Second City's connections to Chicago theater

SECOND CITY FOUNDERS

Paul Sills

David Shepherd

Bernie Sahlins

Yeah, yeah, Second City changed the face of American comedy and launched the careers of lots of famous people. But it’s also worth noting its influence on Chicago theater—namely, that Chicago theater exists at all. In the B.S.C. era (Before Second City), the Goodman was still a training program of the Art Institute, and theater in Chicago mostly meant Broadway tours.

“And then, on December 16, 1959, there was a light in the wilderness,” said longtime Tribune critic Richard Christiansen at last month’s Jeff Awards. According to Christiansen, who in 1959 was a reporter for the Chicago Daily News, “Second City proved that an all-Chicago show could find an audience and flourish in its work.” The comedy troupe laid the groundwork for resident theater in Chicago, and the company’s founders and later members continue to shape the city’s theater scene today. Here are just a few examples of SC’s impact.

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