“Back in 1998, most people expected the Chicago Improv Festival to crash and burn in its first year,” Tribune critic Chris Jones wrote in 2004. “The budget that first year was less than $30,000. There was only one venue and no corporate sponsors. The founders — Pitts and Frances Callier — lacked any kind of international profile or experience. They weren't even leaders of the notoriously factious Chicago improv community — which dates back to the 1950s and ‘60s and pioneers such as Del Close.