But at this point in my life, it doesn't have much appeal. Macsai attended UW-Madison for just two years before moving on, but Cusack graduated with a degree in English and philosophy. And I didn't know at that point whether I could really make a career out of acting. Cusack was still in grade school when her parents, hoping to cure her self-consciousness, sent her to a theater workshop for kids. Next came improvisation work with Story Theatre.
Improvisation is great for developing a voice.
She and Macsai hope the new show's Chicago base will give it a slightly different look and feel from other sitcoms. If nothing else, they say, working with fellow Midwesterners has been a pleasant experience. They also report that the West Coast types who came east to work on the series had a little trouble adjusting to this howling bear of a Chicago winter. Macsai, thoughtful Midwestern girl that she is, even provided a set of itch-free long underwear to the show's shivering head writer. As for Cusack, she welcomed every snowflake, storm cloud and Windy City gust.