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Second Citizens
Second Citizens episodes
- Amanda Blake DavisAmanda 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 le...42 min
- Harry MurphyFollowing 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...1 hr 18 min
- Jane Morris, Jeff Michalski & Bill ApplebaumFor 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 s...1 hr 15 min
- Todd StashwickActor/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 ma...50 min
- Craig CackowskiWhen 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 3Su...1 hr 15 min
- Stephnie WeirImprov 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 po...59 min
- Andy CobbAndy 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!Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/secondcitizenspod/Twitter: https://twitter.com/SecondCitizens_1 hr 3 min
- Ruth RudnickThe 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 ...1 hr 12 min
- Shelly GossmanShelly 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 ...1 hr 19 min
- Dave ThomasFrom 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! ...1 hr 24 min
About Second Citizens
From the publisher's feed
In 1952 The New Yorker Magazine published an article about Chicago and mockingly titled “The Second City”. Who could have foreseen the irony that the publication that was started by and published the…
great wits of their day, Dorothy Parker, Alexander Woollcott, James Thurber and George S. Kaufman would end up christening the greatest incubator of comedy talent in show biz history? In 1959 on North Wells Street in that famed “second city”, for the price of $1.50 you could watch a revolution. The Second City has written and re written the history of comedy in America. It has been creating comedy and comedians whose influence would reach far beyond the walls of the theater into American culture. Beyond being a laboratory for modern improvisation they have also set the standard for contemporary satire in America AND Canada. But they are best known for the countless comedy geniuses who have cut thier teeth while working for the second city. From Alan Arkin to Bill Murray to Tina Fey to Tim Robinson and on and on, the list of comedy giants with ties to the Second City is seemingly endless. On The second citizens podcast, we interview Alums of the second city stages about their time working at the theater. Friendships made, lessons learned both good and bad, we set out to chronicle the formative years of our comedy heroes, before they were household names and try to get to the beating heart of an institution that thrives on creatives, but has been consumed by the corporate world. Join us as we talk to these talented second citizens.