By Brett Shaw
Spawning celebrities such as Tina Fey, Bill Murray, and Joan Rivers, Second City – a comedy enterprise based in Chicago – has built its reputation as the ultimate platform for rising talent since its opening in 1959.
Comedy fans in Iowa City will have an opportunity to witness some of Second City’s finest when one of its touring ensembles will perform a pair of shows at the Englert, 211 E Washington St, at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
The show will feature six comedians performing original sketches and musical numbers in addition to archived material written by revered Second City alumni.
The show’s title, “We’re All in This Room Together,” also extends the show to the entire theater through improvisation and extensive audience participation.
From requesting simple suggestions for skits to asking volunteers to partake in full scenes, events will spur an evening of unexpected — and, likely, at times awkward — situations.
Aly High, the Englert marketing director, said anything can happen at Second City’s shows, which occur annually. She recalled one particularly dramatic scenario in which a marriage proposal occurred during one of the performances.
Spectators of improvisational comedy often wonder how people have the ability to generate such rapid and hilarious material. Besides natural humor and years of experience, Adam Archer, a member of a Second City touring group, said the largest challenge to overcome is the fear of not being funny.
“Once you are over it, it allows you to produce more,” he said. “It allows you to create more, because you become less concerned about the idea of failure.”
Becoming a member of Second City requires resilience and dedicated preparation. After moving to Chicago to pursue his comedy career, Archer said, he spent four years auditioning and building his skills before being asked to join one of the massive comedy outfit’s nationally touring groups.
The ensemble performing at the Englert has been together for about two months.
With members often coming in and out, directors with the Second City form groups based on who they think will fit best. Consistently pouring hours into preparing material and touring across the country, the group members are expected to get along and perform cohesively.
“I’ve toured with other theaters before, and I have never had it this good,” Archer said. “I think they are all incredibly funny and talented.”
With the troupe now a regular act at the Englert, High said the consistent intelligence, humor, and kindness exhibited by the ensembles make for an event that both the theater staff and Iowa City comedy fanatics anticipate each year.
“The history and talent of Second City makes for a strong fan base of fans old and new, so we always have a really great group of patrons in the audience,” she said.
Walking through the sacred halls of the Second City theater, Archer, a self-proclaimed lifelong comedy nerd, said he tries not to be intimidated by the framed pictures of comedic legends who came before him.
“I just do the best that I can to meet that level of fame and the expectations that audiences we go to have,” he said.