Lois Kaz

Kaz worked on the staff at The Second City for decades, contributing to the daily operations of one of America's most important comedy institutions. While her specific role titles and responsibilities have not been extensively documented in public sources, her long tenure at Second City placed her at the center of the company's creative output across multiple eras of the theatre's history. Staff members at Second City play essential roles in sustaining the institution's ability to produce shows, manage training programs, and maintain the organizational infrastructure that enables performers to focus on their creative work.

Her connection to Second City was both professional and personal. Her former husband, Fred Kaz, served as The Second City's musical director from the early 1960s through his retirement in 1989. Fred Kaz was recruited by Paul Sills, Second City's co-founder, who envisioned theatrical improvisation performed in the spirit of improvisational jazz. For nearly three decades, Fred's musical accompaniment shaped the rhythms and emotional dynamics of Second City's improvisational and sketch performances, and his presence in the theatre overlapped with Lois's own staff work at the company. During this period, Second City produced the shows and performers that would define American comedy for generations.

In 1994, director Noah Gregoropoulos created the first fully improvised long-form show in The Second City's history for the e.t.c. stage, and named it Lois Kaz. The show represented a significant departure for Second City, which had historically focused on scripted sketch revues developed through improvisation rather than presenting improvisation itself as the final product. The naming honored a woman whose quiet, sustained service had made her a beloved fixture within the Second City community, recognizing the often-invisible institutional labor that keeps major comedy organizations running.

The Lois Kaz show was similar to other pioneering long-form formats like Jazz Freddy in its approach to scene work and editing techniques, but Gregoropoulos encouraged cast members to create richer background environments by embodying physical objects like trees, tables, and other items alongside their character work. This physicalized approach to environmental scene support added a visual dimension that distinguished the format from the primarily verbal long-form work being performed at neighboring theatres like iO.

The cast of the Lois Kaz show reads as a who's who of 1990s Second City talent: Scott Adsit, Kevin Dorff, Adam McKay, Jon Glaser, Frances Callier, Miriam Tolan, Nancy Walls, Matt Dwyer, Theresa Mulligan, Dave Koechner, Brian Stack, and Dee Ryan. Many of these performers went on to major careers in television and film. Adam McKay became an Oscar-winning director and co-founded Funny or Die. Scott Adsit starred on 30 Rock. Dave Koechner appeared in Anchorman and numerous comedies. Nancy Walls (Carell) became a Daily Show correspondent and co-starred in The Office. Jon Glaser created and starred in Delocated and Neon Joe. Brian Stack wrote for Late Night with Conan O'Brien and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert for over two decades.