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| The Second City Touring Company | |
|---|---|
| Name | The Second City Touring Company |
| City | Chicago |
| Country | United States |
| Type | Improvisational theatre |
| Opened | 1959 (parent company) |
The Second City Touring Company
The Second City Touring Company is a professional improvisational comedy ensemble originating from Chicago that developed national and international touring productions. Founded as an extension of Chicago's improvisational scene, the Touring Company connected stages in New York City, Toronto, Los Angeles, London, Edinburgh, Dublin, Sydney and Toronto with performers and directors drawn from the Second City training center and its resident troupes. It has supplied talent to television programs, film productions, award ceremonies, sketch revues and corporate events while interacting with institutions such as the Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Stratford Festival, and the Royal Shakespeare Company.
The Touring Company's origins trace to the founding of Second City in Chicago alongside the careers of figures associated with Chicago Theatre, including those who worked at the Arena Stage, Guthrie Theater, and La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club. Early ties linked to performers who later appeared on programs like The Tonight Show, Saturday Night Live, and SCTV as well as festivals such as the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Just for Laughs. As national tours expanded, collaborations involved venues including the Broadway houses, Lincoln Center, the Public Theater, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music. The ensemble influenced performer migrations to Hollywood studios, notably connecting to studios behind Saturday Night Live, NBC, ABC, CBC, and the BBC. Across decades, the Touring Company intersected with producers from United Artists, Warner Bros., Columbia Pictures, Paramount Pictures, and streaming platforms emerging from Netflix and Amazon.
The Touring Company operated under administrative frameworks similar to regional companies like Steppenwolf, Goodman, and Oregon Shakespeare Festival, with artistic directors, executive producers, company managers, and tour managers coordinating logistics for venues including the Apollo Theater, Walnut Street Theatre, and Pasadena Playhouse. Casting drew from alumni networks including Second City Training Center, ImprovOlympic (iO), Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, Magnet Theatre, and TheatreSports affiliates. Production roles involved stage managers, scenic designers, and lighting designers who had previously worked with institutions such as the National Theatre, Old Vic, and La Scala. Labor relations engaged guilds and unions like Actors’ Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA when touring actors crossed into television and film work.
Repertoire blended sketches, long-form improvisation, musical satire, and character-driven pieces influenced by revue traditions from vaudeville, the Algonquin Round Table legacy, and cabaret. Productions often included topical satire referencing political events like presidential campaigns, Supreme Court decisions, NATO summits, United Nations assemblies, and World Series moments, while engaging with cultural touchstones such as Broadway musicals, film franchises like Star Wars and James Bond, and literary adaptations inspired by Shakespeare, Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, and Oscar Wilde. Tours featured shows at festivals including Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Just for Laughs, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, and South by Southwest, and venues like Radio City Music Hall, Carnegie Hall, and the Sydney Opera House.
Alumni who passed through Touring Company ranks later became prominent in film, television, and theatre. Among those connected to early touring and training were performers who joined ensembles for programs such as Saturday Night Live, Second City Television, Portlandia, The Kids in the Hall, The Office, Parks and Recreation, 30 Rock, Seinfeld, Friends, The Simpsons, Futurama, and Family Guy. Names include those who later worked with directors and producers like Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, Martin Scorsese, Christopher Guest, Paul Feig, Judd Apatow, Spike Lee, Greta Gerwig, and Steven Soderbergh, and who appeared in films distributed by Miramax, Lionsgate, and Universal Pictures. Alumni collaborations extended to playwrights and composers who worked with theatres such as Steppenwolf, Goodman, Royal Court, and La Jolla Playhouse.
The Touring Company shaped comedy norms, feeding performers into television networks like NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, and streaming services. It influenced institutions such as Chicago's art scene, Toronto's comedy circuits, London’s West End, and Los Angeles comedy hubs, while contributing to the careers of comics at clubs like The Comedy Store, Second City Theatre in Toronto, Caroline's on Broadway, Gotham Comedy Club, and Zanies. Its approach to improvisation impacted curricula at universities with theatre programs at Northwestern University, DePaul University, University of Chicago, Yale School of Drama, New York University, and Juilliard. The Company’s alumni have been recognized by bodies including the Tony Awards, Academy Awards, Emmy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, and the Canada’s Walk of Fame.
Training pipelines linked to the Touring Company included the Second City Training Center, conservatory-style programs, and workshops that echoed methodologies from Viola Spolin, Del Close, Keith Johnstone, and Augusto Boal. These programs paralleled offerings at iO, Upright Citizens Brigade, Groundlings, and Magnet Theatre, and connected to academic syllabi at Columbia University, Carnegie Mellon University, Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and National Institute of Dramatic Art. Development initiatives included residencies, fellowship programs, and masterclasses featuring visiting artists from Broadway, West End, Hollywood studios, and festival circuits.
Critical reception varied across venues and eras, with reviews appearing in publications such as The New York Times, Variety, The Guardian, Chicago Tribune, Toronto Star, Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The Globe and Mail, Time Out, Rolling Stone, and The Atlantic. Critics often compared Touring Company productions to revues and ensembles like The Groundlings, Upright Citizens Brigade, Kids in the Hall, and Monty Python, and evaluated the ensemble’s topicality, improvisational inventiveness, and influence on mainstream comedy culture. Awards and nominations from institutions such as the Obie Awards, Jeff Awards, and Canadian Comedy Awards reflected periods of critical acclaim across North American and international tours.
Category:Improvisational theatre