Chicago's Second City offering free fellowships for minorities

Chicago’s Second City is offering 16 free fellowships for minorities.

This comes hot on the heels of the minority-hiring push at “Saturday Night Live,” according to a report from WBBM-AM Newsradio.

“It comes as a great time because we are looking to increase those opportunities and make this work more accessible, particularly to diverse voices in improvisation,” said Dionna Griffin, the director of outreach and diversity for Second City to WBBM-Newsradio’s Steve Miller.

According to a statement from The Second City, the Bob Curry Fellowship offers actors of color “a unique eight week mentoring and development opportunity that includes training in improv, sketch comedy writing and acting.” The fellowship is named for the late Second City alum Bob Curry, the first African-American improviser to perform as part of Second City’s mainstage troupe, in 1966.

Auditions for qualified actors of color will be held on Feb. 25 (by appointment only) at The Second City Training Center. You can also email your headshot (by Feb. 5) to: outreach@secondcity.com. Audition candidates should have completed a conservatory level improv program, have a degree in theater, or extensive stage experience. The program begins March 24 and culminates in a performance at The Second City e.t.c. Click here for more details.

You can read the full transcript of the the WBBM story (or listen to the audio) here.

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