About The Best of The Second City

Get ready to laugh as The Best of The Second City makes its way to the Lesher Center as part of the 2nd annual Diablo Improv Festival.  

Since 1959, Second City has been the oldest—and one of the most celebrated—improvisational theater troupes in the country. Having served as the training ground for some of contemporary comedy’s most beloved comedians, including Tina Fey, John Candy, Martin Short, Mike Myers, Bill Murray and many more, Second City has been the first name in laughter for years. The Best of The Second City features some of the best sketch-comedy and songs from the comedy vaults, all updated for the modern era. On top of those offerings, The Best of Second City offers audiences the company’s newest classics and trademark improvisation performed by The Second City Touring Company’s best, brightest and funniest troupe members. 

Rooted in the groundbreaking improvisational games of Viola Spolin, The Second City opened its doors on a snowy Chicago night in December of 1959, and a comedy revolution began. The small cabaret theater has grown to become the most influential and prolific comedy empire in the world, developing an entirely unique way of creating art and fostering generation after generation of superstars. Co-founded by Spolin’s son, Paul Sills, along with Howard Alk and Bernie Sahlins, The Second City was experimental and unconventional in its approach to both theater and comedy. Almost immediately, alumni of The Second City, including Alan Arkin, Joan Rivers, Fred Willard, Gilda Radner, Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi, launched the theater into the international spotlight. In 1976, Second City launched “SCTV,” which has been hailed as one of the greatest sketch comedy series of all time. The two-time Emmy winner featured an all-star cast made up of Martin Short, Andrea Martin, Catherine O’Hara, John Candy, Eugene Levy, Dave Thomas, Joe Flaherty, and Rick Moranis. Today, The Second City is home to a world-class entertainment company, continuing to produce premier talent in all of its locations and entertaining more than one million audience members a year. With an extensive list of alumni including Bill Murray, Steve Carell, Keegan-Michael Key, Stephen Colbert, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Tina Fey, Jason Sudeikis, Bob Odenkirk, Amy Poehler, Chris Farley, Sam Richardson, Mike Myers, Amber Ruffin, Aidy Bryant, and so many more, The Second City’s imprint is all over film, television, and beyond. 

Presented By

Season Sponsors