Insider's Map to The Second City History

By Ashley Shafer

Celebrating over 50 years of funny, Chicago-based improvisational comedy troupe, The Second City, is well known for stirring up snickers with its satirical sketches. It is compiled of 11 full time touring ensembles, performing short scenes, songs and improvisational sketches at venues across the nation.

The Second City has theatres in Chicago and Toronto, as well as training facilities in those cities and Hollywood. The Second City Training Center is the largest school of improvisation and sketch comedy in the world. The "Harvard of humor," as The New York Times calls it, offers acting classes to comedians of all experience levels.

The Second City gained admirable clout in the 1970's when it contributed well-known comedians and alumni Bill Murray and John Belushi to Saturday Night Live television. Today the legend continues with SNL starlets Tiny Fey and Amy Poehler, also former Second City Citizens. Overall, Second City has contributed over two-dozen actors and writers to SNL.

Last December the comedy troupe kicked off its 50th birthday bash with "The Second City Alumni: One Night Only," which featured panel discussions and a series of classic sketches including a piece by Stephen Colbert and Steve Carell.

The Second City: Can You be More Pacific? has been specially crafted for its debut at the Laguna Playhouse. This show promises to deliver an avalance of laughs that will highligh the most comedic and relevant elements of what it means to be behind the Orange Curtain.

Second City Citizens: Alumni of the Second City include...

• Bill Murray


• John Belushi


• Dan Aykroyd


• Tina Fey


• Stephen Colbert


• Alan Arkin


• Gilda Radner


• Steve Carell


• Chris Farley


• Bonnie Hunt


• Mike Meyers


• Amy Sedaris


• Sean Hayes


• Martin Short


• Joan Rivers


• Rachel Draft

For more information on The Second City and to watch videos of The Second City sketches visit http://www.secondcity.com/

Can You Be More Pacific? at the Laguna Playhouse

SECOND CITY COMES TO ORANGE COUNTY

WITH THE WORLD PREMIERE OF
CAN YOU BE MORE PACIFIC?
THROUGH APRIL 11 AT THE LAGUNA PLAYHOUSE

LAGUNA BEACH, CA - March 5, 2010 - Get ready for an outrageous evening of laughter when internationally acclaimed sketch-comedy troupe, The Second City, comes to Orange County March 16 - April 11, 2010, with the World Premiere of Can You Be More Pacific?, a custom-crafted production for The Laguna Playhouse that lampoons Laguna Beach and Orange County.

This show promises to deliver an avalanche of laughs that highlight the most comedic and relevant elements of what it means to be behind the Orange Curtain. Whether you're a life-long OC resident or a recent transplant, you'll see yourself, your neighbor or your favorite plastic surgeon lampooned on stage. From real housewives to theme park mania, this California adventure is a wild comedy ride that doesn't require a toll road.

Two Second City writers - Andy Cobb and Marc Warzecha - spent four days in OC soaking up the culture and talking to local celebrities, journalists, newsmakers, and muckrackers about the good, the bad and the ugly in and around OC. They soared over Irvine in the Great Park Balloon, ate tacos from a taco truck in Santa Ana, peered among the pews of the Crystal Cathedral, scoured Surf City, toured Newport Coast and cruised the toll roads.

Now, armed with fresh fodder and a renewed sense of what makes OC such a funny county, Andy and Marc have concocted a crazy sketch comedy show called Can You Be More Pacific? that's guaranteed to keep audiences laughing all night long.

Can You Be More Pacific? is the sixth regional-specific show created by the Second City, and celebrates the comedic troupe's successful 50-year history of zany comedy that has fostered such talented legends as Joh Belushi, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Gilda Radner, Stephen Colbert, Mike Myers, Amy Poehler, and Tina Fey.

March Madness at the Laguna Playhouse

That's right, you read it correctly- March Madness at the Laguna Playhouse. With 3 performances in the month of March, there's sure to be a little madness around the theater :)

Monsieur Chopin
Feb 25 - March 7
Performances Thurs- Sat 8pm, Sat & Sun 2pm, Sun 7pm
Did you enjoy George Gershwin Alone? Hershey Felder will be performing the 2nd piece in his 'Composer Sonata' at the Laguna Playhouse. Join us as Frederic Chopin teaches piano lessons from his Paris salon in 1848. With the success of George Gershwin Alone, this event is sure to be a hit. Move quickly- Monsieur Chopin is a limited engagement and is selling quickly!
http://www.lagunaplayhouse.com/onstage/special/monsieur-chopin/

The Secret Life of Girls
March 9 - 11
Performances Tuesday - Thursday 7:30pm
Did you know an estimated 160,000 children miss school every day out of fear of attack or intimidation by other students? Parents and teenagers can learn more about the solutions to emotional bullying in schools at a performance of The Secret Life of Girls, part of our Theatre for a New Generation. Aimed for children in middle school and high school, this would be a great opportunity for discussing issues that your young one may face at school.
http://www.lagunaplayhouse.com/education/new-generation/

The Second City: Can You be more Pacific?
March 16 - April 11
Performances Tues - Sat 8pm, Sat & Sun 2pm, Sun 7pm (exclud 4/4), Thur 2pm on 3/18 & 4/1
The internationally acclaimed sketch-comedy company, The Second City, has custom crafted a production for The Laguna Playhouse to lampoon our beloved Laguna Beach and Orange County. This show promises to deliver an avalanche of laughs that will highlight the most comedic and relevant elements of what it means to be behind the Orange Curtain.
If you have lived in Orange County for any length of time, you will see yourself, your neighbor or your favorite plastic surgeon highlighted on stage for a good ribbing. From real housewives to finding sand in all the wrong places, this California adventure is a comedy ride that can’t be missed and won’t require a toll road.
http://www.lagunaplayhouse.com/onstage/2010/tba/

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