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THE SECOND CITY: PEACH DROP, STOP, AND ROLL to Play to Atlanta's Alliance Theatre, 11/6

By: Oct. 26, 2009
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THE SECOND CITY: PEACH DROP, STOP, AND ROLL will mark Second City's return engagement to Atlanta's ALLIANCE THEATRE. The show will run November 6th to December 13th. The show is written and created by the casts of The Second City with additional material by Matt Hovde and Seth Weitberg. The show is directed by Matt Hovde.

Performances of THE SECOND CITY: PEACH DROP, STOP AND ROLL will take place Tuesday through Saturday at 8:00pm, Saturday and Sunday at 2:30pm and Sundays at 7:30pm. Tickets for the show are available online or through the the box office at 404-733-5000.

The Second City is a long-running improvisational comedy enterprise which originated in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood. The Second City logo by Chicago calligrapher John Weber

The Second City Theatre opened on December 16, 1959 and has since expanded its presence to several other cities, including Toronto and Los Angeles. The Second City has produced television programs in both the United States and Canada including SCTV, Second City Presents, and Next Comedy Legend, as well as being heavily involved in the creation of the satirical 1969 sci-fi film "The Monitors." Since its debut, Second City has consistently been a starting point for comedians, award winning actors, directors, and others in show business.

Second City evolved from the Compass Players, a 1950s cabaret revue show started by undergraduates at the University of Chicago. The troupe chose the self-mocking name "The Second City" from the title of an article about Chicago by A. J. Liebling that appeared in The New Yorker in 1952. In 1959, the first Second City revue show premiered at 1842 North Wells Street and moved to 1616 North Wells in 1967. Co-founder Bernard Sahlins owned the theater company until 1985, before selling it to Canadian Andrew Alexander.

The style of comedy has changed with time, but the format has remained constant. Second City revues feature a mix of semi-improvised and scripted scenes with new material developed during unscripted improv sessions after the second act where scenes are created based on audience suggestions. A Second City innovation is the inclusion of live, improvised music during the performance.

A number of well-known performers began careers as part of the historic troupe and later moved to television and film. In the mid-1970s, Second City became a source of cast members for Saturday Night Live and SCTV, which borrowed many of the writing and performing techniques pioneered by Second City and other improv groups.

Along with its theaters, training centers, and television shows, Second City also produces improv and sketch shows for Norwegian Cruise Line.



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