newsminer.com

FAIRBANKS -- In a world where news runs rampant with reports of economic crisis, wildfires, war, natural disasters, and brutal political battles, not to mention the ever-depressing rising fuel prices — don’t look now, but they probably rose again — what can a person do to maintain sanity?

Make fun of it.

“Nothing is sacred in our shows. We make fun of ourselves and the entire world around us,” said comedic actress Brooke Bagnall, a member of the touring improvisational comedy company The Second City.

Politics, relationships, celebrities and the world in general are fair game in a show from The Second City, complete with plenty of singing and dancinG, and there will be no exceptions when the famed company performs in Fairbanks Saturday at the Salisbury Theatre.

The group’s first trip to Alaska promises to be a night of fun and plenty of laughs, Bagnall said. At the very least, she promised, it will help take a step back and mock the many things that often make life troubling.

“It is a satirical review. We have a lot of fun with it, and we’re really excited about coming to Alaska,” she said, noting most of the six-member cast has hopes of seeing a polar bear or, perhaps more realistically, a moose during their time here.

The Second City has a 45-year reputation of successful improvisational comedy. With homes in Chicago, Toronto, Las Vegas, Detroit and Los Angeles, the organization is sought after by actors and actresses from around the world hoping for a big break in comedy, like the ones Second City alumni Mike Myers, Chris Farley, Jim Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, and John Candy earned after their participation. The organization grew from an idea hatched by “a group of hip, creative and intellectual University of Chicago students” in the 1950s to a movement that would “revolutionize both comedy and theater forever,” the organization’s Web site claims.

“I grew up knowing about The Second City, and it has always been a dream of mine to be involved and have a chance at this,” Bagnall said, excited to be “living the dream” since November 2007.

The driving force behind The Second City has remained the same throughout its history: To inspire laughter through talented improv comedy. The butt of the jokes has evolved over time, however. In the 1950s, the Cold War, Sen. McCarthy and President Eisenhower were fair game. In the 1960s, the rise of rock ‘n’ roll was thrown in the ring, and a lively political environment involving conflict in the Middle East, opposition to war and the muddled Watergate scandal helped to create an atmosphere in which The Second City would thrive.

Its popularity soared, and from there disco, sideburns, Belushi, a transition to television and more were added to the mix. Presidential scandal and conflict in the Middle East has been in the news and available for mockery decade after decade after decade.

“We keep the same approach whereever we go, and when we take the stage we just hope for the best,” Bagnall said, adding it helps that people generally understand what to expect at such a show.

A theater major in college, Bagnall said she got the comedy bug after moving to Chicago four years ago. Dying for a chance at the coveted The Second City spotlight, she began her training for improvisational comedy. The skill, she said, is like a sport: You have to practice, practice, practice.

“You really have to train your muscles for it because you never really know what is going to come up. The more you do it the more comfortable you are,” she said.

The North Carolina native said she still feels lucky to have earned her spot with the touring company because there are so few openings year to year. There is no lack of talent in the Chicago area, she said, so getting the gig is all about the timing.

“You have to just go for it and hope there is a spot open for someone like you at the time. You’ve got to just try your best,” she said.

The comedic experience has been a lot of fun, Bagnall said, as has the travel experience. In the past few months she’s been to Austria, Texas, Michigan, Wisconsin, California and a number of other locations — she emphasized more than once the chance to visit Alaska is a major perk for the job — and she’s enjoying finding the common bond of laughter with such a broad mix of people.

And what can Fairbanks expect?

“A little politics, relationship, we’ll be making fun of the world as it is and we hope to we can laugh at it together,” she said.

--

What: The Second City comedy group

When: 7 p.m. Saturday

Where: Salisbury Theatre, University of Alaska Fairbanks

Admission: $25, tickets available at The Alaska House of ARt Gallery, The ARtworks, New Horizons Gallery, UAF Summer Sessions office and the Wood Center