Second City, Detroit
by Olivia Oran
Second City, Detroit opened in September, 1993 and is most noted for its racially diverse cast. Race has always been a touchy subject in comedy, but because Detroit has such a wide range of ethnicities, the actors were free to explore different viewpoints on social issues relating to stereotypes, discrimination, and socio-economic classes from a minority’s point of view. The wide spectrum of people and ideas in Detroit helped to expose an entirely new audience to Second City and (hopefully) to understand why humor is such an integral part of our existence.
Today, The Second City is a booming enterprise with training centers and programs for aspiring comedians located in many of the country’s largest cities. Current Second City producer, Andrew Alexander is responsible for a considerable amount of that success. Alexander feels that most of Second City’s accomplishments lie with the fact that they have managed to change with the times and consistently rely on audience participation for fresh ideas. The typical audience and cast are similar in age, so the two can relate to one another, creating a better show.
There is no such thing as an "average" Second City show, but each performance is done in a similar sequence: a nine-minute scripted scene, followed by a break, and then thirty five minute improvisations taken from audience suggestions. All of the non-scripted sketches are taped, and the cast is en-couraged to view the tapes after each performance. If a certain improvisation works, it will be turned into a scripted scene for an upcoming show. Much of Second City’s scenes are satiric or recognition humor, parody, or situational comedy.
So, could you be the next Mike Myers? States Alexander, "A lot of people think that they have careers in comedy because they get laughs in school... this sometimes works. However, most of the people that come across our stage aren’t necessarily outgoing, but they have discovered some sort of comedic point of view." To be part of the cast, you must possess intelligence, timing, flexibility, experience, a gift in humor, and most importantly, an ability to listen and develop your character quickly. Most actors at Second City start doing comedy in their late teen years and train for around nine years. If they are talented enough, Second City might pick them up for a touring company which travels constantly and mostly performs at colleges. Then they might become part of the resident cast at The Second City stages in Chicago, Toronto, New York or Detroit. Most cast members stay for five to nine years and then eventually move to California for film and television work.
