Rachel Dratch
Rachel Dratch trained and performed at iO Theater in Chicago, where she developed the ensemble skills she brought to The Second City and subsequently Saturday Night Live, which she joined in 1999. At SNL she was known for her commitment to unusual characters and her range across multiple recurring sketches. She developed a partnership with Tina Fey that extended from iO through Second City and SNL and into later television and film work.
Recommended Reading
Books are ordered from the strongest direct connection outward to broader relevance.
Improv Comedy (20th Anniversary Edition)
Andy Goldberg
Process: An Improviser's Journey
Mary Scruggs; Michael J. Gellman
Chicago Comedy
A Fairly Serious History
Margaret Hicks; Mick Napier
Creating Improvised Theatre
Tools, Techniques, and Theories
Mark Jane
Fifty Key Improv Performers
Actors, Troupes, and Schools from Theatre, Film, and TV
Matt Fotis
The Improv Illusionist
Using Object Work, Environment, and Physicality in Performance
David Raitt
How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). Rachel Dratch. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/people/rachel-dratch
The Improv Archive. "Rachel Dratch." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/people/rachel-dratch.
The Improv Archive. "Rachel Dratch." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/people/rachel-dratch. Accessed March 17, 2026.
The Improv Archive is a systemically maintained repository. The archive itself acts as the corporate author.