With its long-standing tradition of  sketch comedy and its impressive array of famous alums, Second City is the most well-known Chicago-based comedy organization and its reputation is well-earned. Whether you’re watching a show or taking one of their improv performance or comedy writing classes, Second City has the best facilities in town.

I’ve seen several main stage productions over the years and they are always strong. The main stage performers are seasoned, nimble performers who generally pop off the stage. The smaller stages feature a range of up and coming performers, from those on the verge of appearing on the main stage to relatively new performers and recent graduates of the Second City Training program. The smaller stages can range in quality, but I’ve never seen a bad show on the smaller stages. They’ve ranged from good to excellent. On the plus side, tickets to the smaller stage shows usually cost less and it’s a great opportunity to see some performers who are on the rise in small, intimate venues. The smaller stage shows are frequently available for half-price on hottix.org, and often (but not as consistently) you can find the main stage shows on hottix.org as well.

I’ve also taken four levels of comedy writing classes at Second City and have learned a lot from them. All four classes were an enjoyable experience and I met some great, creative friends from the class. I definitely plan on taking more classes. From my experience, I would say a greater percentage of students at Second City are interested in pursuing comedy professionally, but the instructors definitely work well with beginners who are more interested in a fun experience. I will say that Second City’s comedy writing sequence is less developed than their comedy performance sequence. I wasn’t always clear how each level of the writing program really differentiated itself from other levels. That said, I learned so much about different types of sketches and how to develop character-based pieces. Second City uses improv performance to generate ideas, which are then often written up into more formal sketches. I would have liked to experience this process more in the writing classes I took. I think to get the most out of the Second City writing program, one would need to also take the comedy performance classes. From my understanding, most of their productions are written by writers/performers rather than those solely interested in the writing aspect. Overall, I definitely recommend the writing classes. I haven’t taken any performance classes, but know many people who did who highly recommend them.