I woke up this morning feeling a bit odd, like I was recovering from a bender I hardly remembered. The Chicago Improv Festival had just ended, and for myriad reasons, I found myself wondering if the fest had happened at all.

But it’s not that the fest was bad. It was quite good, actually, and the great stuff was still great. It’s just that last year’s Boom Chicago show changed my life, and I don’t think I can say the same for any of the shows this time around.

The biggest change this year was the shift in the mainstage venue from the Athenaeum to the Lakeshore Theater, a space much tighter and inviting than the massive stages of years past. But the caliber of performers—at least where TV and film credits are concerned—also went down considerably this year. The biggest star was Jack McBrayer, Kenneth the page on 30 Rock, followed closely by Scott Adsit, also of 30 Rock, and Paul Scheer of MTV’s Human Giant. Not that that’s a bad thing, as it’s no surprise that often the biggest names aren’t the greatest improvisers. They just make a lot of buzz in the press.

But that’s just as well, because the stars in 2008 were of a different breed: storied locals and ensembles as a whole. Because of scheduling conflicts and Snubfest hosting responsibilities, I caught 13 groups, counting openers. (They were Virgin Daiquiri, Scheer & McBrayer, Bassprov, Messing with a Friend, FrankenMatt, Brian Gallivan, Code Duello, Pimprov, Election Show, Jackie, 4 Track, Children of a Lesser God and JTS Brown.)

Of those, three stood out: Bassprov with TJ Jagodowski, 4 Track and JTS Brown. Theater Editor Christopher Piatt has already raved about the Bassprov show we both saw, and I don’t have much to add. The key players—Mark Sutton and Joe Bill—were on fire, and guest TJ slotted in effortlessly, pushing scenes into uncomfortable, surprising terrain (like the Broadway showtunes sing-along Piatt mentions). TJ jumped on stage with JTS Brown as well, this being a Harold team from way-back-when known for their experimentations with form. It’s hard to even describe—a combination of shared monologues, rapid-fire scenes and lots of abstract group games—without using the word "Wow." After only one daytime rehearsal, every member was right on board, and despite the presence of powerhouses like Jagodowski, Ike Barinholtz, Peter Grosz and John Lutz, everyone got their moment in the spotlight. Also, without even knowing it, 4 Track channeled JTS more than any other Chicago group, blazing through scenes with zero fear and total support. It was a pleasure to watch.

The rest of what I saw was ok, and the lack of greatness can be chalked up to one simple word: bravery. Scott Adsit, dude, you need to do something on stage, not let Susan Messing and Mick Napier make every move. Code Duello, great premise for a show (Hamilton and Burr improvise, then duel), but nothing happened during it.

So was that it? Was the not-so-exciting stuff bringing it down? I don’t think so, ’cause not everything is going to work all the time. That’s the nature of improv. Maybe it has to do with the fact that other than Friday and Saturday nights, the festival only sponsored one or two different shows a night, which meant there wasn’t a lot of variety early in the week. Last year, there were extra showcases on Wednesday and Thursday too, whereas this year’s Playground and Donny’s Skybox evenings were reserved for weekends, plus special events.

Though this year’s festival didn’t feel like it made a huge splash, I think it’s a step in a very positive direction. Gone are the unwieldy "Stars and writers of MadTV" showcases that would drive people bonkers—but spike ticket sales. This fest formula feels more like what Jonathan Pitts has strived to do all along—celebrate the art of improvisation and showcase Chicago as its home. I saw local comics perform stellar work, and witnessed as veteran iO teams missed nary a beat. I want more next year, and to the fest-weary crew who manned this 2008 version, I say, "So far so good."