News
ENLARGE
VAIL VALLEY, Colorado — Many years ago — well, let's say — about 30 years ago, long before one could TiVo, millions of Americans made sure they were home each Saturday night so they could watch “Saturday Night Live.” The show was a weekly happening.
The featured players, including Gilda Radner, Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi, were brilliant and much of what they wrote entered the lexicon of the English language. There was Radner's character, Roseanne Roseannadanna, who ranted and raved, only to say, “Never mind,” at the end of her outrageous soliloquy.
Another skit featured Belushi as a short-order cook who constantly yelled, “Cheeseburgah, cheesburgah, Petsi, Petsi.” And then there was Aykroyd, as a newscaster who, at some point, would angrily turn to his co-anchor, Jane Curtin and say, “Jane, you ignorant slut.”
No matter how many times anyone saw these same characters, same skits, it never got old. These comedians were so skilled, so witty. And what they all had in common was that they had honed their skills with Second City, an improvisation comedy troupe that had its beginnings in a Chinese laundry in December 1959.
At the time Second City was founded, the dominant style of comedy was stand-up, but the troupe emphasized ensemble and improvisation rather than a written routine. Its subject matter intellectual rather than slapstick.
“We came from the theater and that affects the way you act, construct your scenes and think about your audience,” said Bernard Sahlins, one of the troupe's founders, at its 50th reunion celebration.
“When someone auditioned,” Sahlins continued, “I might ask, ‘Have you read Dostoyevsky? Who is the secretary of agriculture?' because I wanted us always to be playing at the top of our intelligence.”
Tim Stoltenberg, who was performing in Atlanta, was asked to join Second City two years ago.
“The one thing that separates Second City from just doing funny sketches is that it's deep in its understanding of where it comes from and it uses theater as a tool to present its sketches,” Stoltenberg said. “So, in the whole arena of creating and improvising sketches we talk about style and genre and if there is anything in the past that we can bring up to use in the scene to make it more theatrical. I think having those skills and making use of those skill is very useful.”
Stoltenberg said the 50th Anniversary Tour is an overview of what Second City has created over the years — mostly characters that people have created from the past.
“It's great to do things that might be 20 years old and, say, written by Steve Carell,” says Stoltenberg, excitedly. “They're as funny as they were 20 years ago and that I get to do something that Steve wrote is fascinating and really fun.”
Other skits the troupe performs might come from earlier graduates like Bill Murray, Chris Farley, Mike Myers, Stephen Colbert and Tina Fey.
Stoltenberg said the changing style of humor is what keeps Second City on its toes. The troupe's challenge is to meet the needs of the audience and make them think.
“To do good improv,” Stoltenberg says, “you have to be intelligent and keep up on events and history to be able to find themes and ideas. All of this encompasses everything we do.”
“You can be taught the skills and techniques of improv,” continued Stoltenberg,” who taught at the Garage Theater in Atlanta. “The first thing is to learn how to express your voice through these techniques. Some people do it and really enjoy it but, in the end say, ‘I don't always know what I want to say or do with this.' Others think, ‘this is my medium and I want to express myself.' And still others might decide to express themselves through music, poetry or accounting. When I taught, I had a huge range of students from college kids, to business professionals to retirees who wanted to try improv because it seemed fun.”
Judging from the movies and television shows on which Second City alumni have performed or written, like “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Knocked Up,” “30 Rock,” and “The Office,” to name a few, improv is a bit more than just some “fun.”
The cast of Second City's 50th Anniversary Tour, however, does makes improv look like a piece of cake.
The featured players, including Gilda Radner, Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi, were brilliant and much of what they wrote entered the lexicon of the English language. There was Radner's character, Roseanne Roseannadanna, who ranted and raved, only to say, “Never mind,” at the end of her outrageous soliloquy.
Another skit featured Belushi as a short-order cook who constantly yelled, “Cheeseburgah, cheesburgah, Petsi, Petsi.” And then there was Aykroyd, as a newscaster who, at some point, would angrily turn to his co-anchor, Jane Curtin and say, “Jane, you ignorant slut.”
No matter how many times anyone saw these same characters, same skits, it never got old. These comedians were so skilled, so witty. And what they all had in common was that they had honed their skills with Second City, an improvisation comedy troupe that had its beginnings in a Chinese laundry in December 1959.
At the time Second City was founded, the dominant style of comedy was stand-up, but the troupe emphasized ensemble and improvisation rather than a written routine. Its subject matter intellectual rather than slapstick.
“We came from the theater and that affects the way you act, construct your scenes and think about your audience,” said Bernard Sahlins, one of the troupe's founders, at its 50th reunion celebration.
“When someone auditioned,” Sahlins continued, “I might ask, ‘Have you read Dostoyevsky? Who is the secretary of agriculture?' because I wanted us always to be playing at the top of our intelligence.”
Tim Stoltenberg, who was performing in Atlanta, was asked to join Second City two years ago.
“The one thing that separates Second City from just doing funny sketches is that it's deep in its understanding of where it comes from and it uses theater as a tool to present its sketches,” Stoltenberg said. “So, in the whole arena of creating and improvising sketches we talk about style and genre and if there is anything in the past that we can bring up to use in the scene to make it more theatrical. I think having those skills and making use of those skill is very useful.”
Stoltenberg said the 50th Anniversary Tour is an overview of what Second City has created over the years — mostly characters that people have created from the past.
“It's great to do things that might be 20 years old and, say, written by Steve Carell,” says Stoltenberg, excitedly. “They're as funny as they were 20 years ago and that I get to do something that Steve wrote is fascinating and really fun.”
Other skits the troupe performs might come from earlier graduates like Bill Murray, Chris Farley, Mike Myers, Stephen Colbert and Tina Fey.
Stoltenberg said the changing style of humor is what keeps Second City on its toes. The troupe's challenge is to meet the needs of the audience and make them think.
“To do good improv,” Stoltenberg says, “you have to be intelligent and keep up on events and history to be able to find themes and ideas. All of this encompasses everything we do.”
“You can be taught the skills and techniques of improv,” continued Stoltenberg,” who taught at the Garage Theater in Atlanta. “The first thing is to learn how to express your voice through these techniques. Some people do it and really enjoy it but, in the end say, ‘I don't always know what I want to say or do with this.' Others think, ‘this is my medium and I want to express myself.' And still others might decide to express themselves through music, poetry or accounting. When I taught, I had a huge range of students from college kids, to business professionals to retirees who wanted to try improv because it seemed fun.”
Judging from the movies and television shows on which Second City alumni have performed or written, like “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Knocked Up,” “30 Rock,” and “The Office,” to name a few, improv is a bit more than just some “fun.”
The cast of Second City's 50th Anniversary Tour, however, does makes improv look like a piece of cake.
