Mayor Rahm Emanuel Joins Chicago Live! on Thursday

Mayor Rahm Emanuel will be a guest on this week's Chicago Live! on Thursday, May 23 at 6:30p at Chicago Theatre's Downstairs Stage. Tickets are still available and can be reserved online.

Additional guests include Chicago Tribune's Michael Phillips, just back from the Cannes Film Fest, Chicago MOTH GrandSLAM story telling champion Shannon Cason, Old Town School of Folk Music's Chris Walz and a newsworthy discussion of biking vs. driving. This weekend's Bike the Drive makes this a timely discussion. Afterwards, stick around for a drink with us and mingle with the guests.

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Red Sox vs. Cubs - Seth & TJ Weigh In

<>Second City's Seth Weitberg and TJ Shanoff weigh in on the relationship between Red Sox & Cubs fans as they face off at Fenley this weekend. Seth Weitberg, a Red Sox fan, describes the relationship as "...amazing how quickly it flipped – it switched from empathy to sympathy (for the Cubs fans). There was a time when we were all in it together, Red Sox fans drunk at Fenway, Cubs fans drunk at Wrigley. Now, I just feel bad for them. It's like running into your cousin's basement and finding your uncle there, unkempt and drunk. He doesn't feel like a member of the family anymore. That's the feeling I have about the Cubs right now. They're hopeless at this point."

Unfortunately, T.J., a Cubs fan, has a pretty similar outlook: "My friends say, 'Don't worry, T.J. It'll happen.' Guess what? They're wrong. They're idiots. The Cubs won't win. I say all of this out of love. The Cubs are like the ex-girlfriend that I get drunk and call way too often."

To check out the complete article written by Jon Morosi for Fox Sports, click here.

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Second City's BuzzKill Screening in New York

BuzzKill is holding a screening in New York at the City Winery, a gorgeous venue, where we'll be watching the film, listening to music, and drinking some wine. If you're in New York, come join us:

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Comedy Desk: Buenos dias, baby

Click to enlarge the latest Second City Comedy Desk by Seth Weitberg in the Chicago Tribune.

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Steve Kerr Visits "South Side of Heaven"

Last night, the cast of The Second City Mainstage met Bulls alum and NBA analyst, Steve Kerr. He watched a performance of "South Side of Heaven" and came backstage after the show to visit with the cast.

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Second City Neighborhood Tours Return for Summer!

The Second City is proud to announce the summer re-launch of "The Second City's Neighborhood Tour." This humorous and historic walking tour of Chicago's beautiful Old Town neighborhood will begin on Sunday, May 29th, 2011 at 1:00pm and will continue every Sunday and Wednesday through Sunday October 30th, 2011.

Written by Margaret Hicks, an experienced Chicago tour guide and author of Chicago Comedy: A Fairly Serious History, "The Second City's Neighborhood Tour" both entertains and informs while highlighting the architecture, history and development of Old Town as well as various Second City alumni haunts and the stories that go with them.

The walking tour begins outside The Second City theatre on North Wells Street and winds its way through the historic Old Town neighborhood. The tour ends inside The Second City theatre and gives guests a chance to view the lobby photo display documenting over 52 years of comedy at The Second City

Tickets for "The Second City's Neighborhood Tour" are $15.00 per person. They may be purchased directly from The Second City Box Office by phone at 312-337-3992 or online at www.secondcity.com. Tours can have up to fifteen guests and advanced reservations are recommended. The tours are every Sunday at 1:00pm and Wednesday at 4:00pm and last from one hour and 30 minutes to two hours. The walking pace is suitable for all ages.

Additional days/times are available for groups -- call Tiffany Smith at (312) 664-4032 for more information or to request a special reservation for larger groups.

Overnight Packages are available at The James, our partner hotel in Chicago. Contact The Second City Box Office at (312) 337-3992 for more information.

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Dennis DeYoung, Rick Tramonto and Garry Meier Join Chicago Live! on Thursday

Dennis DeYoung (yes, from Styx!), Rick Tramonto & Garry Meier are set for this week's Chicago Live! on Thursday, May 19 @ 6:30p. Did we mention there's a post-show reception with bar? Hope to see you Thursday!

Chicago Live! is recorded in front of a live studio audience at 6:30p Thursdays at the Chicago Theatre's Downstairs Stage. After each show, the audience is invited to a 30-minute reception with the cast, crew and guests.

Tickets for the show are $20.
- Purchase online through Ticketmaster.com.
- Purchase on the phone through Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000.
- Purchase in person at the Chicago Theatre box office:

The Chicago Theatre (map)
175 N State Street
Chicago, Illinois 60601

Wheelchair seats, companion seats, aisle seats and Assistive Listening Devices are available. For more information, call (312) 462-6301.

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Congratulations to the Chicago Bulls for a Big Game 1 Win Over Miami

Congratulations to the Chicago Bulls for defying national expectations and crushing the Miami Heat 103 to 82. Good luck on, Wednesday!

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Welcome, Mayor Emanuel!

Welcome into office, Mayor Rahm Emanuel! We are excited to work with you and had a great time at the concert on Saturday. For more information about today's events, visit Chicago Together.

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Chicago Live! Featured on Fabulous Cakes!

Chicago Live! is fabulous for many reasons. The latest reason is that we're going to be featured on TLC's Fabulous Cakes on Monday, May 16 at 8:00pm Central. Join us for a viewing party at Billy Goat Tavern (430 N Michigan) beginning at 7:30pm.

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This Week’s Line-Up Set for Chicago Live! on Thursday

Grab a seat behind the headlines of Chicago's biggest stories at Chicago Live!, a weekly stage and radio show produced by the Chicago Tribune, in partnership with The Second City.

This week's line-up includes:

• Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan
• Comedian Aisha Tyler
• Chicago choreographer Joel Hall
• RedEye columnist Kyra Kyles presents a performance from the winner of the Kyles Files Track-Off
• Author James Keene talks about his book, In With The Devil
• Neli Vazquez-Rowland, head of A Safe Haven
• Rick Kogan's almanac
• Comedy from The Second City

Chicago Live! is recorded in front of a live studio audience at 6:30 p.m. Thursdays at the Chicago Theatre's Downstairs Stage. After each show, the audience is invited to a 30-minute reception with the cast, crew and guests.

Tickets for the show are $20.

- Purchase online through Ticketmaster.com.
- Purchase on the phone through Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000.
- Purchase in person at the Chicago Theatre box office:

The Chicago Theatre (map)
175 N State Street
Chicago, Illinois 60601

Wheelchair seats, companion seats, aisle seats and Assistive Listening Devices are available.For more information, call (312) 462-6301.

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Farewell, Mayor Daley!

It's hard to believe that this is the last week of Richard M. Daley's reign as Mayor of Chicago. From all of us at The Second City, thank you, Mayor Daley for all that you've done for this great city, your continued support of the theatre community and of course, all the great material you've given us over the years.

Here's a collection of good-byes from some great Chicago folks and notable exports. Good-bye, Mayor Daley – we will miss you!

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Happy Mother's Day from The Second City!

From all of us at The Second City, Happy Mother's Day! If you're a mother, thank you for being a great mom. If you're a child, listen up – if you haven't planned for Mother's Day, get on it! She deserves attention and gifts. You have no idea of all the stuff she's done for you. Here are a few ideas:

Bring her to a show – Of course, the most obvious, but we're sure she'd love to laugh and if you're an adult, she'd really like to see a show with you. If you're not an adult, look at these other ideas.

Bossypants by Tina Fey – Let's be clear – we're making no money on this book. However, it is absolutely hilarious and your mom will love it. For real. She will love it.

Dinner in Old Town – Just take her out to dinner. It's supposed to be lovely on Sunday. Take her to dinner at one of these awesome restaurants in Old Town and then see a show (you knew it would come back to that, right?) or make it a day and check out the Chicago History Museum.

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Attn: House Ensemble Auditions

Due to unforeseen circumstances, we will need to change the upcoming house-ensemble auditions from Monday, May 9 to Monday, May 23. You will still be able to audition. Your audition will be in the time-slot you were scheduled for originally but, on the new day.

We understand that this may cause you problems. Please accept our sincere apology for any inconvenience that this may cause you. If you cannot attend the audition because of the day change or have any questions please email Stephanie Gruender at sgruender@secondcity.com. We look forward to seeing you on Monday, May 23.

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Join Us @ The Montrose Room on Saturday

Looking for something to do on Saturday? We're headed back to The Montrose Room at the InterContinental Hotel in Rosemont for a special performance on Saturday at 9:00p. Grab a drink at one of Time Out's Best Suburban Bar and then join us for a performance of The Second City's Fair & Unbalanced. Click here to book your tickets.

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Talk to the Hand!

The Second City is proud to present the next series of puppet workshops. This 4 week intensive introduces performers to the fundamentals of hand puppetry and performance techniques used by professionals. Students will learn how to make their puppets come alive and find the characters within. (We provide the puppets)

Recent graduates of our puppet training performed in The Second City Theatricals hit revue Miracle on Mercer Street.

Dates: Saturdays 3-6pm May 7th, May 14th (no class May 21st), May 28th and June 4th

Tuition: $150.00+HST

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