Take a Class in Chicago - The Second City

The Second City Acting Program combines improvisational techniques with a variety of scripted media—including materials from the Second City archive—to help students build the foundations of grounded ...

Looking to start your improv journey but not ready to commit to a full term of classes? Improv 1A offers a fun and flexible way to dive into the basics of improvisation. In this 4-week course, you’ll ...

Ready to complete your improv foundation? Improv 1B continues where Improv 1A leaves off, diving deeper into scene work, character development, and emotional exploration. Over 4 weeks, you’ll build on...

Armed with a better understanding of what goes into the creation of a Second City sketch, from improvisation to written scene, students in Level 2 build upon their own skills as actors, improvisers an...

Improv 3 takes the character work from Improv 2 and places it in the context of other key elements of dynamic scenes: who/what/where, beginnings & middles, platforms, setting, intro to tilts/routine b...

Conservatory Level 3 is dedicated to the study of the many different types of scenic styles that are employed in sketch creation.

Students learn to improvise with the goal of creating potential sketch...

Are you interested in taking a stand up class, but you’re not quite sure if it’s right for you? Give it a test drive! Our weekly drop-in stand-up class for beginners is open to everyone. It’s a great ...

MUST BE A CURRENTLY REGISTERED STUDENT TO ATTEND.

The SCTC Student Jam is a chance to learn some new improv games, play some old favorites, and get in some improv reps. All levels are welcome for a va...

BIPOC Community Improv Jams

The Second City Training Center’s goal is to provide a safe environment for BIPOC-identifying students across the larger improv community to come together and play freely. ...

Improv for ages 7 – 10 is for kids who want an introduction to improvisation. This class uses the tenets of improv like agreement, listening, and emotions to teach kids basic life skills. It gets them...

The Second City’s signature Comedy Camps for youth & teens are the perfect space for budding comedians or young people looking to spend the summer laughing and creating.

Campers explore the fundamenta...

The Second City’s signature Comedy Camps for kids are jam-packed with fun & games!

Campers explore the fundamentals of improv as taught and performed at The Second City and develop skills like creativ...

Intro to Writing for TV & Film is for anyone who wants to learn the crucial basics of writing for film and television or anyone with a great idea of a movie who needs help putting it into (properly fo...

Is there a song in your heart that you would love to explore? Join us for a taste of musical improv! Learn improv skills and games through a musical lens while meeting new people in a fun and supporti...

Thinking about trying improv? Our in-person drop-in classes are the perfect non-committal taste. No prior experience is necessary for these fun, relaxed introductions to some of the skills of improvis...

Conservatory level 1 is a deep dive into the Second City archives. Students study and analyze classic sketches to familiarize themselves with the satirical styles and genres presented on our resident ...

Ready to take your stand-up to the next level? Second City’s Stand-Up Lab gives you the space and support to sharpen your joke writing and performance skills. In every class, you’ll have dedicated tim...

Level 2: Students will continue to deepen and expand previous skills learned, using short narratives and longer forms. Points of concentration will be on creating and identifying moments of song, grou...

This final level culminates in a run of graduation shows. Classes focus on creating and choosing material for a musical variety show.

Focusing on Second City’s approach to the art of improvisation, this 4-week class is designed for students who are returning to improv classes after an extended period of time or students coming to Se...

Effective communication is more than just sharing information—it’s about fostering understanding, even in the most challenging situations. This open-enrollment program brings Second City’s legendary e...

Learn the fundamentals of writing and performing stand-up comedy in a space dedicated to underrepresented genders. This includes students who are cis women, trans women, trans men, non-binary people, ...

Chill Comedy Class offers a calm, easy-going environment where students can explore improvisation and comedy at their own pace. We believe you are the expert in your own comfort, and we encourage you ...

You’ve completed the Improv for Anxiety program, and now it’s time to take the next step! The 7-week IFAX Performance Ensemble is designed just for you to continue building on your improv skills.

In t...

Learn how to write monologue jokes, desk bits, remote segments, guest pieces, sketch and a variety of segments for shows like Fallon, Kimmel, Amber Ruffin, Seth Myers, Colbert, Ellen, Noah, Oliver and...

We all have a story to tell, now let’s take it to the next level! A more in-depth storytelling class for the people who took 101 or for those who feel seasoned enough to dive deeper into what makes a ...

The LGBTQIA+ Open Mic is for people who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual and all of the other identities not encompassed in the short acronym only and the ...

Level-up your comedic game in this immersive week-long program designed to take your improvisational skills to new heights and transform them into side-splitting sketch comedy. Led by seasoned comedy ...

LGBTQIA+ Community Improv Jams

The Second City Training Center’s goal is to provide a safe environment for LGBTQ+ students across the larger improv community to come together and play freely. This eve...

The SCTC Student Jam is a chance to learn some new improv games, play some old favorites, and get in some improv reps. All levels are welcome for a variety of exercises ranging from warmups, group exe...

This seven-week Musical Improv course combines our Level 1 and 2 Fundamentals classes into one term. Topics explored and practiced are melody building, rhyming, and improvising both simple and complex...

Do you struggle with group scenes? Do you find every scene with more than 2 people just devolves into chaos with as many games as there are people talking over each other? Then, this workshop is for y...

This is not a joke! “The Student Open Mic” is a chance for emerging stand ups to test out their material in front of a supportive live crowd. Each comic (up to 18 will be able to perform) will get 3 m...

Need to update or take a new headshot? Timothy Schmidt is a Chicago-based photographer and editor who has spent more than a decade covering film, red carpets, music events, and theater throughout the ...

Coached Ensembles are a great improv performance opportunity for all current students as well as anyone who has completed Improv 3 or above, AND be a currently enrolled student. Following the audition...

The Musical Improv Program is for improvisers who love creating musical scenes, and are excited to use music in their comedy career. The Second City uses songs and musical improv on all of it’s stages...

Learn a new form or dive deeper into one you already know and love. This is a workshop for experienced improvisers who are looking to take their longform knowledge to the next level. Students will com...

A space for experienced improvisers to work through a high volume of improvised scenes with a focus on individual feedback and scenic exercises specifically designed to take each player’s performance ...

The Homemade Jam is a fun, welcoming and encouraging improv jam for students of the Second City Community held on the first and third Friday of every month. It’s founded in Second City’s “Yes And, Cre...

Join Darcy Kendall for our virtual musical improv jam! Play, sing, meet new people… all from the comfort of your home. (No prior singing/music experience necessary.)

Sign up using the linked form and ...

The Writing 6 class is holding actor auditions for their final shows. The actors will be featured in the show run for this class. Current students are invited to audition. We recommend auditioners hav...

Improv is often separated into two broad categories: longform and shortform. While the single greatest distinction between them is time/duration, there are specific skills and techniques that can help...