Second City is opening a new theater in Brooklyn

Since Second City first opened its doors in 1959, the comedy institution has become a revolving door for so many of the biggest names in comedy. It’s become a landmark venue synonymous with Chicago and Toronto (the Los Angeles hub went virtual in 2020 and has yet to reopen).

Now, Second City has its sights set on New York. Hard to believe that it’s taken this long for the institution to branch out to the East coast, but it’s finally coming to fruition.

In the summer of 2023, a new Second City location will be opening up in Brooklyn. The 11,900 square-foot entertainment space will include a newly mainstage theater, seven classrooms, and a full service restaurant and bar.

“New York City is a renowned hub for talent and culture, and we could not be more thrilled to bring The Second City’s unique brand of improv-based entertainment and education to the city as we continue to foster the next generation of comedy,” said The Second City CEO, Ed Wells, in a statement. “We launch at a time of tremendous momentum for the brand, expanding our footprint in Toronto, Canada and garnering critical acclaim for our latest shows. We look forward to serving the New York City market across all of our services and bringing smiles, laughter and the full Second City experience to the Big Apple.”

This is fantastic news for New York since it’s taken a blow in recent years when it comes to improv comedy representation. Though other companies exist, the most dominant force in the city for the last 2 decades has been Upright Citizens Brigade. For a long time UCB was performing nicely, expanding up to 3 different locations hosting shows like signature events Whiplash, ASSSSCAT, and the Del Close Marathon. However, cracks in the armor started to show a few years back as it closed one location, then another, then organizers announced that the Del Close Marathon was moving to UCB Los Angeles locations and they relocated their signature venue. Ultimately the final blow seemed to come at the expense of COVID when tough decisions had to be made by the owners, a lot of staff were unceremoniously laid off in April 2020, causing a rift in the community and leaving them with no location in New York city for the first time in decades. Los Angles didn’t fare much better as it closed locations and were recently sold to new owners vowing to bring the brand back. To this day no plans have been revealed.