iO, or iO Chicago, (formerly known as "ImprovOlympic") is a theater located at 3541 N. Clark St., in Chicago, Illinois, one-half block south of Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs baseball team. The theater both has performances of, and teaches improvisational comedy. It was founded in the 1980s by Del Close and Charna Halpern. iO concentrates on "long-form" improvisational structures, in contrast to the "short-form" or "improv game" format of Theatresports or the television show Whose Line Is It Anyway?. The iO's signature piece is the "Harold".

The theater consists of two performing spaces: the downstairs "Cabaret", which is a cabaret-style minimal stage, and the upstairs "Del Close Theater", which is a more traditional theater-style performance space with a backstage area and entrances/exits on the set. There are full bars located in both spaces.

There are performances both upstairs and downstairs every night of the week, with the exception of some holidays. Shows can consist of either a Harold or a "show". Shows can be special limited runs (typically 1- 2 months) of a particular group / piece, or they can be open runs of long standing formats using regular performers at the theater (e.g. The Armando Diaz Theatrical Experience and Hootenanny, which has the same format but a different cast every week). A typical "Harold performance" consists of 2 or 3 groups doing a Harold; newer teams usually open the night and more veteran teams give the final performance(s). On some nights, usually in the downstairs theater, they will play the short form game "The Dream" using an audience volunteer after the second Harold of the night, and then play the short form game "Freeze" after the final Harold. A "show" slot typically, but not always, has a Harold team open for them, usually one of the newer teams.

Trophy wife is an expression used to refer to a wife, usually young and attractive, who is regarded as a status symbol for the husband, who is often older and wealthy.

The use of the term also usually reflects negatively on the character or personality of the husband, and has a connotation of narcissism and desire to impress others, and that the husband would not be able to attract the sexual interest of the attractive woman but for his wealth or position.

The term's etymological origins are disputed. One claim is that trophy wife originally appeared in a 1950 issue of The Economist magazine^{[citation needed]}, referring to the historical practice of warriors capturing the most beautiful women during battle to bring home as wives.William Safire claimed that the term trophy wife was coined by Julie Connelly, a senior editor of Fortune magazine, in a cover story in the issue of Aug. 28, 1989 and immediately entered common usage.^{[citation needed]} Many sources claim the term was coined earlier (for example, the Online Etymology Dictionary cites 1984) but easy online access to William Safire's article about the term has led many (such as Oxford English Dictionary) to believe that August 28, 1989 was its first use.

Charna Halpern (born 1952) is a co-founder of the ImprovOlympic, now known as The iO. She was born and raised on the North Side of Chicago. In 1984, with partner Del Close, she began teaching The Harold to many students in the Chicago theater community. She and Close co-authored the book Truth in Comedy: The Manual of Improvisation with editor Kim "Howard" Johnson in 1994. In 2003 she published Group Improvisation and in 2006, she published the book, Art by Committee.

Andrew Roane "Andy" Dick (born December 21, 1965) is an American comedian, actor, musician and television/film producer. He is best known as a talented comic but is also known for his eccentric and controversial behavior. His first regular television role was on the short-lived but influential Ben Stiller Show. In the mid-1990s, he had a long-running stint on NBC's NewsRadio and was a supporting character on Less than Perfect. He briefly had his own program, The Andy Dick Show on MTV, and he is also noted for his outlandish behavior from a number of Comedy Central Roasts.

Dick was born Andrew Roane Dick in Charleston, South Carolina on December 21, 1965 and he was adopted at birth by Allen and Sue Dick. He was brought up Presbyterian, and as a kid, he spent time living with his family in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New York, and Yugoslavia before moving to Chicago in 1979. He attended Lassiter High School, which was being temporarily housed at George Walton Comprehensive High School in Cobb County, Georgia. Dick appeared in numerous theater productions during his high school years and was elected homecoming king his senior year in 1983. While in high school, Dick tended to use his name as a joke; and one day, he dressed in a homemade superhero costume and presented himself at school as "Super Dick". Dick graduated from Joliet West High School in 1984, and is a friend of actor Anthony Rapp, whom he had known since childhood. After graduating from high school, Dick joined Chicago's Second City, attended Columbia College Chicago, and took improv comedy classes at i.O. (formerly 'ImprovOlympic').