Joe Janes, longtime sketch performer, director, and writing instructor at the Second City , saw what Collaboraction did with their portion of the Parks experiment, and discussed the project with many other colleagues. “I was left with the idea that people were talking more about the event than the material,” Janes says. Still, he was intrigued enough by the concept to give it his own spin. Thus was born 365 Sketches.

For a year, Janes wrote a sketch each day and posted it on his blog, “Bite and Smile.” And people responded to what he wrote there. (The entire line-up is still available in the blog archives.) Part of the impetus, he says, was to prove two axioms that he stresses to his Second City writing students. “One is that there is no such thing as ‘writer’s block’—there is writing and not writing. The other is that you never hear an improviser say, ‘I would have improvised, but I couldn’t think of anything.’” Writing, says Janes, “is improvising on the page.”

Once the sketches began pouring out, the question of production popped up. Janes applied for a grant at Second City (named in honor of the late performer Jim Zulevic) for employees working on their own projects, but didn’t get it. However, through conversations he had with many improv and sketch community leaders, including Brian Posen of the Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival and Jonathan Pitts of the Chicago Improv Festival , Janes began seriously thinking of how to get his pieces fully produced. “I didn’t want it to just disappear into the clouds, and people I talked to said ‘You’re still going to do this, right?’” says Janes.

By the time 50 pieces had been completed, Janes says, enough people realized he was serious. That’s when Don Hall, his old colleague in WNEP , stepped in and began helping him figure out how to make it happen.

After looking at various options, including the idea of taking it national or at least working at several venues across the city, Janes and Hall decided to keep it short and simple. So for 10 nights—June 3-13—all of 365 Sketches will go up at Strawdog Theatre ’s Hugen Hall space.

The math breaks down to 26 different shows, with most evenings featuring two shows (sometimes three) nightly, each featuring 14 sketches (well, to make it come out, one will have to feature 15). And 26 different directors will helm each of the shows. Hall and Janes worked out the line-ups for each show, with input from the directors. The total cast includes 180 actors.

“About halfway through [the writing], we started inviting directors to come on board,” says Janes. “There wasn’t anything premeditated in trying to match up directors for specific pieces. A couple directors were like, ‘I love that scene called Time Beavers.’ Others said, ‘I don’t know what I want to direct, but I know I’m free on Friday night.’ We totally empowered the directors. The pieces weren’t set up to be performed as Sketch One, Sketch Two, and Sketch Three. They have control to rearrange the scenes, and they were totally in charge of casting.” The directors include WNEP vets Mary Jo Bolduc and Jen Ellison, and old Second City hands Bina Martin and John Hildreth (the latter is now an ensemble member with Lifeline Theatre ).

Each evening of sketches has also been given its own piquant omnibus title, such as “Shows You Would Never See If You Didn’t Know Someone in the Cast” (going up June 6 under Scott Olsen’s direction). And as an added enticement, Goose Island Brewery offers complimentary beer on opening and closing nights. (“Super-discounted libations” will be on tap during the run as well).

Asked if he’s contacted Parks to let her know about his homage to her idea, Janes says that he’s had no direct contact with her, but “I’m pretty sure she’s aware of it.” As for seeing so much of his work going up in such a short run (there are only three days to tech all the shows), Janes admits, “It’s going to be a long 13 days. But I can’t complain. It’s every writer’s dream to have all their stuff produced.”

Tickets for each show in “365 Sketches” are $10 and can be reserved at Strawdog Theatre .