Comedian Ever Mainard to Lead Class on Riffing

Comedian, Ever Mainard, is slated to lead a two-hour workshop called "Get Riffed! Riffing for Stand-Ups and Storytellers." Techniques in this course will give performers the confidence to take a topic and run with it. Participants will use improvisation to find new angles, expand old jokes and connect with the audience.

This workshop will be offered on Saturday, September 14 at 4pm. Registration is open to all students, but previous improv or stand-up experience is recommended. For more information, visit the class information page.

Ever Mainard is one of Chicago’s top stand-up comedians. Chicago Magazine named her one of the top 100 comics and Gaper’s Block credited her as one of the Most Influential Women in Chicago Comedy. She performs regularly at The Beat Kitchen and is a co-producer and host of “The Shit Show.” Ever has worked with Maria Bamford, Nick Thune, Greg Berhandt, Bill Dwyer, and many others, and her work has been seen on Jezebel.com, The Apiary, NPR, and The Onion’s A.V. Club.

Second City on Freakonomics Podcast

Yesterday's "Middle of Everywhere" Freakonomics Podcast was all about Chicago and they talked about The Compass Players and the beginning of Second City. Listen to the full podcast for complete details.

Get Ready: Chicago Air and Water Show - Aug. 17 & 18

If you're planning on coming to a show this weekend or take a class, remember that the Chicago Air & Water Show is scheduled this weekend (August 17 & 18) from 10:00am - 3:00pm at North Ave. Beach. Give yourself a little extra time to get to the theater and since parking will be limited in the area, click here to find the best public transportation options or take a cab.

Still need to book your tickets for this weekend? Click here for a complete list of performances.

SC Continues Laughter with "The Good, The Bad and The I-5"

Chicago Second City Theatricals team has sent out a dynamite cast to takeover the La Jolla Playhouse from August 6 - September 1 with an original, sidesplitting tribute to San Diego, about San Diego - "The Good, The Bad and The I-5." It has been getting rave reviews from a number of publications and we just wanted to send our congratulations to everyone out on the west coast!

"THE SECOND CITY COMES THROUGH WITH AN AVALANCHE OF LAUGHS."
– Gary Zeidner, Boulder Weekly

"THEY ARE THE GOLD-STANDARD FOR SATIRICAL REVUES."
– Ted Pappas, Artistic Director Pittsburgh Public Theatre

Second City Skewers San Diego

The Good, the Bad, and the I-5 at La Jolla Playhouse

Second City Pokes Fun at All Things SD

Colin Mochrie Releases New Book "Not Quite the Classics"

Second City Toronto alum, Colin Mochrie, just released a new book titled, "Not Quite the Classics." Colin Mochrie, a man known worldwide for working without a script, has penned a collection of stories destined to make its own mark in the literary community. Borrowing from a well-known improv game, Mochrie takes the first and last lines from familiar classics and reimagines everything in between. With the same engaging humour he exhibits on stage, television, and film, he takes the reader in bizarre and hilarious new directions, using the original writer's words as a launch and landing point. Imagine A Tale of Two Cities in which Wile E. Coyote gets his revenge on the Road Runner, Dr. Seuss's The Cat in the Hat with zombies, or The Night Before Christmas with a time travelling twist. Imagine Sherlock Holmes devising a foolproof method for eliciting laughter and then taking the stage at a Victorian comedy club in Old London...

You can buy the e-book on Amazon now and the print edition will be available this Fall.

Congratulations to This Year’s Emmy Nominees

Congratulations to this year’s Emmy Award Nominees including a host of Second City resident and touring company alumni including Stephen Colbert, Paul Dinello, Tina Fey, Joe Kelly, Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, Jane Lynch, Mike O’Brien, Amy Poehler, Tom Purcell, and Jeff Richmond. 

The 65^th Annual Emmy’s will be broadcast live on Sunday, Sept. 22 on CBS. Click here for a complete list of nominees.

"America All Better" at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Extended

Woolly Mammoth announced that its fifth collaboration with Chicago’s Second City, America All Better!, is a box office hit, earning it a two week extension.

The all new revue now runs through August 18, 2013. Tickets start at $45 and can be purchased online by phone – 202-393-3939 – via email at tickets@woollymammoth.net, and in person at the Box Office, located at Woolly Mammoth Theatre, 641 D Street NW, Washington, DC.