The Del Close Marathon is the largest improv festival in the world, and was founded by the Upright Citizens Brigade in 1999. The first DCM had 36 shows in 30 hours at one venue. Over the past 20 years, DCM has expanded to 3 days, multiple venues, and hundreds of shows. DCM has slowly grown into a festival that not only celebrates the man responsible for turning improvisational comedy into its own art-form, but DCM is also an inclusive celebration that embraces and brings together voices from around the country and world all in one weekend through the use of the art form of comedic improvisation.Del Close is generally considered the father of Improv. He was the driving force behind improvisational comedy in Chicago for over 30 years, influencing Bill Murray, Tina Fey, Mike Myers, John Belushi, Chris Farley, and the Upright Citizens Brigade, to name a few. After Del's passing in 1999, the UCB started the Del Close Marathon to celebrate their mentor and keep alive his name and teachings for future generations. More Info below.