60 years of comedy history

It all started with children’s games. 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. Co-founded by Bernie Sahlins, Howard Alk, and Spolin’s son Paull Sills, the small cabaret theater grew to become the most influential and prolific comedy empire in the world, developing a unique way of creating art and fostering generation after generation of superstars.