Andrew Alexander News

SkirtsAfire is partnering with SOUND OFF: A Deaf Theatre Festival, to present Speaking Vibrations, March 6 & 7 at the Westbury Theatre, Fringe Theatre Arts Barns

Heartlines, presented by TACTICS at the Great Canadian Theatre Company, is based on the true story of two artists living and creating surrealist art together at a time when neither unconventional art nor homosexuality, was widely accepted.

Blissful State of Surrender is the first play by Bosnian-Canadian playwright, Sanita Fejzić. Fejzić fled the Bosnian genocide as a child and spent her formative years as a refugee in Europe before settling in Ottawa. Her experiences are reflected in her work and, given what is happening in Ukraine right now, the show feels almost too close for comfort.

Daisy tells the true story of the controversial ad campaign surrounding Lyndon B. Johnson's presidential run in 1964. The attack ad that was created to support Johnson used fear marketing, playing on people's emotions to convince them that a vote for Johnson's rival, Barry Goldwater, would send America into nuclear war.

Chicagoa??s Second City comedy theater has been put up for sale.

Chicago theatres are continuing to struggling amidst the health crisis, and many organizations are struggling to stay afloat amidst a myriad of issues that are arising as a result of the continued shutdown.

CEO and co-owner of The Second City, Andrew Alexander, has announced that he is stepping down amidst accusations of racism against the theatre.

Topic, the streaming service from First Look Media, announced today that they are partnering with legendary comedy force and improvisational theater troupe The Second City for a half-hour sketch and variety limited series event called The Second City Presents: The Last Show Left on Earth.

For over 60 years, The Second City has been renowned for entertaining and educating millions in its theaters and classrooms. Now, the famed comedy institution has adapted its improvisation-based shows, classes, and corporate services to create real-time, interactive, and socially a?oetogethera?? virtual experiences available to audiences worldwide.

The Second City is just as befuddled as you are by the headlines that self-described 'political prisoner' and 'Trumpocrat' Rod Blagojevich has been released from prison and is back home in Chicago. To commemorate the former governor's commuted sentence, The Second City will resurrect the show no one thought would see the light of day again. Rod Blagojevich Superstar! is set to be staged on Thursday, April 2, 2020. Following the rise and spectacularly bizarre fall of the disgraced former Illinois governor, the ripped-from-the-headlines rock opera will return for one night only as a special concert performance fundraiser for both The Second City Alumni Fund and Gilda's Club Chicago.

As the antidote to our impending winter blues, Drew Hayden Taylor's Cottagers and Indians transports us to the serenity of Ontario's cottage country in summertime. We meet the story's two characters, Arthur Copper (Herbie Barnes), an Indigenous man of humble means, whose family has lived in the area forever, and Maureen Poole (Philippa Domville), a Caucasian upper-middle class woman who lives and works in the Toronto area, but has owned a cottage on Starling Lake for the last twenty or so years. It is evident in the first few minutes that there is no love lost between Arthur and Maureen. In fact, the air is decidedly icy, despite the warmth of the season.

The Second City returns to the McAninch Arts Center (MAC) just in time for the holidays with a?oeThe Good, the Bad and the Ugly Sweatera?? at 5 and 8 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 7. BroadwayWorld calls a?oeThe Good, The Bad & the Ugly Sweater a?oea holiday must.a??

Canadian playwright Kat Sandler's Bang Bang is part of the Great Canadian Theatre Company's 2019-2020 season. It is a show that addresses controversial topics, including gun violence, police brutality, mental health, and the court of public opinion.

The Second City turns sixty on December 16, but the celebration kicks off this month with a slew of special events and launches that give audiences a peek behind the curtain of the world's greatest comedy theater.

Fresh off an acclaimed run at the Toronto Fringe Festival, new musical EVERY SILVER LINING is coming to Stratford City Hall for what is sure to be a moving and memorable performance on Sunday August 25th. BWW had the opportunity to chat with Producer, Playwright, and star, Laura Piccinin about how this musical came to be, the deep and moving themes it explores, and the journey it has taken to get to this point.

The Second City announces casting for The Second City's 108th Mainstage Revue. The brand new ensemble includes Mary Catherine Curran, Sarah Dell'Amico, Andrew Knox, Asia Martin, Jordan Savusa, and Adam Schreck. Resident Second City director Ryan Bernier returns to direct his seventh resident stage production, and Nick Gagewill be taking over the keys as the musical director.

I was invited to the opening night performance of Orpheus Theatre's new production of Sister Act at the Meridian Theatre @ Centrepointe. Sister Act is based on the 1992 movie of the same name, starring Whoopi Goldberg as the singing nun. Another story about a singing nun, you ask? Well this isn't your average nun… The plotline is somewhat reminiscent of the award-winning 1959 film, Some Like it Hot, starring Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, and Marilyn Monroe. In Sister Act, Deloris Van Cartier (Jerusha Lewis) is an aspiring singer auditioning at her boyfriend's cocktail bar in Philadelphia. After she witnesses a mob type hit, she goes on the lam and finds reluctant sanctuary at the struggling Queen of Angels convent with the residing Mother Superior (Mary Ellen Vice). Mother Superior insists that if she is to stay in the convent, she must cast aside her "sinful" ways and abide by the same rules as the other nuns. The only thing that saves Deloris from total despair is her opportunity to help guide the convent's atrocious choir, to whom she is introduced as Sister Mary Clarence.

The Second City invites you to celebrate Mother's Day with Margaret Trudeau, the mother of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. In a world premiere engagement, Margaret Trudeau is coming to Chicago to bring her intimate staged performance Certain Woman of an Age exclusively to UP Comedy Club at The Second City, 230 W. North Ave. Co-written by Ms. Trudeau, herself, and directed by Kimberly Senior, this solo performance follows the compelling story of one of the world's most fascinating figures, chronicling her courageous public and private journeys.

The Second City's knockout show She the People: The Resistance Continues is electrifying UP Comedy Club with a refreshed name, updated material, new cast members, and all of its signature witty, empowering bite. The all-female, all-funny show directed by Carly Heffernan welcomes Mary Catherine Curran, Sayjal Joshi, and Kaye Winks who join original cast members Carisa Barreca, Alex Bellisle, and Katie Caussin.

The Second City celebrates Black History Month by bringing you the most iconic sketches created by our African American alumni along with classic archive scenes reimagined with a new comedic spin. The Second City's Black History Month Show features Rich Alfonso, Jillian Ebanks, Jack Brian, Jordan Stafford, Shadee Vossoughi and Kaye Winks.