In the world of comedy, the name Second City speaks loudly.
Long referred to as the "Ivy League of Comedy," its graduates have become some of the top names in American comedy - Bill Murray, Alan Arkin, Tina Fey, the late Chris Farley, Bonnie Hunt and Steve Carell, among others.
Two members of Second City's training center in Los Angeles - one of three such centers in the country - will be serving as improv and sketch comedy instructors at the weeklong youth comedy camp that is part of the festival.
Rachel Romanski, director of the training center, said Second City is pleased to be part of the Great American Comedy Festival.
"The students attending the camp are going to learn from some of the best instructors around," she said.
Joining the Second City instructors will be Kurtis Matthews, founder of the San Francisco Comedy College. He'll serve as the camp's stand-up comedy instructor.
Matthews founded the college in 1999, which has gone on to become the largest stand-up comedy school in the United States. Since he began his work there, Matthews has trained more than 3,000 people to be funnier.
Matthews also co-owns The Clubhouse, which was recently named the Best Comedy Club in San Francisco, and he has toured nationally with the "Comedy Addiction Tour."
Matthews also will serve as host of the amateur night competition at the festival, which is set for Tuesday, June 16, at the Johnny Carson Theatre.
Romanski said Second City offers unique curriculum-based workshops and camps for thousands of students each year.
Using fundamental improvisation techniques, Second City's programs help students develop such skills as listening, team building, physical and verbal communication and idea generation. Its sketch writing work, for example, helps students learn basic scene structure, character development, establishing action and styles and genres of comedy.
The youth comedy camp, open to people 14 to 19 years of age, is set for June 14-20 at Northeast Community College. LuAnn Schindler again is serving as camp director. The camp includes a week's worth of classes, entertainment, room and board at Northeast's dormitories. The camp will culminate with a youth showcase on Saturday, June 20, at the theater in the Cox Activities Center.
The registration fee for the camp is $499, but a limited number of partial $250 scholarships are available.
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Want to learn more?
For more information on the youth comedy camp, contact LuAnn Schindler, camp director, at 851-0054 or go to www.greatamericancomedyfestival.com where information about the camp is available along with registration forms.
