'We really need to laugh': Toronto's Second City opens its new venue
For almost 50 years it's been a comedy institution in this city, and now it has a new home.
The doors have opened on The Second City's new 28,000 square foot Toronto venue, located at One York Street.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
"It's bigger, it's better, it's brighter, it's shinier," creative Director Carly Heffernan told CTV News Toronto during a tour of the complex.
Inside, there are three performance theatres, including the 244-seat main stage. There's also a 170-seat '1973 Theatre' named for the year the organization started in Canada. Inside that theatre, a stage modelled on the facade of Second City's original Toronto home: The Old Firehall on Lombard Street.
"The space -- we had at the Old Firehall was more compact," Colin Mochrie told CTV News Toronto. "It was an old firehall which tells you -- there was a pole in the lobby".
The Second City alumnus, and Canadian comedy icon, shared his memories of working in the original space.
"What I enjoyed about it was the cast was very close, because we were literally very close. Everybody's dressing cubicle was right beside each other and there was that history of you know the cast of SCTV started here, and all these amazing people have gone through. And there was a smell downstairs that we just assumed was the smell of legends."
From Eugene Levy, to Gilda Radner, Martin Short to Mike Myers, the list of Second City members who have gone on to comedic stardom is long. And one of those legends is being honoured in the new venue.
A small, 70-seat performance space has been named the "John Candy Box Theatre". On the stage are slats of wood, laid by hand, taken from the original stage at the first Second City location.
"I think I smell a bit of my flop sweat in the corner," joked Mochrie as he examined the historic flooring.
The Second City's John Candy Box Theatre is seen within its newest Toronto location on Nov. 30, 2022. (Arthur Mola)
This is The Second City's fourth Toronto location in 49 years. After Lombard Street, Second City moved to Blue Jays Way, and later Mercer Street. That location closed when the building was sold for condo development.
The new facility features not just performance space, but also nine studios for sketch and improv teaching and training.
"I'm not a big fan of it," said Mochrie. "Because it just means there's people trying to replace me. So obviously I have mixed feelings but on the grander scale you're getting quality training from people who have gone through this process, who know what it's like."
Having both the educational and performance spaces on the same level, is an important feature for the organization's creative director.
"I love that ensemble is something that we talk about all the time when we're creating at Second City," said Heffernan. "It's so important -- ensemble on the stage, but also ensemble off of the stage -- and that's what this space allows for."
Connected to the PATH system, the new Second City also features three bars, and in-show food provided by Oliver & Bonacini (O+B). It's planned as a place for some of the next generation of comedy stars to train and perform, and a place where audiences can sit back and laugh.
"We really need to laugh," said Mochrie. "It's so great that Second City is back out there ready to continue the tradition."
Audience members at the Second City's newest Toronto location are seen here on Nov. 30, 2022. (Arthur Mola)
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
$500K-worth of elvers seized at Toronto airport
Fishery and border service officers seized more than 100 kilograms of unauthorized elvers at the Toronto Pearson International Airport on Wednesday.
Member of Israel's War Cabinet says he'll quit June 8 unless there's new war plan
Benny Gantz, a centrist member of Israel’s three-member War Cabinet, threatened on Saturday to resign from the government if it doesn't adopt a new plan in three weeks' time for the war in Gaza.
Serial sexual offender linked to unsolved 1970s homicides of four Calgary girls, women
An investigation into unsolved historical homicides from the 1970s has linked the deaths of two girls and two young women in and around Calgary to a now-deceased serial offender.
To plant or not to plant? Gardening tips for May long weekend
May long weekend is finally here, and with the extra time off you may be getting the itch to head out to your garden and plant. However, the old debate whether you should plant now, or wait, is still ever-present.
His SUV was stolen on Montreal's South Shore. Then he got a $156 parking ticket
A couple is frustrated after their SUV was stolen from Montreal's South Shore in March and they received a parking ticket for the same vehicle last week.
Fort McMurray evacuees welcomed home Saturday as crews make progress on wildfire
Residents of Fort of McMurray who were displaced over wildfire concerns were told to return home Saturday.
Woman with liver failure rejected for a transplant after medical review highlights alcohol use
For nearly three months, Amanda Huska has been in an Ontario hospital, part of it on life support, because of severe liver failure. Her history of alcohol use is getting in the way of her only potential treatment: a liver transplant.
Scottie Scheffler, from the course to jail and back: What to know about his PGA Championship arrest
Two-time Masters champion Scottie Scheffler was arrested after police say he dragged an officer while trying to get around the scene of a fatal accident Friday ahead of the second round of the PGA Championship.
B.C. man 'attacked suddenly' by adult grizzly near Alberta boundary: RCMP
A B.C. man is recovering from multiple injuries after he was "attacked suddenly" by an adult grizzly bear near Elkford Thursday afternoon.