Second City Announces 2023 SNL Scholarship Recipients

The Second City is thrilled to announce the recipients of the 2023 SNL Scholarship. In partnership with Saturday Night Live, this scholarship will provide tuition-free training to diverse comedic talent from varying levels of experience.  

In addition to receiving performance and writing training at The Second City Training Center, recipients will be connected to SNL talent executives and be able to submit an audition tape or sketch packet to SNL for the landmark show. 

The following recipients were awarded scholarships and will begin their training with The Second City this March: 

Magdalena AL-Ghraibawi (she/her) “I’ll explain my name if I get the chance to, but for now you can just call Maggie! I’m a Muslim, Arab, woman of color who was born and raised in Vienna, Austria, a country that dislikes all of what I’ve just listed. Even though Vienna is a safe and affordable city that I both love and hate, I’m very excited to leave and move to the US. Currently, I’m studying to become a teacher, but I hope I’ll manage to make a living with comedy before I must face the responsibility of writing a bachelor’s thesis. With my comedy, I want to create a safe space for marginalized people; I want us to laugh and heal together while simultaneously educating people about social issues and I think the SNL DEI Scholarship offers me the perfect platform to do exactly that. I can’t put in words how thankful and honored I am about receiving this great opportunity and I’m excited to see what this journey has in store for me!” 

Caia Cammie (she/her) is 21 years old, raised between Kansas and Louisiana. She began acting as a child and attended summer camp in New Orleans throughout the years. This led to her attending Dillard University in New Orleans where she majored in theater. She hosted the school’s annual coronation, starred in several student films, and even worked as a background character for a Netflix film. In 2021, Caia moved to Chicago to transfer to Columbia College where she received a talent-based scholarship and continues to pursue her bachelor’s in fine arts.   

Liam Fallows (he/him) is a comedic performer and writer originally from the south Jersey suburbs of Philly, where he started his improv journey. After moving to Chicago, he studied at The Second City Film School where he was awarded the Stuart Cornfeld Scholarship and the Writing Mentorship 2023. Studying amongst the community within The Second City solidified his reverence for comedic writing and performing and he enjoys collaborating with those who feel the same. Liam’s love for television comedy, specifically sitcoms of the 1960’s, fuel his motivation to honor this frivolity in his work as well as in his overall approach to life. He is incredibly excited and sends a huge thank you to The Second City and Saturday Night Live for trusting him with this terrific opportunity. In his free time, an ideal day would include an iced coffee while browsing the “showbiz memoir” section of a used bookstore. 

Victoria Franso (she/her) is an Assyrian-American comedian and proud daughter of Iraqi immigrants. Shuffling between Chicago and Detroit, she has completed the improv programs at The Second City training center Chicago and Go Comedy! Improv Theater in Metro Detroit. Currently, she’s enrolled in Second City’s Conservatory and Go Comedy’s advanced improv program. She is also an understudy at Go Comedy. As a Saturday Night Live fan of about 15 years (ask her anything!), she considers this an opportunity of a lifetime and is incredibly grateful to The Second City. Victoria’s hope is to provide more leading roles for Middle Eastern women in comedy, as well as highlight the Assyrian experience both in the United States and in the homeland. 

About The Second City 

The Second City opened as a small comedy cabaret in 1959 and has since become one of the most influential names in comedy. The Second City’s stages, touring company and Training Center have acted as a launching pad for some of the most well-known writers, directors, and comedians in the world. 

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