Well, almost. One of the advantageous of cruising as part of a Second City cast aboard Norwegian Cruise Line is the opportunity to visit some great spots all over the world. Today, one of our casts finds themselves in Rome. This photo is of cast member Tim Paul way too close to the pontiff.
The Second City is proud to announce the 8th annual event: "The Second City That Never Sleeps: Letters to Santa" - 24 consecutive hours of improvisation by Second City performers and alumni featuring a variety of special guest artists - a tradition that provides presents for needy children during the holiday season and this year wraps up a weekend of events around The Second City 's 50th Anniversary.
Doors will open at 5:45pm. The show will begin on Tuesday, December 15th in The Second City e.t.c. (1608 N. Wells St, 2nd Floor of Piper's Alley) at 6:00pm and will conclude on Wednesday, December 16th at 6:00pm.
An ensemble of Chicago's best known improvisers (along with alumni of The Second City) will take the stage for an entire 24-hour period. Improvisational games, scenes, songs, monologues and random acts of weirdness inspired by sleep deprivation will accompany performances by such artists as Robbie Fulks, Jeff Tweedy, UCB's ASSSCAT, Bonnie Prince Billy, The Mountain Goats and The Blisters.
Listed below is the current performance schedule. For schedule updates, visit www.secondcity.com.
Performance Schedule:
| 12/15/09 - 7:00pm | Jeff Tweedy |
| 12/15/09 - 10:00pm | Robbie Fulks |
| 12/16/09 - 12:00am | UCB's Asssscat with Matt Walsh, Horatio Sanz and Chicago friends |
| 12/16/09 - 3:00am | Flash-mob Marching Band |
| 12/16/09 - 6:00am | Bonnie Prince Billy |
| 12/16/09 - 7:30am | BabyCo |
| 12/16/09 - 12:00p | Nina Nastasia |
| 12/16/09 - 2:00pm | The Mountain Goats |
| 12/16/09 - 4:30pm | The Blisters |
Tickets for "The Second City That Never Sleeps: Letters to Santa" are $15.00 for the 24 hour period and can be purchased at the door. The event is open to all ages. Alcohol will be available to those 21 years and older from 6:00p-2:00a and from noon-6:00pm.
In addition to raffle prizes offered during the event, there will also be an auction to win a private performance with Jeff Tweedy.
The Second City Training Center, the training division of the world renowned improvisational theatre company, The Second City, has named award-winning director, Matt Hovde, to the position of Artistic Director. Hovde's appointment comes in a year of explosive growth for the Training Center, which now numbers more than 3000 students studying improvisation methods, acting, and writing in classes taught by working professionals in the field. The Training Center, with classroom facilities in Chicago, Toronto, and Los Angeles, is the world's largest improv-based school and is now considered Chicago's largest independent theater program.
"Matt Hovde is The Second City at its best — an award-winning director to further shape our training programs with practical experience from professional stages — the very combination that students flock to The Second City for," according to Andrew Alexander, Co-Chairman and CEO of The Second City. Hovde won a prestigious Jeff Award as director of The Second City's current hit show, Studs Terkel's Not Working. He has also directed several other productions, including America: All Better!; Campaign Supernova; Between Barack and a Hard Place; Rod Blagojevich Superstar!; How I Lost My Denverginity; In iPod We Trust; The Second City National Touring Company. Hovde did advanced training at The Second City and he is a 1998 graduate of the company's Conservatory Program. Additionally, he is a founding member of the Galileo Players, a sketch troupe inspired by science.
The Second City celebrates its 50th year in December 2009 and the Training Center facilities at the company's Chicago headquarters have undergone a massive expansion to meet a burgeoning demand for its innovative improv-based programs. The company just completed construction on a new facility featuring a suite of new classrooms, performance spaces, offices, and the new de Maat Studio Theater. The popularity of Training Center classes is best measured in the dramatic increase in students over last year. Each of the 8-week class terms for 2009 have seen an enrollment increase of 20% over 2008 levels.
Check out this great New York Times review of the new Mike Thomas book "The Second City Unscripted." The book, containing interviews with many Second City alums, is an oral history of The Second City from 1959 to present day.
You can purchase the book on our website.
The e.t.c cast will be celebrity employees today at the new PUMA store, located at the corner of North State and Randolph Streets. PUMA has plans for an opening event on Tuesday, December 1 from 4 pm to 8 pm, enlisting local celebrities, athletes, and other public figures to work the floor with our retail team. Their "wages" will be donated to the Chicago Red Stars Charitable Foundation. The evening's "employees" are set to include members of the Chicago Red Stars and current Second City performers. The usual celebratory fixings will also be on-hand, including sweets, prizes, and other goodies. The night concludes with Chicago favorites the Jump Smokers performing live from 7 pm to 8 pm. Come join us and help celebrate the opening of our 50th Anniversary partner, PUMA.
Global sport lifestyle brand PUMA® will debut a unique new retail concept with the opening of their second Chicago store, located in the highly-anticipated Chicago State Street development. The PUMA Store State Street stocks everything from soccer cleats and performance running sneakers, to high-fashion collaboration projects with Alexander McQueen and Mihara Yasuhiro. This store will also house essential PUMA collections such as PUMA Archive and PUMA Denim.
CEO/Executive Producer Andrew Alexander sat down with TimeOut Chicago Editor-in-Chief Frank Sennett for a very candid and extensive discussion about the ups and downs of life at The Second City. Check out the complete interview at chicago.timeout.com.
