Outreach and Diversity

Build the Community

The Second City Outreach & Diversity division supports actors with ongoing training, scholarships, and performance opportunities to build diversity at The Second City and within the improvisation comedy community. The program has supported the development of ensembles as GayCo Productions, Salsation, Stir-Friday Night, Pimprov, and kevINda.

The Second City Outreach and Diversity Programming includes:

• High School Improvisation and Writing Program - Exposes the improvisation art form to diverse students in underserved communities

• Outreach and Diversity Ensemble Productions - Twice a year, the Outreach and Diversity Ensemble performs a hip comedy revue featuring the Best of Second City scenes, music, and improv with an urban multicultural twist.

• Multicultural Events - Throughout the year, we offer panels, workshops, meet & greets, and  intensives focused on diversity

To receive diversity updates and audition alerts, subscribe to our free e-newsletter by emailing outreach@secondcity.com.

PUMA and The Second City Outreach & Diversity LOL Scholarship Program

Applications must be completed and returned to a PUMA store by March 26.  Click here for the link to the application.

Click here and see highlights from the 50th and our new relationship with Puma!

Diversity Series – Coming February 2010

Black, Latino, and Asian Voices in Improv
Pushing Perspectives
4 Weeks only – starting February 4th
Thursdays at 5:30PM
Tuition $125 (discount available to current Training Center students)
E-mail dgriffin-irons@secondcity.com or call 312-664-4032 ext. 3577 to register

The series is offered in February, June/July, Sept/October throughout the year.

Join us in February as we dig deep into the history and perspectives of diverse improvisers and comedians at The Second City. Discover your perspective in this series as we celebrate African American Heritage month in February. See footage from our favorite scenes and meet the community.

About the Diversity Series
There's a wealth of comic genius in our archive scenes written by some of the best diverse comedians in the business. You've seen them on TV, or in film, but never got the chance to see their work created on The Second City stages. Discover how some of Second City's best launched their careers and pushed their perspectives on stage and how you can too.

The Diversity series educates, cultivates, and informs new talent in a supportive community of mentorship and education for the next generation of improvisers studying at The Second City.

Instructors:

• Bill Bungeroth
• Dionna Griffin-Irons
• Claudia Wallace
• Ric Walker

Dionna heads The Second City Outreach & Diversity program. In her 10+ years with the company, Dionna is a proud Second City Detroit alumna, who has performed on the Chicago resident stages and produced numerous shows for the corporate division. In 2002, Griffin-Irons expanded the Outreach division by creating the first multicultural ensemble and instituting annual auditions and career resources for diverse talent.