The Second City Tickets

Let’s take a look at what this theater and its comedy is all about.

History of The Second City

The Second City opened its doors in Chicago, on a snowy, winter night in the December of 1959. Since then, it has grown to become the world’s premier comedy club, school of improvisation and theater. It features live shows every night in various cities such as Toronto, Chicago and Hollywood. The group based its performances on what it learned from the book of improvisation techniques by Spolin and recreated these according to their own individual style.

In recent years, the project was head by Andrew Alexander and his recently deceased partner, Len Stuart. They acquired The Second City in 1987. Alexander led the Second City for nearly 42 years and produced various television programs, including “Second City Presents”, “SCTV” and “Next Comedy Legend”.

Founders of The Second City

The Second City was founded by three partners, who dedicated a lot of their energy and time into making The Second City a worldwide success.

Bernard Sahlins – This American writer, comedian and director was born in Chicago in 1922 and was a University of Chicago graduate. He had also received an honorary doctorate from Columbia College in Chicago. In 1959, he opened The Second City, where he continued as a producer and eventually became one of the directors in the 1990s. He hired many talents, including the likes of John Candy, Harold Ramis and Bill Murray.

Howard Alk – Born in 1930, Alk was a Chicago-based filmmaker who was also enrolled in the University of Chicago.  According to Bernard Sahlins, Howard Alk can be attributed with coming up with the group’s name, The Second City. He worked with the group initially but left around the early 1960s.

Paul Sills – Also a graduate of the University of Chicago, Paul Sills was an American director, who originally directed The Second City in Chicago. He was also an improvisation teacher. His mother was the teacher and writer, Viola Spolin, who is credited to have authored the first book on improvisation techniques, Improvisation for the Theater.

Notable Alumni

Since the debut of The Second City, many comedians, actors, directors and other working in the show business have launched their careers via this platform. Big names who have launched their careers from The Second City include Alan Arkin, James Belushi, John Candy, Jane Lynch, Andrea Martin, Amy Sedaris, Martin Short, Catherine O’Hara, Gilda Radner, Harold Ramis, Joan Rivers, Stephen Colbert and Ian Gomez.

Tina Fey, the American actress, writer and comedian, known for her performance with Saturday Night Live, has also been a part of The Second City. She first broke into the comedy scene as a featured player in The Second City, before landing her big role in SNL.

Another famous name that came out of The Second City is Bill Murray. The 66-year old actor got his start with The Second City through an invitation from his older brother, Brian. He gained further exposure with his role on Saturday Night Live, which also earned him his first Emmy Award. The actor has starred in numerous comedy films since then, including Meatballs, Caddyshack, Ghostbusters and Tootsie. His critically acclaimed role in Lost in Translation (2003) earned him various awards.

Steve Carell is another big name that came out of The Second City. He performed with the comedy troupe in 1991 and later went on to pursue other career goals. He has worked on various projects since, including movies such as Get Smart (2008), Evan Almighty (2007) and Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011).

If you want to catch the show that helped launch all these amazing careers, you need to grab The Second City tickets now. The show is all set to take place in California, Chicago and Washington, D.C.