What The Second City does

The Second City is a privately held comedy theater and training institution founded in Chicago in 1959, operating permanent live-performance and education venues in Chicago, Toronto, and New York, with a West Coast partnership launched in June 2026 at VEA Newport Beach. Its core technology is the 'Yes, And' improvisational methodology, a human-delivered curriculum that blends social-emotional learning with improv exercises and was originally developed by The Harnisch Foundation in 2015. Product portfolio spans mainstage revues, second-stage programming (e.t.c. Theater, UP Comedy Club, Donny's Skybox, de Maat Studio), the Training Center for improv/acting/writing/stand-up education, the Second City Touring Company, and on-site hospitality including The Bentwood restaurant (operated by Oliver & Bonacini in Toronto and New York) and 1959 Kitchen & Bar in Chicago. Customer segments include individual consumers (tickets $25-$80 plus $3.95-$8.95 service fees), enterprise clients (Uber, Adobe, NHL) served through Second City Works, youth and education markets (5,000+ children/teens annually), group event bookers, and aspiring performers. The business generates revenue through ticket sales (transaction-based), training center subscriptions, professional services fees for corporate training, restaurant and hospitality transaction revenue, group event and private rental fees, and a no-cost social-emotional leadership program funded through foundation partnerships. The corporate training division (Second City Works) was acquired by ZMC for approximately $50 million in 2021, separating that B2B unit from the core consumer theater operations. Distribution combines direct-to-consumer ticketing (online, phone, in-person) with field sales for enterprise and group clients, touring performances across 14+ US cities, and venue partnerships for new market entry.

Name

The Second City

Legal name

The Second City

Website

https://secondcity.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1959

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

The Second City is a 65-year-old comedy theater and training institution operating live improv venues and education programs in Chicago, Toronto, and New York, serving consumers, enterprise clients, and youth through performances, classes, corporate training, and youth programming.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Comedy Theater and Improv Education

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110), Other Performing Arts Companies (711190), Performing Arts Companies (7111), Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries (711)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Improvisational Theatre (MPAGABAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Improv Comedy Performances (MPAGACAB), Theater, Musicals & Performing Arts (THAJAFAB)

Keywords

• Live comedy theater
• Improvisation training
• Corporate team building
• Youth comedy education
• Comedy entertainment venues

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Live Performance Ticket Sales: Primary revenue from selling tickets to live comedy shows across resident stages (Mainstage, e.t.c. Theater, UP Comedy Club) and studio theaters in Chicago, Toronto, and New York. Tickets range from $25 (Toronto kids' shows) to $80 (Chicago mainstage), with general admission seating and tiered pricing for some performances.
2. Training Center Classes and Conservatory Programs: Revenue from adult and youth improv, acting, comedy writing, and stand-up classes offered across Chicago, Toronto, New York, and virtual platforms. Programs include drop-in classes, multi-week courses, conservatory programs, and kids & teens camps.
3. Second City Works Corporate Training: Corporate training division delivering team-building workshops, executive education, on-demand learning, and custom entertainment events to enterprise clients including Uber, Adobe, and NHL. Revenue from professional services and event fees.
4. Second City PLAY Youth Programming: Youth division covering children, families, schools, and community organizations with summer camps (over 1,500 campers across Chicago, Toronto, and New York), workshops, and school partnerships, delivering over 4,200 hours of youth programming annually.
5. Service Fees: Ticket service fees applied to online and phone purchases: $5.25 per ticket in Chicago, $3.95 per ticket in Toronto, and $8.95 processing fee in New York City.
6. Restaurant and Hospitality (The Bentwood): Revenue from The Bentwood restaurant in Toronto (operated by Oliver & Bonacini), including table service, pre-show dining, prix fixe menus ($48 per person with show package), and in-theater food and beverage. Also includes 1959 Kitchen & Bar in Chicago.
7. Touring and Visiting Productions: Revenue from touring company performances and hosted guest productions at Second City venues, as well as touring dates across the United States and Canada at theaters including Guild Hall (East Hampton), Thrasher Opera House (Wisconsin), The Birchmere (Virginia), and others.
8. Group Events and Private Rentals: Revenue from group bookings (16+ attendees at discounted rates), private theater rentals, corporate events, and facility rentals across Chicago's Mainstage (up to 290 seats), e.t.c. Theater (up to 196 seats), and studio spaces.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels9 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Second City operates live comedy theaters and a school of improvisation, producing sketch and improv shows at resident venues in Chicago, Toronto, and New York. It sells tickets to Mainstage revues and secondary-stage performances, runs multi-level comedy classes (improv, acting, comedy writing, stand-up), and through its Second City Works division delivers improv-based corporate training and executive education to enterprise clients. The Second City PLAY division extends improvisational programming to children, families, schools, and communities, while touring productions and venue partnerships extend the brand to additional North American markets.

Product overview

The Second City is a comedy theater and training institution offering live performances, comedy education, and corporate training. Its core offerings include Mainstage revue productions at its Chicago, Toronto, and New York venues, The Second City Training Center for comedy education (improv, acting, stand-up, writing), Second City Works for corporate team-building and executive coaching, and The Second City PLAY for youth programming. The company operates multiple theater venues including Mainstage, e.t.c. Theater, UP Comedy Club, Donny's Skybox, and studio theaters, plus restaurant venues (The Bentwood in Toronto, 1959 Kitchen & Bar in Chicago). It also tours nationally through the Second City Touring Company. The portfolio spans live comedy performances, educational programs, corporate training services, youth camps, and hospitality.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Second City Works: Comedy and improv-based executive education, talent development, and corporate entertainment division serving clients including Uber, Adobe, and NHL.
• The Second City PLAY

Products and services

• Mainstage Revues Professional headline comedy shows featuring The Second City's ensemble performing original sketches, songs, and improvisational comedy. Performed at Chicago Mainstage (up to 292 seats), Toronto Mainstage, and Second City New York Mainstage. Targeted at general adult audiences seeking premium live comedy.
• The Second City Training Center Comedy education program offering classes in improv, acting, comedy writing, stand-up, and musical improv across Chicago, Toronto, New York, and virtual platforms. Includes drop-in classes, multi-week courses, conservatory programs, and kids & teens camps. Targeted at aspiring and professional performers as well as adult learners.
• Second City Works Corporate training division delivering improv-based executive education, talent development, team-building workshops, on-demand learning, and custom entertainment events. Serves enterprise clients including Uber, Adobe, and NHL, with programs focused on communication skills, leadership development, media training, and social media coaching.
• The Second City PLAY Unified division offering improv-based classes, summer camps, workshops, and school partnerships for children and families across the United States and Canada. Plans to deliver over 4,200 hours of youth programming annually to more than 5,000 children and teens, including summer camps with over 1,500 campers.
• Second City Touring Company Traveling comedy shows bringing The Second City's Best of performances to theaters and venues across the United States and Canada. Upcoming tour dates include Guild Hall East Hampton, Thrasher Opera House Wisconsin, The Birchmere Virginia, Arcada Theatre Illinois, Texas A&M Corpus Christi, and others.
• The Bentwood Restaurant Restaurant operated by Oliver & Bonacini at The Second City Toronto theater location. Offers all-day dining, prix fixe menus ($48 per person with show package), happy hour, and event catering. Also operates at The Second City NYC.
• 1959 Kitchen & Bar

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 650 events delivered for enterprise clients including Uber, Adobe, and NHL
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, minor and core.

• VEA Newport Beach (Lyon Living / Eagle Four Partners)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 June 2026The 65-year-old Chicago-based improv institution partnered with VEA Newport Beach, a 400-room hotel co-owned by Lyon Living and Eagle Four Partners, to launch 'The Second City Goes Coastal' — a series of comedy shows at the Orange County property. The partnership marks The Second City's strategic expansion into West Coast markets, with the first sold-out performance on June 12, 2026 attracting 230 attendees. Eagle Four Partners led the $216 million acquisition of the hotel (formerly Newport Beach Marriott Hotel & Spa) in 2020 and completed a full renovation into VEA in 2022. A return show is scheduled for September 4, 2026.
• Funny Girls™minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 March 2026The Second City and Funny Girls™ co-launched the second annual Chicago cohort of a no-cost, improv-based leadership program serving girls and gender-expansive youth in grades 3–8. The program will begin in September 2026 and builds on the success of the inaugural Chicago cohort. The Second City's teaching artists deliver the curriculum in classrooms and community spaces across Chicago.
• The Harnisch FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015The curriculum for the leadership program was originally developed in 2015 by The Harnisch Foundation. The foundation's imprint is embedded in the social-emotional learning and improvisation methodology used in the girls' leadership program, blending social-emotional learning with 'Yes, And' improv exercises.
• Oliver & BonaciniminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOliver & Bonacini operates The Bentwood restaurant inside The Second City's Toronto theater location at One York Street. The restaurant offers all-day dining, prix fixe menus, and event catering services. Bentwood also has a location in New York at The Second City NYC. The partnership enhances the hospitality and dining experience for theater-goers.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• iO Theater: iO Theater (formerly ImprovOlympic) is a Chicago-based improv theater and training center founded by Del Close and Charna Halpern, directly competing with The Second City in long-form improv training, public shows, and conservatory-style programs.
• Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB): UCB operates improv theaters and training centers in New York and Los Angeles with a comparable sketch/improv curriculum, producing both consumer shows and alumni-driven comedy careers as a direct competitor for aspiring performers and audiences.
• The Groundlings: The Groundlings is a Los Angeles-based improv and sketch comedy theater and training center with a similarly famous alumni network (Will Ferrell, Kristen Wiig), operating consumer shows and multi-level comedy classes in the same niche as The Second City.
• ComedySportz: ComedySportz runs short-form improv shows and training programs across multiple U.S. cities, competing for family and group audiences in the same improv comedy live-entertainment category as The Second City.
• Carolines on Broadway: Carolines is a New York comedy club and event venue hosting stand-up and variety shows, with a comparable mix of ticketed live comedy performances and a comparable urban nightlife/comedy audience to The Second City's NYC location.
• Laugh Factory: Laugh Factory operates comedy clubs in multiple major U.S. cities with ticketed stand-up and showcase programming, competing with The Second City Touring Company and city locations for live comedy audiences.

Regional players

• Steppenwolf Theatre Company: Steppenwolf is a Chicago-based theatrical producing organization with subscription-driven live programming, training initiatives, and venue operations that share audience overlap and venue-based economics with The Second City's Chicago operations.

Broad incumbents

• Live Nation Entertainment: Live Nation is the world's largest live entertainment promoter and venue operator, providing ticketing infrastructure and touring partnerships that overlap with The Second City's touring operations and venue-based business model.

Others

• Vivid Seats: Vivid Seats operates a secondary ticketing marketplace for live events including comedy, representing the broader live-event ticketing ecosystem that intersects with The Second City's ticketed show sales across Chicago, Toronto, and New York.

Emerging players

• Bachelor's Hall / Funny Girls: Funny Girls is a partner organization co-developing The Second City's no-cost improv leadership curriculum for girls and gender-expansive youth, representing the youth education and social-emotional learning space adjacent to Second City PLAY.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SecondCityChiTC
• Facebookfacebook.com/thesecondcity
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/27294

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Second City