The Second City Cast & Crew

Please silence all devices and refrain from taking photos during the performance.

All Actors and Stage Managers are members of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional Actors and Stage Managers.

GEORGE ELROD (Ensemble) was born and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas. He is a graduate from DePaul University, and The ACADEMY at Black Box Theatre Chicago. They’ve performed with the Second City in Deck The Hallmark; Not Safe For Werk; Late Night Date Night; and has understudied Second City’s Mainstage and E.T.C. sketch revues. TV credit includes Somebody Somewhere on HBO. He’s rep’d by Grossman & Jack Talent. Special thanks to Mom, Dad, Justin, and Patty. Follow him on Insta/twitter/TikTok: @XoGossipGeorge

CHAS LILLY (Ensemble, he/him) is a Chicago-based actor, writer, and improviser from the Commonwealth of Kentucky. He’s been a regular performer at various Chicago improv theaters for years, but these days he’s usually found playing with his friends at Logan Square Improv. In his free time, he loves teaching classes and producing music for the bevy of talented local artists who come through Ersatz Records. For business inquiries, contact chaslilly89@gmail.com

Phylicia McLeod

PHYLICIA McLEOD (Ensemble, she/her) is a writer, performer, and all-around sweetheart originally from Kansas City and an alum of Columbia College Chicago. She is a cast member of The Second City’s National Touring Company, as well as a performer on the improv team Devil’s Daughter, and a member of The Annoyance’s weekly sketch show, HOLY F*CK. Follow them on Instagram @whitemystery95 or follow her on the streets of Chicago.

CAT SAVAGE (Ensemble, she/her) is delighted to perform with The Second City! A Massachusetts native, she moved to Chicago after graduating from Brown University. She is a proud graduate of The Second City Training Center’s Conservatory and Severn Darden Graduate Program, as well as iO’s training program. She has performed all over Chicago, mostly at Second City, iO, and The Annoyance. Big thanks to her dog Scoops for believing in her! Follow her on twitter @catharinesavage or instagram @cath.sav

ANNIE SULLIVAN (Ensemble) is a writer, performer, and all-around sweetheart originally from Kansas City and an alum of Columbia College Chicago. She is a cast member of The Second City’s National Touring Company, as well as a performer on the improv team Devil’s Daughter, and a member of The Annoyance’s weekly sketch show, HOLY F*CK. Follow them on Instagram @whitemystery95 or follow her on the streets of Chicago.

Max Thomas Headshot

MAX THOMAS (Ensemble) is thrilled to be back at The Second City. Max is a 2018 Bob Curry Alum. Chicago: Othello (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); In The Blood (Red Tape Theater); Jitney (Congo Square Theater); Dutchmasters (Jackalope Theater). Comedy: Kenan Thompson Presents The Ultimate Comedy Experience; NBC Break Out Comedy Festival 2017-2019; 2018 Bob Curry Fellow (The Second City). Television: Chicago P.D, Hot Date. Education: British American Drama Academy (B.A.D.A.) When he is not acting he is performing stand-up & spoken word improv with his team PREACH. He thanks family, friends, & James Baldwin for reminding him he is not alone.

JEFF GRIGGS (Director, he/him) is the author of the book Guru; My Days with Del Close.. He is a Director for Second City’s 47th e.t.c. Revue: Oh, the Places You’ll GLOW!,  Second City National Touring Company and is a Professor of Theater, Filmmaking, and Screenwriting at DePaul University, Columbia College, and The Second City Film School. As a filmmaker, his recent films are XYZ, Frosting, Margarinally Detained, and the upcoming The Mobley Test.

MICHAEL OLDHAM (Musical Director, he/him) is a composer and pianist who weaves artwork, story, and imagination into his work. Whether experimenting with looping videos on Instagram as the “parts” of a piece that anyone can play (Music In Segments – 2018), utilizing repeating gif images of old silent films as inspiration for a twelve-movement work (Music In Gifs – 2019), translating great works of art into music (Suggestion Box: Art – 2020, The Egon Schiele Pieces – 2021), writing art songs, musical theater, pop songs, or commercial ad work, Michael’s thirst for unusual storytelling through music is never quenched.

REBECCA GILMAN (Stage Manager, she/her) divides her time between stage managing, directing, and acting. Since arriving in Chicago, she has stage managed the world premiere of Malapert Love with the Artistic Home (2023 Jeff Award for Best New Work) and has been working as a stage manager for The Second City and iO Theater. Rebecca received her BA in theatre from UAA in 2015. Directing credits include Little Women: The Musical (2021), Grounded (2021), and The Crucible (2019) with the Kenai Performers. Favorite acting credits include Missy Miller in The Marvelous Wonderettes (Addie Camp Dining Car 2022), Maxine in Night of the Iguana (UAA Theatre and Dance 2014), and Sister Aloysius in Doubt: A Parable (TTR 2014). Favorite stage management credits are Gravidity (TTR 2014 and VTC 2014) along with [title of show] (2013), Other Desert Cities (2015), Antony and Cleopatra (2016), and The Great American Trailer Park Musical (2017) at Cyrano’s Theatre Company.

Understudies

ANDREW BALDWIN (Understudy, he/him) is a musician, comedian, and writer from Wisconsin. Since moving to Chicago, he has trained at the Second City Conservatory and The Annoyance. In addition to performing improv and sketch throughout Chicago, he has performed as an understudy for Second City’s 110th mainstage show “Do The Right Thing, No Worries If Not”, teaches at The Annoyance Theater, and is an ensemble member of Shamilton, Baby Wants Candy, and Satirical Race Theory. Sometimes he can still be spotted playing percussion around the city to feel like he isn’t wasting his music degrees. Instagram: @andrew_on_drums. Rep: Grossman&Jack Talent.

DEB DUNCAN (Understudy, she/her) is so excited to be performing with The Second City! She’s a comedian, actress and musician proudly hailing from Akron, OH. She co-produces and hosts the podcast, Queer Movie Night and can be seen performing around town with Randy and the LF’s. She also has a band with her wife, The Q’s and you can check out their album, Us Who Know, which is available on all streaming platforms! Follow her on Instagram @debradbag and @debraduncan on Twitter. Thank you to her best friend and love of her life, Kayla and their pup, Bea.

DAVE LYZENGA (Understudy, he/him) is an actor, improvisor, and software engineer. You can find him performing all over Chicago at iO (The Teenagers, The Musical Armando, RIFF, Dreamboat), The Revival (The Living Newspaper), The Second City (Baby Wants Candy), and CSz Chicago (ComedySportz Ensemble), and up in Grand Rapids with his independent team (Pop Scholars). He has worked in Bar Harbor for ImprovAcadia, aboard a cruise ship for The Second City Theatricals, and in a Class 10 clean room for Purdue University. Recently, Dave performed right here in Dysfunctional Family Affair (u/s) and wrote a solo show all about his very own dysfunctional family (Dave Lyzenga’s A Good Guy).

 

CAT McDONNELL (Understudy, she/her) was born in Boston, raised in London, and now resides in Chicago, IL. She has performed with The Second City aboard Norwegian Cruise Lines and on land in She The People, The Best Friggin’ Songs of The Second City: Sing Out!, Late Night Date Night, and as an understudy for The Second City’s 110th Mainstage Revue and National Touring Company. Offstage, Cat has had the pleasure of directing The Second City’s Out of The House Party (e.t.c), Improv After Hours (UP Comedy Club), Legendary Laughs (UP Comedy Club) and National Touring Company (BlueCo). She is thrilled to be understudying this beautiful show and thinks playing the roles of Claire McFadden is “a DREAM!”

LAURA MULCAHY (Understudy, she/her) moved to Chicago many years ago from the lakes of Saint Paul, Minnesota. She is an actor and improviser around Chicago and can be found at the Annoyance Theater, iO, and Logan Square Improv. She is also a contributor to ‘Reductress.’ 

KEVIN NOONAN (Understudy, he/him) is a writer and performer originally from Overland Park, Kansas, thrilled to perform with Second City. Kevin previously wrote and performed at the Pack Theater in Los Angeles with house ensembles Very Famous and Nobody Yell At Me. Other past credits include red carpet journalist, SAT tutor, working salad orders at a cafe in the mall, and almost Blockbuster Video cashier, until the store closed down on what was supposed to be his first day of work. His instagram is @kevin.noonan4.

BRYCE HALLIDAY (Understudy Musical Director) is an Australian musician and audio producer, who has been based in Chicago since 2022. Since completing his Bachelor of Music at the Australian Institute of Music in 2012, Bryce has created music and sound design for a huge variety of projects, with a focus towards sketch and improvised comedy.  In Chicago, he has been a music director at the renowned Second City, The Annoyance and iO theatres, and in 2023 he toured with original members of the US ‘Whose Line Is It Anyway?’ cast. His compositions can be found in video games (Birdsketball, Particulars), films (Diagnosis, Jimbra) and podcasts (Snowball, Conversations From The Abyss).  Before moving to the USA, Bryce worked for five years at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation where he produced several acclaimed podcasts. Including the cult-hit comedy documentary ‘Finding Drago‘ and the stand up comedy series ‘Alice Fraser Trilogy‘, which Apple Podcasts named in their ‘Best Australian Podcasts’ 2018 list.

KATIE DREHER (Understudy Stage Manager, she/they) was born and raised in Reno, Nevada. She spent time in Colorado studying educational theatre before coming to Illinois to pursue a career in stage management. Her recent stage management highlights include Matilda Jr. Paramount Theatre, Three Little Pigs Chicago Kids Company. Other credits include Young Performer Supervisor Sound of Music, School of Rock Paramount Theatre.