The Second City

"Chicago's temple of improvisational comedy." --New York Times Improv revolutionized American entertainment, and the mother ship of improv is The Second City. Since 1959, The Second City has been producing cutting-edge satire and wickedly funny improvisation, while keeping countless individuals of questionable character off the streets for a couple of hours each night. It has also trained thousands of performers in the art of improv-based theater--and, in the process, transformed comedy. This newly revised and expanded edition of The Second City tells the story of all sixty years of the legendary comedy institution as well as the beloved Emmy-winning sketch comedy classic SCTV, folding new material and commentary in with the tales of its storied past. The performers who got their start at The Second City in its earlier years--including Alan Arkin, Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, John Candy, Chris Farley, Tim Meadows, Bill Murray, Mike Myers, Catherine O'Hara, Gilda Radner, Joan Rivers, Martin Short, and Fred Willard--are joined in these pages by more recent alumni like Aidy Bryant, Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, Tina Fey, Keegan-Michael Key, Jack McBrayer, Amber Ruffin, and Jason Sudeikis. Read the real stories of how The Second City got its name, its stages, its performers, and its iconic bentwood chairs. Biographies of the troupe's key players illuminate the details of their lives and characters, and trivia from the theater's entire history will make you see The Second City in a whole new light. Did you know John Belushi got his start lifting jokes from The Second City? Or that many cast members--including Stephen Colbert and Nia Vardalos--sold tickets or waited tables before they made it to the stage? The Second City collects rare photos, profiles, and the stories we were never supposed to hear to take you behind the scenes of this legendary institution. Now spanning six decades, the story of The Second City is both funnier and more poignant than anyone could have imagined.