The Second City Training Centre Toronto is branching out to the third floor of 99 Blue Jays Way, the home of the Second City Mainstage Theatre, only five years after its last expansion. A press release through WireService.ca says the floor will house “eight sparkling-new multi-media studios, an ultra cool lounge area with access to 50+ years of Second City’s hilarious archives, and a new home for the John Candy Box Theatre.”
With over 6,000 students each year, the Second City Training Centre Toronto is Canada’s largest school of improv and sketch comedy. And, as the press release notes, it’s undergone exponential growth. The move will allow it to offer more classes in its Adult, Youth and Teen programs, as well as brand new classes for all experience levels, including Stagecraft, Public Speaking, Stand Up and Improv for Anxiety.
The John Candy Box Theatre may have just 65 seats, but it’s got “state-of-the-art sound and lighting equipment, and access to a bar and lounge – for the audience, of course!” The late Candy was only one of Second City’s countless famous alums (including Andrea Martin — what would the CSA’s have been like without her?) Second City Mainstage alumni such as Adam Cawley, Rob Norman, Carly Heffernan, Leslie Seiler and Ashley Botting are part of the staff at the Centre.
The grand opening ceremonies will be announced this spring — no exact date yet.
And just in case you had missed this, The Second City is not only a 100% Canadian-owned company but also the world’s premier improv and sketch comedy theatre company.