Second City Training Center

Second City Training Center The Second City Training Center is the educational arm associated with the improvisational comedy company that originated in Chicago, providing instruction in improvisation, sketch writing, clowning, musical comedy, and acting. Founded to formalize training used by performers who joined ensembles that appeared at venues linked to the troupe, the center has become a feeder for mainstream entertainment industries including television, film, and theater. Its curriculum and faculty have influenced contemporary comedy through connections to sketch programs, sitcoms, late-night shows, film comedies, and theater companies.

History

The Training Center emerged from the same milieu that produced the original resident ensemble at the Chicago theater where pioneers of improv honed techniques derived from earlier practitioners and experimental theaters. In the 1970s and 1980s, performers who would later work with companies and institutions related to Saturday Night Live, SCTV, Monty Python, The Second City, The Compass Players, and regional ensembles sought systematic pedagogy. The formal establishment of instruction mirrored pedagogical moves by conservatories and studios such as Stella Adler Studio of Acting, Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, HB Studio, and improvisational collectives tied to venues like Steppenwolf Theatre Company and Goodman Theatre. As alumni migrated to television series including Saturday Night Live, The Simpsons, Seinfeld, and films distributed by Paramount Pictures and Universal Pictures, the Training Center adapted courses to address on-camera performance demanded by producers at networks like NBC, ABC, CBS, and cable outlets such as HBO and Comedy Central.

Programs and Curriculum

Course offerings span beginner through advanced tracks in improvisation, long-form and short-form techniques, sketch writing, character development, musical improv, physical comedy, and on-camera acting. Pedagogical influences are traceable to methods used by practitioners associated with Keith Johnstone, Del Close, and ensemble directors with ties to festivals like Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Writing labs emphasize formats and structures familiar to writers for Saturday Night Live, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Tonight Show, and sitcom writers who staff shows such as Friends, Frasier, and Parks and Recreation. Workshops teach audition technique for casting directors from agencies including Creative Artists Agency and William Morris Endeavor, and camera technique used on productions by studios like Warner Bros. and 20th Century Studios. Specialized programs have included training for improvisation in corporate settings, applied improv for healthcare teams linked to institutions like Mayo Clinic and arts-therapy collaborations with hospitals and community organizations. Certificate and conservatory-style residencies have prepared students for careers in sketch companies, touring comedy troupes, and television writers' rooms connected to award institutions such as the Primetime Emmy Awards, Tony Awards, and Academy Awards.

Locations and Campuses

The primary historic campus is located in Chicago, situated among theaters and schools in a neighborhood known for performance arts activity near companies like Steppenwolf Theatre Company and venues hosting touring productions from Broadway. Satellite campuses and pop-up workshops have operated in Toronto, Los Angeles (Hollywood), and Las Vegas, interfacing with production hubs tied to studios such as CBC Television in Toronto and soundstage facilities used by NBCUniversal. Touring intensives and festivals have brought instructors to arts centers and universities including The Juilliard School, New York University, and conservatories collaborating on short residencies. International exchanges and teacher training modules have connected the center with festivals and institutions across Europe and North America, including appearances at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and partnerships with theaters in cities like London, Toronto, and Los Angeles.

Notable Instructors and Alumni

Instructors and alumni from the Training Center have moved into high-profile roles across television, film, and theater. Graduates and faculty have worked on projects such as Saturday Night Live, SCTV, The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, Arrested Development, Saturday Night Live Weekend Update, and feature films produced by companies like Universal Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures. Notable performers and writers associated by training or teaching have appeared on series starring or created by figures linked to Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, John Belushi, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, Dan Aykroyd, Stephen Colbert, Alec Baldwin, Fred Armisen, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Steve Carell, Chris Farley, Mike Myers, Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Tracey Ullman, Martin Short, Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele, Seth Meyers, Maya Rudolph, Kristen Wiig, Pete Davidson, Lorne Michaels, Noel Fielding, Rowan Atkinson, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Amy Schumer, Bill Hader, Fred Willard, and John Candy. Writers and directors moving through the program have contributed to shows on HBO, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and streaming platforms run by companies like Disney+.

Community Outreach and Partnerships

The Training Center has engaged in community programs that place improv and theater pedagogy into schools, hospitals, and nonprofit arts organizations, partnering with municipal arts councils and foundations such as local arts agencies, cultural centers, and healthcare institutions. Outreach collaborations have included educational residencies with public and private schools, mentorship programs for youth ensembles associated with theaters like Goodman Theatre and arts education initiatives connected to festivals and civic arts organizations. Corporate partnerships and customized workshops have been commissioned by companies in sectors represented by major law firms, tech firms, and media conglomerates to provide communication and creativity training. Philanthropic affiliations and grant-supported projects have linked the center with arts funding bodies and charitable foundations that support performing-arts access and professional development for underrepresented communities.

Category:Improvisational theatre schools