Tonight’s performance will run approximately 2 hours, including a 15-minute intermission.

It all started with children’s games.

Rooted in the groundbreaking improvisational games of Viola Spolin, The Second City opened its doors on a snowy Chicago night in December of 1959, and a comedy revolution began. The small cabaret theater has grown to become the most influential and prolific comedy empire in the world, developing an entirely unique way of creating art and fostering generation after generation of superstars.

Co-founded by Spolin’s son, Paul Sills, along with Howard Alk and Bernie Sahlins, The Second City was experimental and unconventional in its approach to both theater and comedy. Almost immediately, alumni of The Second City, including Alan Arkin, Joan Rivers, Fred Willard, Gilda Radner, Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi, launched the theater into the international spotlight.

In 1976, Second City launched “SCTV,” which has been hailed as one of the greatest sketch comedy series of all time. The two-time Emmy winner featured an all-star cast made up of Martin Short, Andrea Martin, Catherine O’Hara, John Candy, Eugene Levy, Dave Thomas, Joe Flaherty, and Rick Moranis.

Today, The Second City is home to a world-class entertainment company, continuing to produce premier talent in all three of its locations—Chicago, Toronto, and Hollywood—and entertaining more than one million audience members a year. From Steve Carell to Keegan-Michael Key, Stephen Colbert to Tina Fey, Chris Farley to Mike Myers, Second City’s imprint is all over film, television, and beyond.

In addition to its stages, Second City Touring Companies perform electrifying revues and original productions across North America and abroad. Our creative collaborations have produced thrilling and critically acclaimed work in partnership with organizations like the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Norwegian Cruise Line, the New York Comedy Festival, and the Chicago Bulls.

Second City Training Centers in Chicago, Toronto, Hollywood, and online teach thousands of students a year, and the opening of the Harold Ramis Film School in 2016 gave the world the first film school dedicated to comedy. Finally, Second City Works is an industry leader in bringing improv-based methodologies to businesses and organizations of all types.

We hope you enjoy the show...after all, it’s been almost 60 years in the making.

GEORGE ELROD (he/him/they/them) was born and raised in Little Rock, AK. He is a graduate from DePaul University and The ACADEMY at Black Box Acting Chicago. They've performed with the Second City in Deck The Hallmark; Not Safe For Werk; Late Night Date Night; and has understudied Second City's Mainstage and E.T.C. sketch revues. TV credit includes Somebody Somewhere on HBO. He's rep'd by Grossman & Jack Talent. Special thanks to Mom, Dad, Justin, and Patty. Follow him on insta/twitter/TikTok: @XoGossipGeorge

KEVIN NOONAN is a writer and performer originally from Overland Park, KS, thrilled to perform with Second City. Kevin previously wrote and performed at the Pack Theater in Los Angeles with house ensembles Very Famous and Nobody Yell At Me. Other past credits include red carpet journalist, SAT tutor, working salad orders at a cafe in the mall, and almost Blockbuster Video cashier, until the store closed down on what was supposed to be his first day of work. His instagram is @kevin.noonan4.

AMITA RAO is a comedian and actress. She is a Bob Curry Fellow and a member of the team Missed Call. She is most known for her sketch/improv duo Gag Reflex, which has performed frequently around the city and gained notoriety on TikTok.

CASSIDY RUSSELL (she/her) has been doing improv since middle school (cool!). In addition to performing with Second City, she is a resident director at Chicago's Annoyance Theater, where she also performs and teaches. She has taught and performed improv internationally for the past decade and is honestly just really joyful that this is what she gets to do with her life. Cassidy has appeared in multiple (multiple!) local car commercials.

CATHARINE SAVAGE is delighted to perform with The Second City! A Massachusetts native, she moved to Chicago after graduating from Brown University. She is a proud graduate the The Second City Training Center's Conservatory and Severn Darden Graduate Program, as well as iO's training program. She has performed all over Chicago, mostly at Second City, iO, and The Annoyance. Big thanks to her dog Scoops for believing in her! Follow her on twitter @catharinesavage or Instagram @cath.sav

ADISA WILLIAMS (she/her) is elated to be an understudy for the cast of Second City Mainstage. She is originally from both Boston and Kingston, Jamaica. (This cannot be further explained). She is currently a writer for YouTube News show Gay News and actor/writer for web series Bennie and Barbara. She is currently in the 2020 Second City NBCUniversal Bob Curry Fellowship. When not on stage or behind a camera, you can catch her in the middle of a ring of Krispy Kreme doughnuts because she likes being surrounded by greatness. Previous credits include: iO's House Sketch Team, iO's diOversity Scholars, ComedySportz Seattle Ensemble. Huge thank you to her Chicago family and friends. Follow @runoftheschmill on instagram and @schmilliams on twitter/TikTok

JEN ELLISON (Director) is a Chicago writer, director, and performer. As a resident director for The Second City, Jen has overseen all three touring companies, developed multiple shows for the Outreach & Diversity program, and directed Apes of Wrath and Do the Right Thing, No Worries, If Not for the resident stages. Other directing credits include Collaboraction, Trap Door Theatre, and The Neo-Futurists, where she is an artistic associate. Jen teaches screenwriting at DePaul University and is a member of the Comedy Writing and Performance faculty at Columbia College Chicago. Dave's #1 fan-crush. Follow @jenjen1138 pretty much everywhere.

BREE BARTMAN (Alternate Stage Manager) is the Stage Manager for this production! For the past 10 years, she's been hiding in the shadows at several theaters around Chicago, including The Second City and the long-running show, Bye Bye Liver. When she's not at Second City, you can find her slinging sass at Ed Debevic's! Please enjoy the show!!!

MICHAEL OLDHAM (Music Director) (b. 1989 Braidwood, IL) is a composer and pianist who weaves artwork, story, and imagination into his work. Whether experimenting with looping videos on Instagram as the "parts" of a piece that anyone can play (Music In Segments, 2018), utilizing repeating gif images of old silent films as inspiration for a twelve-movement work (Music In Gifs -- 2019), translating great works of art into music (Suggestion Box: Art, 2020, The Egon Schiele Pieces, 2021), writing art songs, musical theater, pop songs, or commercial ad work, Michael's thirst for unusual storytelling through music is never quenched.