Interview Andrew Alexander

Like a pubescent teenager, the Chicago stand-up scene is going through some changes. This year has seen a massive exodus of talented local people, many of whom have ventured westward to seek comedy gold in Los Angeles. Also, after the loss of the Lakeshore Theater in 2010, the defunct venue’s owner Chris Ritter found a new home at the Mayne Stage, which this year proved itself to be a formidable comedy venue for locals and touring acts alike. Now, as the end of 2011 approaches, Chicago comedy is going through yet another change—this time it’s a growth spurt. For one, the Chicago arm of the Laugh Factory is slated to open in December. But the legendary venue is not alone. The Second City is slated to open its new UP Comedy Club (located in the space formerly occupied by Tony And Tina’s Wedding) by mid-December. The A.V. Club spoke to Second City head honcho Andrew Alexander about the new venue, sketch versus stand-up, and making it in L.A.

The A.V. Club: The Second City has a reputation for being one of the country’s epicenters of sketch comedy. What kind of entertainment are you planning on showcasing at the UP Comedy Club?

Andrew Alexander: We’re planning on hosting an eclectic mix of material, with some new product from Second City combined with some more mainstream comics. We’re planning on showcasing stand-up, improv, and sketch. We also want to reach out to the local community, and maybe have a night devoted solely to local Chicago comics.

AVC: So why the name “UP”?

AA: You know how when you are trying to come up with a name for anything, you brainstorm a thousand names and get a thousand different opinions? We ultimately ended up with UP Comedy Club. The UP denotes stand-up. Hopefully, it will make sense in a year.

AVC: In the past Second City seemed to shy away from stand-up, emphasizing improv and sketch over the form. There seems to have been a shift over the years, which began with the addition of stand-up comedy classes. Does the creation of UP mark a turning point for Second City and its focus?

AA: Maybe we’ve been a little snobby in the past. There has been this sort of split between stand-up and what we do, and they are both valid. For us to be involved with both gives us a better handle on understanding the form, and hopefully something new and fresh will come out of that experiment.

AVC: How would you say sketch and stand-up differ from one another? 

AA: They are completely different disciplines. How we develop material and how a stand-up develops material is a completely different process. One of the things that has really struck me with stand-up is that there is never really a third eye with an agenda. When a stand-up is forming his act, it always struck me that there was nobody in that club watching a new young comic develop his act other than other comics, who sometimes have their own agendas. Second City fosters a very constructive environment for creativity, so I think there will be an opportunity for new young Chicago comics to get some notes without an agenda. 

AVC: So what kind of acts are you planning on booking, and what opportunities will there be for local talent? 

AA: You’ve got your standard talent sources that will provide names that everyone knows, like Chris Titus and Ben Bailey. The plan is to showcase those kind of national acts on the weekends. And then we’ll be looking to fill Sunday through Wednesday nights. Once we set aside a night for local comics and start seeing who we like, we can definitely work with them and see about feature opportunities for some of these national acts.

AVC: The Laugh Factory is slated to open around the same time as the UP Comedy Club. What do you think will differentiate UP from the other new, big comedy club in town?

AA: The Laugh Factory is coming out of L.A., so I don’t think they have the same local sensibility. Also, it’s a much bigger club. Because of the capacity and the amount of money they are spending, they are going to have to bring in the major names to make it work. With our local sensibility and our eclectic mix of sketch, stand-up, and improv, there really are very few clubs that do what we do.

AVC: Chicago has recently lost a handful of talented comics to the coasts. As someone who has been in the industry for years and who spends time in both L.A. and Chicago, is it possible for a local act to succeed in Chicago, or is the move out of the Midwest inevitable?

AA: I think it’s pretty tough to stay in Chicago. Chicago is a terrific place for one to learn the craft. You’re not in the glare of New York or L.A. But you have to be out in L.A. if you want to be on television; and if you want to be in the theater, you have to go to New York. Once you establish yourself and are doing well, you can use Chicago as your home base. But it is tough. Once you get out to L.A., it’s very competitive, so sometimes very talented people get lost. Second City does have a small theater out West, and a lot of our alumni that come from Chicago end up teaching. So it helps them in that transition.