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Members of The Second City touring troupe will present sketch comedy, songs and improvisation at 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 3, in W.M. Turner Auditorium on the SFA campus. |
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FOR IMMMEDIATE RELEASE 2/24/2003- Ginny Butler
The Second City To Perform at SFA
Audience members may expect comedy that is both hilarious and thought-provoking; smart and silly; sophisticated and wild when The Second City performs at 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 3, in Turner Auditorium, according to Sylvia Bierschenk, arts information director for the Stephen F. Austin State University College of Fine Arts. "People who don’t recognize the company’s name from the popular seven-year television series ‘SCTV’ are undoubtedly familiar with many of the comedians who got their start with The Second City," Bierschenk said. Joan Rivers, Robert Klein, Billy Murray, John Candy, John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Martin Short, George Wendt, Mike Myers, Rachel Dratch, Tina Fey and Chris Farley all toured with The Second City. The troupe appearing in Nacogdoches consists of actors Liz Cackowski, Molly Erdman, Bridget Kloss, Pip Lilly, Kevin McGeehan and Craig Uhlir. Along with musical director Joe Grazulis and sound and lighting director Dale Harris, they will present a two-act revue featuring sketch comedy, songs and improvisation. "The troupe did not provide me with a program listing the sketches they’d do since they create on-the-spot, topical comedy that changes with every performance," Bierschenk said. While on campus, the troupe will also present an improvisational workshop for selected SFA theatre students. "The Second City is one of the best improvisational groups in the country,” said Dr. Clarence Bahs, chairman of the theatre department. “For our students to have a chance to workshop with them is terrific!" The Second City began as a small comedy club in Chicago in 1959 and has grown to what the New York Times calls "a comedy empire." It consists of five theaters in the U.S. and Canada, seven training centers, a corporate division that offers creative services to the business world, a television and film division, and three touring ensembles. There will be a pre-performance reception at 6:45 p.m. in the Griffith Art Gallery to honor the show’s corporate sponsor, Glaucoma Consultants of East Texas. At 7 p.m., Judy Morgan, Daily Sentinel columnist and former member of The Second City, will speak about the comedy troupe. The event, recommended for mature audiences only, is a presentation of the SFA College of Fine Arts and the University Series. Tickets are $30, $24, $18 and $12. Discounts are available for seniors and students. For more information, call (936) 468-6407. -30-
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