Chicago City Limits is a New York City improv comedy company founded in 1977 by Second City alumni who relocated from Chicago to New York in 1979. Self-billed as New York's longest-running improv comedy company, the group accumulated more than 8,500 performances across a series of off-Broadway venues over more than four decades, presenting long-form satirical improv rooted in the Second City tradition.
History
Founding and Chicago Years (1977–1979)
Chicago City Limits was founded in 1977 by a group of performers who had all participated in Second City's workshop programme in Chicago, studying under Del Close. The founding company included George Todisco, Linda Gelman, Bill McLaughlin, Carol Schindler, Paul Zuckerman, Rick Crom, and Christopher Oyen. In 1979 the company relocated to New York City.
New York Residencies (1979–2013)
In New York, the company initially performed at Catch a Rising Star, The Improv, and other showcase clubs before establishing a dedicated theatre in summer 1980 on West 42nd Street. From approximately 1981, Chicago City Limits held a fourteen-year residency at the Jan Hus Playhouse at 351 East 74th Street, followed by nine years at 1105 First Avenue (c.1995–2004) and nine years at Broadway Comedy Club (2004–2013). Across these venues the company accumulated more than 8,500 performances.
Closure Announcement and Reopening (2021–2022)
On 2 November 2021, artistic director Paul Zuckerman announced that the company's extended run was ending, citing five months of unpaid rent and utility service threatened with disconnection. The final performances were extended through New Year's Eve 2021 following public response. The company returned in 2022 with a new production, 'Hus on First?', at the Jan Hus Playhouse.
Artistic Identity
Chicago City Limits performs long-form satirical improv in the tradition of its Chicago Second City training, with a consistent emphasis on topical political commentary. The company's extended residency model, sustained across multiple off-Broadway venues over four decades, distinguished it from the training-pipeline institutions that came to dominate the NYC improv landscape in the 2000s. The 8,500-performance run is the company's primary institutional marker.
Key Events
Chicago City Limits Founded by Second City Alumni in Chicago
A group of performers who had trained under Del Close at Second City's workshop programme founded Chicago City Limits in Chicago in 1977. The founding company included George Todisco, Linda Gelman, Bill McLaughlin, Carol Schindler, Paul Zuckerman, Rick Crom, and Christopher Oyen. The company relocated to New York City in 1979 and went on to become one of the city's longest-running improv companies.
How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). Chicago City Limits. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/companies/chicago-city-limits
The Improv Archive. "Chicago City Limits." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/companies/chicago-city-limits.
The Improv Archive. "Chicago City Limits." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/companies/chicago-city-limits. Accessed March 17, 2026.
The Improv Archive is a systemically maintained repository. The archive itself acts as the corporate author.