The Second City

Preview the comedy stars of the future...six actors, a few chairs, and some of the most inventive comedy in the nation.

ABOUT The Second City

Preview the comedy stars of the future!

The Second City has become a North American theatrical institution. Part well-rehearsed sketches, part informally structured improv, part audience participatory theater, a Second City performance will satisfy anyone in need of a laugh. The Second City style is one of elegant simplicity-six actors, a few chairs, and some of the most inventive comedy in the nation. The ensemble creates a slice-of-life environment, lampooning aspects of our modern lives-political, social, and cultural. It compares to "Saturday Night Live"-only better.

Taking its name from the title of A. J. Liebling's derisive profile of Chicago in The New Yorker, The Second City opened on December 16,1959. Success was instantaneous. The Second City has been touring the world with its trademark satire and wit for over thirty years. The Second City currently operates resident theatres in Chicago, Toronto and Detroit, as well as three touring troupes out of its Chicago theatre.

Second City has been the starting point for many of the comedic actors, writers and directors working today in American film, television and theatre. Training Centers have been established in both Chicago and Toronto. Its reputation has so far outgrown its humble beginnings that many first-time visitors are surprised at the theatre's still modest and informal atmosphere. Second City's alumni list reads like a "Who's Who of American Comedy," as it includes: Alan Arkin, Alan Alda, Ed Asner, John and Jim Belushi, Bill Murray, Robert Klein, Gilda Radner, Joan Rivers, Mike Myers, Dan Aykroyd, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Valerie Harper, Mike Nichols, Chris Farley, Tim Meadows, Martin Short, George Wendt, Shelley Long, John Candy, Harold Ramis, and a host of others.

Featuring a blend of classic scenes, songs and improvisations performed by a six-member ensemble - augmented by a musical accompanist and sound and light director - an evening with The Second City's National Touring Company combines the best material from Second City's storied history with the brightest comic performers of the future. A typical two-act performance by The Second City features a wide variety of material on a wide variety of topics. The Second City's National Touring Company is always original, intelligent, daring and hilarious.

Always original, hilarious, and daring, The Second City provides an ideal evening of first-rate entertainment and is perfect for a variety of venues: performing arts series, universities, theatres, clubs, conventions, fundraisers, and more. The Second City is truly, as The New York Times calls it, "legendary."

TESTIMONIALS

"They absorbed a great deal of information very quickly, and turned around great material in a short period of time. The actors were a big hit with our clients." — S & H Citadel

"Boy, you guys sure know how to show us suits a good time!" — Hewitt Associates

"Thank you for an outstanding and fun presentation. You worked a tough room and won!" — Sea World of Florida