Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia
Second City
Comedy company in Toronto, Ontario, created in 1973 and similar to the parent company of the same name in Chicago, Illinois, which began in 1959.
Second City presents comedy in a cabaret setting. Performances consist of sketches, written and improvised by the performers, with suggestions as to form and content from the audience.
The first cast of the Toronto company included Dan Aykroyd, Jayne Eastwood, Joe Flaherty, Robin Duke, Andrea Martin, and Gilda Radner. Among the hundreds of veterans of the company are Mike Myers, Sandra Shamas, John Candy, Martin Short, Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy, and Gary Kirkham.
The Second City performed at the Old Firehall on Lombard Street until 1997 when it moved to a new hall in the theatre district. In November 2022, Second City opened its new Toronto home at One York Street with two stages in a condo complex. The Mainstage Theatre has 244 seats and the second stage, Theatre ‘73, has 170 seats, referring to the first location at Old Fire Hall in its design.
For Second City in Toronto, the improv performances were "about characters: people ... on the subway, family members." (Catherine O'Hara, quoted from torontolife.com. Feb, 2023)) Scenes were about human dynamics. They also included pastiches of personalities such as Liberace (Dave Thomas) and George Carlin (Rick Moranis).
In May, 2000, the company launched the revue Sordido Deluxo, its 48th production. In December, 2021, Second City returned to live performances, following its closure of over a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with Welcome Back to the Future, a revue that satirizes the idiocies inherent in political correctness.
It has training centres in Toronto, Chicago, and Hollywood, and four Canadian touring companies, as well as companies on cruise lines. From 1976 to 1984, it produced SCTV, which featured performers such as Great White North's hosers Bob and Doug MacKenzie.
In 2023, Second City celebrated its fiftieth birthday. For decades after it began in Toronto, many of the original staff still define Canadian comedy.
Website: www.secondcity.com
Last updated 2023-01-22
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