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Acting Classes

Strengthen your acting skills with an improvisational approach. The Second City’s acting classes will teach you how to be present and connected in the moment, creating memorable performances. Have a golden voice? Check out our voiceover courses. These specialized courses will give you an edge in the competitive voiceover field.

Take an Acting Classes Class

Acting 1

Whether you’re interesed in acting or improvisation, we know that one of the keys to success is being present, connected, and grounded in the emotional reality of the moment. In a Second City mainstage revue, the comedy doesn’t just come from the written scenes, the jokes & the premises… the truly deep audience laughs that people remember for years come from great performances.

In our first level, we’ll help you immerse yourself in improv exercises designed to broaden your emotional range. You’ll discover how emotionally committing to a scene can help engage the audience, leading to truly memorable performances.

We’ll also explore recognizable human behavior, an essential asset for comedic actors, and start working with neutral scenes that can help you explore the dramatic side of comedy. We’ll touch on the work of Viola Spolin and Sanford Meisner as we explore established techniques in this level.

Our curriculum focuses on improvisation to help you master these skills, and we recommend students take at least one 7-week improv course before joining this class to get the most out of the experience. At the end of this level, you will be prepared to do a cold read at a mock audition using what you have learned.

Acting 2

Character work is the core of great comedy and storytelling. Understanding your character’s motivations and how they express themselves is paramount for any actor. Creating a character in close collaboration with writers, directors, and fellow actors, can be the most generative part of the actor’s process. Whether your character is an extension of your natural energy or requires bold physical, vocal, and movement choices, authenticity remains key in both comedy and drama.

Our class encourages actors to explore a wide range of choices, drawing from various toolboxes and disciplines to create compelling and unforgettable characters. Monologues will be a focal point, teaching you to deliver with energy, dynamism and unwavering commitment.

In this level, topics covered include:

– Introduction to Character and Point of View (POV)

– Exploring Monologues

– Character through Movement and Voice

– Introduction to Chekhov’s Techniques (Body/Voice as an instrument)

– Understanding Status Dynamics

– Introduction to Stanislavski’s Principles (Behavior through actions)

– Monologue Lab: Refining Your Delivery

– Monologue Presentations: Showcase Your Talent

Elevate your acting skills and join us for Acting 2. Register now and explore the art of authentic character creation in comedy and drama.

Acting 3

For over 60 years, The Second City has been archiving scripts and video from all of the resident stage revues. In this class, students will be assigned scenes and monologues from this collection to workshop and perform. When actors are handed a script, before they can start thinking about character and performance, they must first understand how the scene works. This deeper scene analysis allows actors to make appropriate choices with their performance to help fuel the engine of the scene. Once the character’s role in the scene becomes clear, the character development begins. When working with text, actors will learn to break down a script and identify emotional reactions and behavior within the performance. It’s easy to give off a natural performance when it is your own words, but translating that ease to someone else’s words is an entirely different skill. Actors will be expected to memorize scripts at this level. The class will culminate in a 40 minute showcase of Second City archive material. You must complete Acting 1 & 2 before taking this course.

The Business of Acting with Jennifer Estlin

If you’re an actor looking to take control of your career, this workshop with Jennifer Estlin is for you! A veteran of both stage and screen, Jen has appeared on Law & Order, Proven Innocent, Chicago PD, and more, alongside national commercials and award-winning films. As the Executive Producer and Owner of The Annoyance Theatre, she has helped guide countless actors to success, and now she’s ready to share her insights with you.

In this hands-on workshop, you’ll learn how to build your acting career as a business—giving you the tools to shape your own path and feel empowered in a competitive industry. Jen will cover everything from networking strategies to personal branding, helping you feel more in control of your future as a performer. If you’re ready to take the next step in your career, this is a must-attend!

Jennifer Estlin has been involved in the entertainment business as an actress and producer since 1986.

Following her graduation from Northwestern University’s School of Speech in 1987, she traveled to Edinburgh Scotland with the production of André Gregory’s Alice! directed by David Schwimmer. Afterward, she spent three months traveling all over Europe until deciding to settle for awhile in Paris, where she earned her living singing on the Parisian Metro for close to a year.

Upon returning to Chicago, Jennifer spent several years working in many of Chicago’s theatres including The Annoyance, Northlight, and The Body Politic. She toured for two years with Second City’s National Touring company and was a company member on a Second City resident stage prior to moving to New York in 1994. There, she continued her career by working in regional theatres around the country, Off-Broadway theatre, film, and television. She returned to Chicago in 2002 to become President, Executive Producer and owner of the Annoyance Theatre, and continues to work on film, television and stage.

Jennifer has appeared as recurring characters Judge Cohen on Proven Innocent and Cathy Briscoe on NBC’s Law and Order, and also in shows such as Chicago PD, Empire, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Exit 57, and in several national and regional commercials. Her feature film credits include the soon to be released (Fall 2024) Everything Fun You Could Possibly Do in Aledo, Illinois (for which she received Best Actress award at the Star City Film Festival), The Eyes, iMurders, Chicago Boricua, and Volcano, and the award winning short films A Million Miles Away (Sundance) and The Cure (Slamdance).

Breaking Down the Scene: A Q&A Discussion with Mick Napier

Ever wondered how legendary Second City scenes featuring the likes of Tina Fey, Rachel Dratch, and Scott Adsit were crafted? In this exclusive Q&A, Mick Napier—director of over 15 Second City revues—will break down some of the most iconic moments from The Second City stage. You’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process, discovering how scenes evolve from initial improv to polished sketch.

Plus, this event will feature clips from classic Second City revues, providing a rich, interactive experience as Mick shares insights on how to shape improv into lasting comedic gold. Whether you’re an improv enthusiast or sketch comedy fan, this discussion will offer valuable takeaways for everyone. Come prepared with questions—this is a rare chance to learn from one of improv’s true visionaries!

About Mick Napier: Founder and visionary behind the acclaimed Annoyance Theatre, Mick Napier is known both nationally and internationally as an innovator and creative force in comedy, improvisation, and theater. His belief in the element of risk-taking that is at the core of improvisation influences his work and his direction, inspiring genuine creativity in any project with which he is involved.

With the Annoyance, Mick has spent more than 20 years developing and cultivating a style of work and production that has been both acclaimed and imitated. As a Director and Artistic Consultant for the internationally renowned Second City he made his mark having directed more than 10 revues there, including the 40th and 50th Anniversary revues, and Paradigm Lost, which earned him a Joseph Jefferson Award for direction. Mick has also directed such high-profile actors and writers as Martin Short (Martin Short & Friends), Jeff Garlin (I want Someone to Eat Cheese With), and David & Amy Sedaris in their Obie Award Winning hit One Woman Shoe.

In film, Mick directed and edited Annoyance Productions’ first feature film Fatty Drives the Bus, which was released by Troma Pictures in November 1999. For television, he was

writer/performance director for the Cable Ace nominated Exit 57, which aired on Comedy Central for two seasons, Creative Producer on the nationally syndicated sketch TV show The Sports Bar, and for HBO/Comedy Central, he directed the live pilot: T.B.A. His original animations have appeared on the cable programs Tame Show, and R-Rated, as well as in the Chicago Comedy Film Festival.

In addition at The Annoyance, Mick has directed over 20 original productions. Notable ones include Coed Prison Sluts, the longest running musical in Chicago, Splatter Theater, an annual Halloween blood bath, The Tragedy of Balloon Boy, That Darn Antichrist, and more recently The Boy Scout Musical and Swear Jar.

As an Actor, Mick has appeared in the films Ice Harvest and Let’s Go to Prison, Watch, and Talent, and on television as a talent judge in the Canadian reality show Second to None, and in Shrink, a SeeSo television series. The documentary Second to None chronicles Mick’s process of directing a show for The Second City.

Mick’s first book, “Improvise. Scene from the Inside Out” (Heinemann, 2004) reached its 10th printing, and is widely regarded as a seminal work on the subject of Improvisation. It was re-issued with three additional chapters in 2016 under Meriwether Publishing. Meriwether published Mick’s second book, “Behind the Scenes: Improvising Long Form“, in 2016, as well.

Mick worked with many companies and organizations over the past 15 years in areas such as Communication, Collaboration, Innovation, Leadership, and Presentation.

Mick also enjoys a mentalist act with his partner and partner, Jennifer Estlin; they go by the name Napier and Estlin.

Improv for Actors 2

Like the first level, Improv for Actors 2 helps trained and post-grad actors who are interested in further exploring improvisation and learn how to be a better actor. However, IFA-2 also empowers these actors with the tools for advancement in the improv community. Completion of Improv for Actors 2 fulfills the prerequisites for the Second City Conservatory auditions.

In Improv for Actors 2, students build improvisational skills while creating characters. They discover how those characters and their points of view affect a scene.

Students work on 2-person and 3-person scenes. They learn how to develop the intricacies of scenic structure including the various initiations, beats, and endings. This class culminates in personal feedback and audition prep for the Second City Conservatory Program.

Improv for Actors 1

In today’s entertainment industry, improv and the ability to work without a script has become an essential tool not only for rehearsal, but for performance on screen and stage, as well as auditioning. Improv for Actors 1 is for people interested in how to be a better actor. IFA-1 is geared toward both working and post-grad actors who are looking to expand their craft with skills of improvisation. It’s also a great option for people with a theater degree or background in the dramatic arts to have fun with new people in a new environment.

IFA-1 covers the fundamental elements of scene work, creating environment, and scenic transformation. Students acquire skills that can be applied to scripted and non-scripted work. Students become more improvisational in written moments and more confident when they improvise.

Students work on building ensemble, object work, and the essence of a good improvisational scene. Using games, exercises, and other play, students explore relationships, character motivation, and heightening techniques to create compelling scenes and characters purely out of improv.

Improv for Actors 1 is for students with a theater degree, currently enrolled in a full-length collegiate theater program, or have the equivalent amount of professional training and/or experience. Students must submit an acting résumé for consideration to be placed in IFA-1. Please submit a résumé through our online application.

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