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The Second City




Second City evolved from the ''Compass Players'', a 1950s cabaret-style revue show started by undergraduates at the University Of Chicago . The troupe chose the self-mocking name "Second City" from the title of a disdainful article about Chicago by A.J. Liebling that appeared in '' The New Yorker '' magazine in 1949. In 1959 the first Second City revue show premiered. The style of comedy has changed with the times, but the format has remained constant. Second City revues feature a mix of semi-improvised and scripted scenes (known as ''blackouts''). New material is developed during unscripted improv sessions, where scenes are created based on audience suggestions. A Second City innovation is the inclusion of live, improvised Music in the performance.

A number of important performers got their start as part of the troupe and later moved on to Television and Movie careers. In the mid-1970s, Second City Chicago became a source of players for the '' Saturday Night Live '' television show, which borrowed many of the writing and performing techniques pioneered by Second City and other improv groups. Shortly thereafter members of the Toronto troupe created the " SCTV " television show.


NOTABLE ALUMNI OF THE CHICAGO SECOND CITY TROUPE



first year in the 1950s/1960s



1970s



1980s



1990s and beyond



NOTABLE ALUMNI OF THE TORONTO SECOND CITY TROUPE




NOTABLE ALUMNI OF THE CLEVELAND SECOND CITY TROUPE



NOTABLE ALUMNI OF SECOND CITY DETROIT



NOTABLE ALUMNI OF THE SECOND CITY LAS VEGAS TROUPE



NOTABLE ALUMNI OF THE COMPASS PLAYERS




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