Are you a native of Chicago?
Ellen Steinke: No, I moved here about three years ago.
CB: Well, I hope you've enjoyed the city, the transportation issues aside.
ES: Yeah, transit was one of the reasons why I moved here. I grew up in central Indiana, and then I lived in Los Angeles for about three years before I moved here. And one of the reasons I left LA was that, despite living in one of the greatest cities in the world, I never wanted to leave my apartment because going anywhere was so congested and a pain. Being able to go to Chicago, with its public transit felt like freedom. Part of why I was in LA was to pursue comedy in grad school. But comedically, I just felt constrained. I was physically and creatively constrained, and here in Chicago, I feel less constrained and, like, allied. I think public transit, the ability to get around the city easily, is part of that. Chicago feels like one of the last "free" cities in the United States, because so many cities are car-centric.
CB: What was your goal with creating the show?
ES: I wanted to help educate and inform people about what's going on, and hopefully, in a non-downer way, and give leaders the ability to speak and help the audience connect with the speakers. But ultimately, just bringing attention to the matter and hopefully inspiring people to take action.
CB: Taking action is good because, I'm also really concerned about the projected 40 percent service cuts.
ES: Yeah. And also, dipping my toe into the nonprofit and advocacy world, there's a lot of caution about what to say or not to say, and you don't want to upset certain people, or you can't post certain things on social media, or you can't say certain things. But with comedy, you don't really have skin in the game as much, and satire and similar things are protected speech. So, you may have a little bit more freedom to say what we actually want to say, for better or for worse. Who knows if it'll turn out well.
CB: Last night, you had State Rep. Eva-Dina Delgado and Kyle Lucas, the executive director of Better Street Chicago there as special guests. Can you tell me a little bit who you're looking to get as guest, or do you prefer not to because you don't want to jinx anything?
ES: [Delgado and her chief of staff Marco Mendez] mentioned Rep. Kam Buckner. I've reached out to [CTA Acting President] Nora Leerhsen and she said that she would be interested in coming as a guest or as a speaker on the 30th. Yeah, I probably don't want to say for sure, because the plan was to have them for all four weeks, but they're like, "Oh, we need to get other people up here, so we'll see."
CB: Were you nervous at all about reaching out to state representatives and other officials to be in your show?
ES: Kyle and I have been working together for a while. I actually featured him in the first round of the show, which is how I got involved with this in the first place. And then I was put in contact with Marco after I wrote a couple of those op-eds. I've had a relationship with Marco, but I hadn't met Delgado until last night. So, yeah, it was intimidating but exciting that she was there and hopefully had fun.
CB: I thought it was a funny show myself. I believe this show is only going to be running for four weeks, right?
ES: There are gonna be five total. So the next four weeks, Tuesdays is in September.
CB: Is there anything else you want to mention about the show?
ES: I suppose we're just trying to help people see the big picture. Hopefully people will come and can have fun, without feeling like, "Oh, this is a policy wonk thing," but be like, "Okay, I have a better understanding of what's going on," and feel inspired to take action, share the information with their friends. And they'll be able to better talk about it with people, or hopefully spark a conversation in Chicago, or hopefully with legislators, with activists, and leaders.
It seems like we, as citizens, have a pretty good idea of what's going on, and we want legislators to do the right thing, and not make choices based on corporate interests, or do things the ye old Springfield-Daley way. Instead, you make a new day, rather than an old Daley, if you will. Make choices that benefit the state's citizens. Since transit is more cost-effective than roads and fuels the economy, it's a better option. In contrast, roads are more of a drain on the economy. So, hopefully, we can people see the dynamics here, and we want to create a new, modern-day Springfield, Illinois, and Chicago, with people making the right decisions.
Upcoming guests:
9/16: Active Transportation Alliance executive director Amy Rynell
9/23: Acting CTA President Nora Leerhsen and State Rep. Mary Beth Canty
9/30: Rep. Delgado
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