Second Citizens

For our Season Two finale, Second City "Jack of all trades" Dave Razowsky talks with us about......nearly everything you can regarding The Second City. And with good reason, considering that Dave performed on the Northwest Stage as well as the ETC and Main Stage in Chicago AND he directed shows in Chicago AND was the first Artistic Director of the Second City Los Angeles! (RIP). I've even left out a bunch of stuff so you'll have to listen to find out!-And talk about timing! Mr. Razowsy has just written a book on improv!!! pre-order it at bio.site/DavidRazowskyAnd thanks to all of our season 2 listeners! If you haven't rated and reviewed us, could you please? The more 5 star ratings and snarky reviews we get, the quicker we will be back for season 3! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/secondcitizenspod/Twitter: https://twitter.com/SecondCitizens_

Rebecca Allen is part of a mounting pile of evidence that suggests the best thing to do at the Second City is to get sent away early on and brought back shortly afterwards which I would think gives one a sense of satisfaction (of course our host has a way of finding that sense often).  She describes her up and down and up and wha? journey at the Second City, as well as correcting any errors in Joe's version of their second city touring company audition, from which they were both hired. She also mentions touring the world on a Second City cruise ship and what happened when she got back on dry land. Also other topics!!!We're wrapping up season 2 and hoping the promise of season 3 makes you rate and review us at your soonest convenience, And Happy New Year! if you are into that. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/secondcitizenspod/Twitter: https://twitter.com/SecondCitizens_

Throughout our rollicking conversation Inessa reminded me of so many of my Second City friends. We explored more of the Toronto Comedy Scene before ping ponging into a number of comedy topics that Inessa tackles with her tremendous energy. It really was a great time and hopefully now that we've had a few Canadians on it will prime the pump so we can bring you more stories from Toronto, which is nice because our host can't pretend like he knows what he's talking about. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/secondcitizenspod/Twitter: https://twitter.com/SecondCitizens_

We welcome our first Canadian Second citizen of the 21st century with Jason Derosse, who reminds Joe of their improbable first meeting on the Toronto Main Stage and also gives us a great account of what the comedy scene in Toronto was in the 2010's. Later on Joe gets envious about the respect improvisers are paid up north and makes a big deal about remembering the name of a comedy producer in Toronto. Did you remember to rate and review us? (I'm assuming you are a subscriber at this point)Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/secondcitizenspod/Twitter: https://twitter.com/SecondCitizens_

Emily Wilson comes on to trade insults with the host, in order to maintain consistency in their relationship. She also talks about her non-typical road to the main stage, the pressure to perform (especially for the 50th anniversary show) and the various ways we go about motivating ourselves. *Trigger Warning: this episode contains scenes of alcohol consumption and also one of the most touching and simultaniously disgusting stories in the history of backstage pranks. You know what isn't a prank? Us asking you to Subscribe Rate and Review! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/secondcitizenspod/Twitter: https://twitter.com/SecondCitizens_

Tracy Thorpe delights us with sooooo many great stories from her years at the Second City, including our second eyewitness account of the TourCo van that almost went over the Mountain! In fact, she had so many great stories that we didn't even GET to talking about the most epic bizco gig in history, we may need a part 2! *Tracy also corrected our host (off air) on the authorship of the brilliant song "Helium". Apologies to John Hildreth, the writer of the greatest song ever about a noble gas. Speaking of... it would be noble of you to Subscribe Rate and Review! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/secondcitizenspod/Twitter: https://twitter.com/SecondCitizens_

After numerous attempts to schedule this episode we finally tracked down Maribeth Monroe! Joe Gets his most embarrassing moment at Second City (amongst many) out of the way up top before a rollicking romp through Maribeth's Second City years. From her precocious start in Detroit to the......mixed reaction she and some others got upon arriving in Chicago including stories of mystery and intrigue and stalkers! *to any concerned listeners everything works out in the end and no improvisers were harmed in the recording of the episode or in the stories they tell. Happy belated Thanksgiving (no matter when you read this) and we would be thankful if you would Subscribe Rate and Review Please!Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/secondcitizenspod/Twitter: https://twitter.com/SecondCitizens_

Jamison Webb (no relation to Webb Telescope) joins us to talk about the Webb telescope. We also discuss the many Florida Gator contributions to the improv community which makes Joe mention the 96 Fiesta bowl. We also talk about the post 50th anniversary years and the wealth of talent in that era. We also hope each of you listeners are able to book a national commercial that runs for years....  Subscribe Rate and Review!Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/secondcitizenspod/Twitter: https://twitter.com/SecondCitizens_

Today's episode exemplifies the idea of the Second City "family". Although Joe and Suzy had never actually met beyond introductions before our recording, within seconds they immediately began back and forth banter like siblings or old pals. Joe talks about how Second Citizens don't take shit from anyone and Suzy immediately proves it by schooling Joe on the real reason behind some of those behaviors. We also get a first hand telling of the most infamous Tourco story EVER! I'm talking about the tourco Van that almost fell off a mountain!!It's a real fun time!Also fun?(for us): Subscribing Rating and Reviewing!Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/secondcitizenspod/Twitter: https://twitter.com/SecondCitizens_

Brendan Jennings jumps onto the show to talk about the pros and cons of going into a Second City show as a long term understudy, and how he dealt with keeping expectations at bay. We also ruminate on not believing what people tell you and how Brendan eventually got to write his own shows on the ETC! We also believe that Brendan and our host are the only people in Second City History to understudy one another for the same parts in the same show.  We didn't talk about Subscribing, Rating and Reviewing, which is why I'm reminding you to do those things in print!Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/secondcitizenspod/Twitter: https://twitter.com/SecondCitizens_

After some technical difficulties in our first crack at an episode our host and Rob Janas sit down for take two to talk about Northwestern University and it's lengthy improv roster, the IO road show and of course the Second City! You may ask why I even mention that this was a second recording and it's because the improv chemistry between Rob and Joe that only comes from performing thousands of free shows together makes it SEEM like it's a first episode. *Except for any parts where we might mention that it's a second attempt. I'm guessing you won't need a second attempt to subscribe, rate and review! Because you are such a smart listener!Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/secondcitizenspod/Twitter: https://twitter.com/SecondCitizens_

*NOTE* This episode was recorded a few weeks before The Second City announced that they will be opening a New York theater in 2023 (Hooray!), while at the same time removing all evidence of the Los Angeles theater from their website without alerting any of the Second Citizens still teaching for them out here. (BOOOOOOOOOOOOO!)- on with the show. The Second City Los Angeles has contributed mightily to the comedy output of the company and no one was more vital to the LA theater than Dwayne Colbert. He joins us to talk about discovering improv, the highs and lows of the Second City Network, how he found his way to the Second City Advisory Board (Thanks Amber Ruffin!) and what he plans to bring to that role. We also have a brief discussion on what it means to be a "Second Citizen".  I can't think of a better person to represent the Second City LA, no matter what the future holds. We've been getting some snarky reviews and are loving it. Keep em' coming with those 5 star ratings! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/secondcitizenspod/Twitter: https://twitter.com/SecondCitizens_

Lance Kinsey (whom we've decided to call Uncle Lance- you'll hear) joins us to talk about how improv and the second city method influenced the writing and directing of his movie "All Stars" (Featuring multiple Second City Alums), and how it continues to inform his process today. Lance's interview was recorded shortly after the passing of his good friend and Second City Legend  Mike Haggerty (Joyce had to find him another job so he would stop doing Second City shows) and this episode is dedicated in memory of Haggs.Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/secondcitizenspod/Twitter: https://twitter.com/SecondCitizens_

Amanda Blake Davis worked on multiple oceans and multiple deserts before ABD (as she's known) hit the ETC. She shares her stories from all of these wet/dry climates, as well as the temperate midwest (ha.). Jobs are a theme as the financial sacrifice of working for tourco comes up as well as how sometimes you have to move away from Chicago so that you can move back to Chicago. And though this episode was recorded a while ago, I think I remember us talking about the grinding world of theater league, co-ed, FLAG FOOTBALL! (ABD is a 2X TLCFF champion)And you will be a Champion if you Subscribe, Rate and Review!

Following up on last week's ETC origin story, we welcome Harry Murphy to share his thoughts on that transitional time in The Second City's history. He describes the freedom and fun of creating your own company and operating with relatively little oversight, and how the "promotion" to the Main Stage didn't bring that same energy. We also touch a little bit on some of the early attempts at establishing a foothold in LA, and also some of the middle attempts. Not much on recent attempts. And don't forget how much we love when you Subscribe Rate and Review!

For over 30 years the Second City ETC (Experimental Theater Company) has been pumping out hilarious shows in Pipers Alley, right next door to its older sibling, the Chicago mainstage. In that time the ETC has produced as much quality comedy as any Second City stage. Today we are delighted to have the three actors who were the driving force behind the creation of the ETC. Jane Morris, Jeff Michalski, and Bill Applebaum were members of the touring company who wanted to put up an original show in the empty theater behind the Main Stage. The obstacles they had to overcome and the pushback the received from ownership made the eventual success of their show that much sweeter. These Second Citizens join us to tell their own personal stories and for the first time, they share their collective memories about the creation of the ETC theater. As you might guess, there are some memories that it takes all three plus our host to put together. After all it was a looooooong time ago. This is a must listen for comedy history buffs! Other buffs too!Don't forget how much we love it when you Subscribe, Rate & Review!

Actor/Writer/Producer Todd Stashwick joins us to share stories about his short but eventful time working at the Second City. Todd was one of the last people hired by legendary producer Joyce Sloan, and the way she hired him reminds us of a simpler time. Todd was part of an incredibly talented (and tall) generation, working at second city during the emotionally charged "changing of the guard" in management. He also was there in the early days of the Detroit Theater and he tells us about the many many lessons learned in his short stint there. He also got fired by the owner of the company (something even our host was unable to do, try as he might) All of this and more within!Don't forget the rule of 3!Subscribe, Rate &Review!

When our host first moved to Chicago, he made a point to try to watch Craig Cackowski improvise whenever he could.Today that very same Craig Cackowski joins us to...1. explain his initial reluctance to appear on the show (hint: it was Joe)2. tell us some of his favorite people to watch/ improvise with.3. talk about his appreciation for fundamentals4. deny accusations that he has a list of the greatest improvisers ever5. much much more!and despite this list of 5 always remember the rule of 3Subscribe, Rate & Review!

Improv Legend Stephnie Weir joins the show and after we get through the awkwardness of our host getting her name wrong for 25 years things really pick up! Steph shares her long journey to discovering improv and then her much shorter journey to the top of the improv mountain. Did you know that Stephnie has the shortest tourco run of anyone who's ever had a tourco run? Do you even know what a tourco run is? Have a listen and find out! (*keep in mind any and all "statistics" in this podcast are really more like "guestimates")And don't forget the rule of 3...Subscribe, Rate, Review!

Andy Cobb joins us to talk about injecting politics into sketch comedy, marrying a second citizen and making people laugh immediately after 9/11.Listen to the show and tell us which one was the hardest to pull off successfully!*Also some valuable information about auditioning for commercials (don't be afraid to swear!)Subscribe, Rate and Review!

The delightful Ruthie Rudnick joins us to talk about her long history at the Second City. Item of interest include:- changing her voice- going on workers comp from a comedy related injury- finding out about a monumental change in company management and a personal promotion in the same meeting- Taking part in the creation of "Pictionary", the most lucrative sketch in the history of the Second City. And of course the item of most interest is Ruthie herself and she has many more stories to share in this episode. Subscribe Rate and Review to keep the episodes coming!

Shelly Gossman joins us for an engaging and honest conversation about her time at the Second City. Whether it's discussing the Las Vegas job she took for the health insurance or the challenges encountered while writing the 50th anniversary show, Shelly holds nothing back. This is no surprise to our host, who had the pleasure of writing 2 Main Stage shows with Shelly in Chicago and always considered her the straightest shooter in the building. We talk about those shows and how Shelly was able to bring "outside the box" pitches to the process. She also shares some great advice about writing that all aspiring second citizens should take to heart.

From the very beginning of this Podcast we've promised to bring you a Canadian Second Citizen and now, we can finally deliver on that promise with comedy legend and SC Toronto alum  Dave Thomas!We start out talking about Dave's new venture into Science Fiction writing before diving into his Second City history. And what a history it is!Before any of them were professional comedians, let alone legends, Dave was doing bits in a living room with Eugene Levy, Martin Short and Paul Shaeffer! And the stories just get better from there. I could go on praising this episode, but why keep you from enjoying it yourself!And pay special attention to the phone calls that interrupt the episode!We hope the number of exclamation points conveys how excited we are for you to listen!!!!!!!!

Tim O'malley Joins us to talk about his years studying with Del Close and the earliest days of the Chicago longform improv scene. He also describes the thrilling days of writing shows and sharing a stage with Chris Farley, Tim Meadows and Bob OdenkirkWatching your friends become TV stars can have unexpected consequences though, and Tim shares his struggles with drugs and alcohol, hitting bottom and using those experiences to fuel his acclaimed one man show "Godshow"As a true believer in the power of improv Tim has strong opinions that have occasionally put him at odds with the second city (Our host can RELATE!)However, we're happy to report that the "Second City website" issue we mention near the end of the episode has been resolved with Tim retaking his rightful spot on the Alumni page! Thank you again to Tim for the great conversation. If you haven't already seen Tim's show Godshow  we encourage you to do so!

Murphy Dunne (Chicago,1967-70) is a man of many talents who started out playing piano at the Second City before quickly moving to the stage. He had the unique experience of writing satire in Chicago during the 1968 Democratic convention/riots. Unlike his castmates, Murphy had the added pressure of being the son of the Cook County Commissioner at the time. While he was at the Second City, he met fellow music lover John Belushi and began a friendship that would lead to Murphy becoming part of the Blues Brothers Band. This is just the tip of the iceberg of this man's amazing career, which also includes starting the Chicago Blues festival and being a member of the legendary San Francisco comedy troupe "The Committee". I think you will be as charmed as we were as Murphy Shares some of his amazing experiences with us. 

In Basketball there is a type of player that comes along once or twice in a generation that they call a Unicorn. As you might guess the Unicorn is unique, mainly because they can do a variety of things that haven't been done before. They stand out in a sport where there are a lot of talented and versatile performers.My guest today, Angela Shelton, fits the definition of a Second City Unicorn, having accomplished things that no one else in the Sixty plus years of the theater's existence has achieved. Her Second City experience started when she opened the first ever show at the Second City Detroit in 1993. After writing four shows there she moved north to the Second city Toronto where she became only the second African American performer in that theaters 20 plus year history (more on that later). Having worked at Two different theaters in two different countries is enough to Put Angela into Rare air, but she was barely half way done as she then moved to Chicago writing shows  on both the ETC and Mainstage, making her the only person to open a show on Three Second city Stages. And if you are keeping score, you've figured out she's also the only person to open a resident company show on FOUR Second City stages.  I am thrilled to welcome the unicorn that is Angela Shelton.

One of the essential experiences for a second city performer is to be a member of the national touring company.  Although not every person who ends up writing a show for the second city starts in the touring company, for the vast majority of us Touring was our first major indoctrination in “The Second City Way"Traversing the country with a van full of idiots, who's only job is to make people laugh can be a lot of fun and at times can be almost no fun at all. But it's rare to find an alum who doesn't cherish their touring days.Todays guest, Matt Craig was already in Blue Co when I joined in 2000 and he was in every show with me for the year that I toured and I'm sure we'll get into some of those stories and though we never shared a second city stage together after touring, I will always consider Matt to be vital to my experience at second city and it really wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that I probably would never have been on the main stage if not for Matt,  and now Matt Craig

Now that we are several episodes into our podcast, we've had an opportunity to discuss a wide variety of the second city world. We've had actors from Toronto, Detroit, Vegas, Chicago. We've talked about writing shows for cruise ships and college crowds and corporate audiences. But there is a vital element we've left out to this point. Who is directing these shows?Today we remedy that, with our guest and my first director of a second city show, Marc Marzecha. However Marc's work at the second city goes far beyond anything he did with me. As one of the first second city actors in Detroit, Marc had a complete immersion into the second city by the time our paths crossed. 

Even semi regular listeners to our pod know what a landmark event the 50th anniversary show was for the second city. And if you know that, you've likely heard me joke about my lament over quitting right BEFORE that show. Ha ha, funny joke.But after doing 4 shows on the main drain, it was time. Luckily, today I'm gonna find out exactly what I missed from our guest today, Andy St. ClairBefore joining the main stage for the 50th anniversary show Andy had worked with 4 directors to write 5 Shows in the etc.  Loyal listeners know my penchant for mentioning Second city records and statistics and I believe this is at least tied for the ETC record. Because I love sports analogies and because he's tall, , I'd like to discuss  Andy's time at the Second city in a way i'm sure we all understand by using the metaphor of Professional basketball in the 70's. The Etc theater has always been considered the less buttoned up counterpart to the Main Stage, less about structure and convention and more free wheeling and fun. Not unlike the ABA, the successful counterpart to the NBA that existed from the mid 60's to the mid 70's.Many hall of fame players started in the ABA before joining the NBA when it absorbed their league. I tried to look for a Basketball comp for Andy amongst the ABA players. This obviously led me down a rabbit hole that I will spare you the details of, other than to say Artis Gilmore, Dr. J and lesser known Mel Daniels were the best matches. But back to Andy, who I suspect wouldn't have done another ETC show after his 5 show run there, but was intrigued by the main stage opportunity regardless of the 50th anniversary. And so, not unlike Bill Walton joining the 86 Celtics for their Championship run, Andy took the leap and threw himself into what surely was one of the most pressure filled processes and  impactful shows in the history of the theater.  And while I could continue to draw parallels to George McGinnis and George Gervin, I think it's better to end the intro and turn our attention to Andy St. Clair.  

When you hear the word “Artist” it likely evokes any number of thoughts. Creator, free thinker… unemployment and on and on.  While everyone who has worked at the second city certainly was an Artist, creating art for the public to consume, very few of the performers at the second city, especially men would ever be described in that way.  Words like “wise ass”, “Jock”, “bully” and “maniac” are all much more accurate descriptors for the bulk of us. But Artist is the word that keeps coming into my head when I think of Alex Fendrich, our guest today. He's a man of many talents a man who isn't afraid to show his  emotions or to follow flights of fancy where ever they may lead. (This is of vital importance for an improviser).If you told me he was a sculptor, or a choreographer or a french horn player it wouldn't surprise me.  Theres just something about him that gives off a creative energy.

When people are hired as a cast member of a Second City show, they are only contracted through the run of that single show, but by and large the expectation is that a cast member will stay for several shows.  It makes sense for everyone by limiting the amount of turnover, creating stronger bonds with casts and letting the performers build on the lessons of previous shows. There have been a few instances where a cast member didn't work out or a new director wanted to go in another direction or perhaps they just got mad and punched a wall and quit (shout out to our first guest Dan Bakkadahl). Today's guest, Megan Grano, only wrote one show on the etc theater, before moving to LA. I am certain she could have done more shows if she desired and at the time the decision was certainly an unusual one. But looking back on it, there was a lot of practicality in that choice and recent years have seen many more Second City actors choose the path of “getting it on the resume” and than moving on to bigger things. 

We've spoken a good deal about the variety of “types” that tend to make up a second city cast.  You have the force of nature, farley types The “Sassy girlfriend” of course the Angry white guy, as represented by yours truly.. But every now and again you get a total outlier, something really unique that doesn't fit the usual mold. Today's guest, Ithamar Enriquez is among  those “one of a kind's”. He is a natural performer and entertainer, with a real throwback style that evokes The Marx Brothers, Silent Films and Vaudeville.  He is able to embody all of the mystery and intrigue of a master magician without ANY of the creepiness that almost always accompanies that energy. 

I've spoken several times about the “Detroit Invasion” that brought an influx of young diverse talent to the Chicago Theater around the turn of the century.  Todays guest, Josh Funk, was the Tip of the Spear of that invasion, having done it all in Detroit before immediately establishing himself as a cornerstone director during his years in Chicago. It seemed like Josh was always in the building during those years and his utility proved as valuable as ever. I would guess no one before or since has ever worked for the second city as an actor, writer,  director, musical director AND even stage manager! (no offense to stage managers for the “even” it's probably the hardest and most thankless job at Second City. 

I've spoken about the Annoyance theater before on the show, especially in the episodes with Susan messing (my ex wife) and Ed Furman. ( my always improv crush).  But in all honesty, it completely slipped my mind that they had been preceded on the stages by many years by the true Annoyance pioneer, my guest today Rebecca Sohn. I think it's important to point this out, because the Annoyance theater was always the place where truly ANYTHING went, and while that may have been incredibly psychologically damaging to everyone involved personally,  it did produce some amazing comedy. And ironically, it was that anarchistic energy of the annoyance that the Second city seemed to want nothing to do with, writing it off as skatalogical or “dirty” or too dark. But as the years pass, especially recently, I recognize that there is no such thing as too dark.  Especially for a theater that purports to be doing social commentary. 

Todays guest, Jean Villipique had what one might consider a “prototypical” career on the stages of the Second City Chicago, having written and performed two shows in both the ETC theater and then the Main Stage, insuring she got a solid dose of every experience offered by the Second City. As in all of our episodes we'll get into these experiences and Jean's observations on them, but Jean holds a special place in my heart not for her on stage contributions, which are impressive in their own right, but rather for the gift that Jean helped give to all the performers who followed her at the Second city.  I've mentioned before that the positions on the stages at second city are equity jobs that pay a (barely) living wage and provide health insurance for the performers. Every cast has an equity deputy who makes sure the theater is holding up their end of the bargain on that contract and raises any issues the cast may have to the producers. It's not a job anyone (other than me) would really want and often falls to the person who gives the least compelling reason why they would be bad at the job. While i'm not sure how Jean got the position of equity deputy, I do know she held that position during a pivotal time for the actors. Because aside from the day to day duties, every few years the equity deputies take part in re-negotiating the contract with the theater. This is where the story gets good!

The second city has always aspired to be more than just funny, otherwise they wouldn't include the quote dubbing them “the temple of satire” in EVERY SINGLE PIECE OF PARAPHANILIA THEY PUT OUT. (this may be a slight exaggeration)Point is they need people with opinions, people who have experienced some of the things that the second city audience will relate to AS WELL AS people who have experiences that may not be so familiar to the audience, but are important to understand. As I've stated over and over, one of the blind spots for Second City in it's first 40 years was trying to do social commentary with a homogenous cast. While those performers may have been sympathetic to issues involving marginalized segments of our population there is something lacking when the information comes “second hand”.  I can only tell you what ive observed about racism, not what i've experienced, and there's a great divide between those two experiences. Growing up as a black man a short distance from Comisky park, David was as much of a Chicagoan as anyone else who has ever worked at the second city. But it was a different chicago than the one that the Murray's or Belushi's or most of the audience grew up in.  one that was just a few train stops, and yet a world away.  I think the Second City recognized what they had with Pompeii, as they used the hell out of him during his time at the theater, seemingly in every project that popped up and even sending him to Canada at one point. We will get into that too. But before we do i just want to add personally that anyone who Ed Furman chooses to partner and write with has got to be one funny motherfucker. David Pompeii is that guy. 

As a breeding ground for satire and comedy, the second city has long had a reputation for producing comedy anarchists, and with good reason. Names like Belushi, Farley or Tim Robinson immediately conjure images of untethered, primal forces of nature wreaking havoc on anything in their paths.  But all of this unbridled energy is useless if there is no focus. A cannon is only effective when you have someone to point it in the right direction and pull the trigger at the appropriate time. To me, our guest today, Ron West, exemplifies that more considered and technical side of the Second City family. 

For decades in Chicago, and I suspect in Toronto, the path to employment at the Second City was similar for the vast majority of people.  Take classes at second city and other spots around town, do free shows for several years and hope that you don't get a total beginner in your tourco audition. Spoiler, more often than not you will get that overeager scene partner who will talk nonstop until your audition is over and …….see you next year.As the company grew, more opportunities for employment presented themselves and suddenly a much wider net was being cast to fill roles. Specifically, in 2005 the second city began a partnership with Norweigan cruse lines.  Starting with one ship and one cast (that I was in) it very quickly grew to a half dozen ships, more than doubling the number of actors making a living entirely through the second city. Initially these casts were populated by alums and tourco veterans like myself, but after a year or so many of those people had gotten a lifetime supply of the cruise life and needed to be replaced.  This prompted what has to have been the most intense talent search in the history of the theater.  Although talented people were constantly moving to chicago to do improv, it's a lot easier to get it right when you are only casting 2 or 3 roles at a time. Suddenly that number was 25 or 30.  And while the continual stretching of talent eventually let to a drop in overall quality, the intensified searching turned up some gems that might have otherwise slipped through the cracks. One of those gems is sitting with me today, as Chris Witaske.

This episode is about a dream.  sooooo many of the second city performers of the last 20 years discovered improv in college, moved to Chicago right afterwards with the singular goal of performing on the main stage of the second city. Most people don't ever get to live that dream.  Today's guest is one of those dreamers.If you've listened to a few episodes of our show it's obvious what a big fan I am of all of our guests, but I can honestly say that there is no guest I will ever have on the show who I love more.

The last several years have been tumultuous to say the least for the Second City.  Though the theater had been making strides to be more inclusive since the mid 90's, their approach was superficial, Making sure there were diverse faces on the stages was progress, but the efforts seemed to stop short of including the points of view that diversity should provide. The definition of “inclusion” also was changing.  In 1972, if you had proposed a cast with 3 men and 3 women there would have been riots, mostly from the male cast members. But it's detrimental to the final product when you create social commentary without a variety of perspectives.  I can have opinions on racism or sexism but I can only comment second hand, from observation, not experience. I'm hoping that todays guest, ER Fightmaster, can help shed some light on the recent history of the Second city and the challenges they faced and continue to face. Unfortunately I haven't had an opportunity to watch ER's work, but the research I've done tells me they have performed at Boom Chicago and the Annoyance theater which by now you know I hold in high esteem. They also have a degree in womens and gender studies, which to me seems like a perfect degree for creating social commentary in these times. We'll see if ER agrees. Lets start seeing now by welcoming ER Fightmaster (aka Fight) to our show!

We talk with Frank Caeti about his recent experience directing The new Chicago ETC show "The Best Decision You've Ever Made", the first Second City show since the pandemic.Also some fun stories about touring with complainers (in a good way), taking a TV job, our mutual love of the Second City AND where we hope it's headed in the future.

We talk to Mark Beltzman about working with Del Close in the 80's as long form improv was being invented.We also discuss losing a spot on the Main Stage to Chris Farley, being at Del Closes death bed and carrying on the artform of improvisation for the next generations. 

When Second city alums describe their years at the theater, the vast majority refer to it as “the best job” they ever had. There are any number of reasons for this, the camaraderie you develop with your castmates, the thrill of the audiences applause, or just the fact that you are being paid to make shit up. What ever those reasons may be, they can almost all be distilled into one word.. “Fun”The word Fun just kept popping up in my mind when I was thinking of ways to describe today's guest. To be fair he is more than just fun, as he can be sarcastic, biting, loud, morose, crabby, affectionate, supportive, and motivating all while also being hilarious. Martin was in the first show that I had to understudy at the Second City, which can be a terrifying experience, but I can remember how comfortable the cast made me feel while I was there, and even though i fucked up more than a couple of times they all rolled with it and made me look good (or at least ignored it).Of course by the time I was performing with him, Martin had already written 6 second city shows in chicago, with three each on the etc and the main stage, including the first main stage show written after 9/11 (just so you know this episode won't be ALL fun).This gives Martin  an unparalleled authority in describing the differences between the main stage and etc, the vibe from the audience, the material that works best in each space and two very different work schedules. And before I let him unleash this knowledge on us I also want to mention that Martin may legitimately be the best dancer in the history of the Second City. So there's that. 

In today's episode we talk to the brilliant Ed Furman about improvising without rules and bringing the Anarchy of the Annoyance theater to the Second City. We also talk about the show "Embryo's on Ice" that was scheduled to open on September 12, 2001. The events of 9/11 completely changed the world and Ed talks about rewriting a show on the fly in order to deal with one of the worst tragedies in American History. We also talk a little bit about drugs. 

On this episode we talk to Brad Morris (Chicago Main Stage 2007-2010) about growing up around the corner from the Second City, Hosting the 50th Anniversary Celebration, and negotiating contracts with producers in a tense environment. We also get into how much fun a long improv piece is for everyone except the stage manager. 

By the time Susan Messing was hired for the Chicago Main stage, she was already a legend in the world of improvisation, an icon in Chicago theater and one of, if not THE MOST sought after instructor in the artform. But despite being a genuine trailblazer, Susan was still a woman. And sadly, even in 1999 the second city was still lagging behind when it came to equality.  She faced restrictions that weren't imposed on any other actor for reasons that can only be linked to her gender and the expectations that Second city had for women at the time. 

Our Guest today, Tim Baltz, is yet another of this talented generation. Whether flashing his oddball hilarity as a tech giant in Veep or displaying his versatility playing dozens of Characters on Drunk History, Tim is clearly a burgeoning force in the future of comedy.  And yet, I know he's not letting this newfound celebrity go to his head.  How do I know this?Because although Tim is currently shooting Righeous Gemstones accross the country, he went out of his way to make this interview happen on the one day he's in LA getting a fitting for some other thing he's booked. It's a level of improv nerdiness that I hope never abandons him. Especially for the next hour, as that would be particularly horrible timing. Speaking of timing, this is a great time to welcome the hilarious Tim Baltz to the Show.

The Second City is well-known as the launching pad for America's biggest comedy stars. And we all know the names that come with that boast, Belushi, Murray,  to Meadows, Tina and Amy, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And this is actually true, but there are even more alumns of The Second City who've gone on to become extremely successful actors with extremely successful careers without becoming a househould name: Mike Haggerty, Pete Gross, Richard Kind, Meghan Fay. Just a couple of the names you've seen many, many times in many places on your screens. Now, if you ask an actor what kind of career they'd like to have, the boiler plate answer is, "I just want to work." And in an industry that makes so little sense, where decisions are often made for reasons beyond comprehension, that simple desire to work with any semblance of regularity can be very difficult to achieve. For most of us, that is. For today's guest, Rose Abdoo, who's done over a hundred episodes of TV on over 30 shows, dozens of movies, and probably thousands of voiceovers, working a lot seems to be working out. 

The angry/yelling white guy is a staple of The Second City,  American Culture and American life for...245 years. There isn't one person listening right now who hasn't experienced this from a boss, a relative or possibly, me. If you haven't experienced this than odds are you ARE the yelling white guy. And while we are hopefully growing tired of the concept in real life, as long as they exist there will always be a place for them in our entertainment, if only because watching them get their comeuppance provides some catharsis. This isn't to say that anger and yelling can't be productive, even from the white patriarchy, IF they are yelling about the right things. Kurt Vonnegut, George Carlin and Steven Colbert have all pointed their outrage in the right direction. Ralph Nader's angry yelling about seat belts saved thousands upon thousands of lives. Those were the only 4 examples I could come up with…..except for today's guest. Dan Bakkedahl. Dan has played all sides of that American archetype, from the condescending Obgyn on the Mindy Project  to a semi psychotic senator on Veep  to the notched up version of himself as a correspondent on The Daily Show. But to limit Dan to that one type would be insulting, and incorrect, as his resume is too long to attribute to typecasting. Seriously, he's really prolific. Go look it up. It makes me kind of envious honestly. He's made appearances on an all star list of shows, 30 rock, the office, Curb. and he's still got content coming out as you can see him in………….(dan will fill in)I'm stopping.  We're like the same age, I'm getting depressed. I will add that I've known Dan for about 20 years and consider him a friend. I've had the pleasure of watching and performing with Dan out here in LA as well as at the Second City in Chicago way back when (where Dan did once punch a wall, which I only bring up for consistency of the intro, we'll get into it later)And like many of the people I hope to have on this podcast I've seen Dan regularly make up 30 minutes of comedy out of his ass that was as good or better than 95% of all comedy ever written on TV.  And no one will ever know.  That's the curse of improv and probably enough of me talking. Let me welcome Dan Bakkedahl to the show.

We know the names, Dan Ackroyd, Jim and James Belushi, Gilda Radner, Chris Farley, Bill and Brian Doyle Murray, Mary Gross, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Tina Fey, Rachel Dratch, Vanessa Beyer, Cecily Strong, Aidi Bryant, Jason Sudekus, Mike Meyers, Tim Kazurinsky and many more. Out of all those, one looms large for not only staying on the NBC comedy bull for 8 seconds, but riding it for 10 years...longer than any other alum from the Second City. If you haven't figured it out, I'm talking about Tim Meadows, our guest today. A cast member for the entire 90's, Tim spanned era's in the show history including two of what many would consider to be “golden eras” for the show. He's one of a select number of SNL alums to have a character turned into a movie with the “The Ladies Man”, a satire on sexuality that I would say is as relevant today as when it came out. Maybe not the radio part. It would be a podcast today.