A Second Chance at Second City

Sean McLaughlin
March 16, 2022

You might not know this about me, but I’m a “graduate” of Chicago’s famed Second City Training Center. This is the school where all of Second City’s famous improv comedy graduates got their start before they became regulars on the main stage, and then went on to Saturday Night Live and beyond.

My first apartment in Chicago was a mere one block away from the Second City theater and on my way home from my office at the Chicago Board of Trade, I’d always pass by the theater doors and see advertisements for their training program. One day, in a fit of curiosity and inspiration, I said: “why not?” With no plan, I walked in the door, found the right person with the right information, filled out a form, ran my credit card, and just like that I was signed up to begin classes when the next training started in just a couple of weeks!

It was as if a spirit had possessed me and dragged me through those doors. When I walked back outside and was hit with the typical frigid Chicago wind of early January, it suddenly hit me – I was scared! What had I done?

What had I signed myself up for? I’m not an actor! I have no desire to be one! Am I crazy?

I ended up spending a year going through their programs and I even enjoyed two different opportunities to perform live on the Main Stage – hallowed ground for improvisers – in front of a live audience!

It was one of the greatest things I did in my life. Every training session, rehearsal, and performance was non-stop fun and laughter. And the friends I made at Second City have remained close friends since that wonderful year back in 2006. In fact, our group of 12 was so tight that it spawned three marriages!! Can you believe that? 

Anyway, I bring this all up for a couple of reasons.

One, I always hoped that learning the delicate art of improvisation would yield dividends in unexpected places – trading being the obvious first choice. In the world of finance, we do our best to make plans and follow processes and protocols. But as we know, the markets often laugh at our plans and we are forced to make quick decisions on the spot. I firmly believe that getting an opportunity to apply principles learned in improvisation training has helped me to better adapt to unpredictable situations.

And these days with All Star Charts, Improv training definitely helps when JC and Strazza throw me curveballs during our live streaming sessions. 

Secondly, I bring this up because, in a weird quirk of fate, I’ve met some improvisers here near Boulder. And in recent months, they’ve invited me to sit in with them when they would get together to just “play around” at one of their houses. No audience, just us goofing off.

Now they are getting their troupe and act back together to resume doing shows for the first time since the pandemic ended their regular show schedule. They’re angling to get back on stage sometime in May. And this weekend they invited me to become a member of their troupe – and somehow, someway, I accepted and said YES!

Now, all over again, I’m experiencing those butterflies and feelings of self-doubt. What have I done?

I don’t know how it will go — at least my part of any performances – but I’m definitely looking forward to exercising these improv muscles again and I hope it brings a new dimension to my work and my trading.

Wish me luck!

~ @chicagosean

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