The Second City New York
The Second City New York is the first New York City location of The Second City, the Chicago satirical sketch-and-improv company founded in 1959. Located at 64 North 9th Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, the venue opened its Training Center on 13 November 2023 and its Mainstage revue on 16 November 2023. The complex includes two cabaret-style theatres, seven training centre classrooms, and a full-service restaurant and bar.
History
Announcement and Development (2022–2023)
The Second City announced plans for a New York City location in October 2022, representing the organisation's first expansion into New York. The company selected a nearly 12,000-square-foot space at 64 North 9th Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
Opening (November 2023)
The Second City New York opened its Training Center for classes on 13 November 2023 and launched its inaugural Mainstage revue on 16 November 2023. Alan Kliffer served as Artistic Director; Jen Ellison directed the opening revue, with Jeff Bouthiette as Musical Director. The inaugural cast comprised E.J. Cameron, Ashley Leisten, Ben Rameaka, Yazmin Ramos, Drew Reilly, and Jacklyn Uweh. The complex is organised as two cabaret-style theatres, seven Training Center classrooms, and a restaurant and bar.
Artistic Identity
Second City New York operates in the same satirical sketch-and-improv revue tradition as the Chicago flagship: a company develops scenes and characters through improvisation and audience feedback, then edits and refines those scenes into a written revue that runs for an extended season. The Williamsburg location is designed to bring the Second City institutional brand and training methodology to New York audiences and students, who had previously had no direct access to Second City training outside Chicago and Toronto.
Key Events
The Second City Opens Its First New York City Location in Williamsburg, Brooklyn
The Second City opened its first New York City location at 64 North 9th Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn on 16 November 2023, launching its inaugural Mainstage revue three days after the Training Center opened for classes on 13 November 2023. The opening represented the organisation's first expansion into New York in its sixty-four-year history.
How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). The Second City New York. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/companies/the-second-city-new-york
The Improv Archive. "The Second City New York." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/companies/the-second-city-new-york.
The Improv Archive. "The Second City New York." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/companies/the-second-city-new-york. Accessed March 17, 2026.
The Improv Archive is a systemically maintained repository. The archive itself acts as the corporate author.