Second City

• NEW YORK, Sept. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, legendary comedy institution The Second City announced the opening date, slate of shows, and cast for its brand-new New York City location, located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
• The opening slate of shows at The Second City New York is as follows:
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• The First City Revue celebrates New York City with bold sketch comedy and world-famous improvisation.
• This year, The Second City Toronto celebrates its 50th year, followed by the 65th anniversary of The Second City Chicago in 2024.

• Improvised comedy TV show Thank God You’re Here returned last Wednesday after a 14 year hiatus, with its premiere drawing an impressive 684,000 viewers.
• The premise sees each celebrity guest costumed into a character – who is a complete surprise to them.
• Improv grew from a set of strategies for training actors to a performing art in its own right.

Introduction to improv: from theatre to television

• The commercial success of improvised performance, peaking in the late 80s and 90s is often attributed to theatre sports.
• Theatre sports is credited as the brainchild of Keith Johnstone, whose 1979 book Impro, drawing on his experience as an educator and associate director at the Royal Court Theatre in London, is a mainstay of theatre studies reading lists.
• Part of his legacy is the term “the Johnstone school”, the principles and techniques emerging from his Calgary company Loose Moose Theatre.

Cringe and diversity

• Amy E. Seham, now a professor of theatre and dance, was a trailblazer in the critiques of improv’s homogeneity with her book Whose Improv is it Anyway?
• In the book she quotes then Australian Theatre Sports director Lyn Pierse, whose female players were “railroaded by the men onstage”.
• But the early announcement Pacquola would host inspired optimism for at least the gender skew of the series.

Improv down under

• As improvisation researcher Braínne Edge wrote in 2014 article, the US iteration suffered from “an awkward tension” between the core cast and the celebrities.
• The lack of improv training of the celebrities saw them “effectively blocking and denying the action” – one of the key transgressions of improv.
• The success of the original Thank God You’re Here in Australia – and hopefully the new season too – may owe something to earlier improv training grounds in Australia.
• For Australian comedy and the profile of improv, it might just be a case of thank god you’re back.

• Born of the NHLPA’s commitment to empowering NHL players to connect, engage, and excel, NHLPA UNLMT utilizes a truly bespoke, by-the-players, for-the-players approach, helping players become the best they can be during their hockey career and for years to come.
• Players can explore and unlock their strengths and interests through a best-in-class assessment experience, and guidance from NHLPA UNLMT personal strategists to seek out pathways and mentors to support them in carving out their own unique path.
• The initiative ensures players receive one-on-one support every step of the way, driving meaningful outcomes for them in the process.
• “With this initiative, we are focused on providing individualized support for each player so that they can excel both during their playing career and in the future,” said Marty Walsh, NHLPA Executive Director.

• CHICAGO, Feb. 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Legendary Chicago comedy institution The Second City is proud to announce the inaugural recipients of the Victor Wong Fellowship for Asian American Pacific Islander Voices in Comedy.
• Named after The Second City's first Asian-American performer and funded by the family foundation of Peng Zhao, CEO of Citadel Securities, the fellowship will support the professional training and development of a cohort of actors and music directors.
• "A program like this is incredibly important for empowering the Asian American community, not only through a comedic lens but in providing more opportunities to share our stories & culture," said The Second City's Showcase Director and Program Creative Lead, Jonald Reyes.
• After receiving and reviewing over 100 submissions, the following recipients were selected to begin training with The Second City this February: