# NICE SHIRT — The Second City Conservatory Show

> NICE SHIRT is a Second City Conservatory Graduation Show: an original sketch comedy and improv revue written and performed by the graduating ensemble of The Second City Training Center, Chicago. It plays the Chicago e.t.c. Theater in Piper's Alley, Old Town, on September 8, 14 and 21, 2026. Tagline: "Would you rather it be mean?"

## Performances (Chicago time)
- Tuesday, September 8, 2026, 8:00 PM — General Admission $12.00 — https://us.tickets.secondcity.com/checkout/6a735a25b161a77967a0d1d1
- Monday, September 14, 2026, 8:00 PM — General Admission $12.00 — https://us.tickets.secondcity.com/checkout/6a735a8e28c8b3752699aa42
- Monday, September 21, 2026 (Graduation / Closing) — starts 7:00 PM with WAITING FOR THE PUNCHLINE; NICE SHIRT is the final group at 8:30 PM — $12.25 ($10.00 + $2.25 fee) — https://us.tickets.secondcity.com/checkout/6a735912cef5c36380eda65a
- Past: previews August 3, 10, 17, 24 and opening night August 31, 2026 (all Mondays, 8:00 PM).
- Double bill: on regular dates one ticket covers both NICE SHIRT and WAITING FOR THE PUNCHLINE. Graduation night may be ticketed per group.

## Venue
- The Second City Chicago e.t.c. Theater, 230 W. North Ave., 2nd Floor, Chicago, IL 60614 (Piper's Alley, Old Town, next to The Second City Mainstage).
- 158 seats, cabaret tables: 47 premium, 76 general admission, 35 value, plus ADA seating. All tickets General Admission; seats assigned by the House Manager on arrival.
- Parking: Piper's Alley Self Park, 230 W. North Ave. Not validated.
- Accessibility: wheelchair accessible and companion seats; assistive listening devices on request.
- Age policy: no children under 13; ages 13–17 with an adult. No drink minimum. The room runs cold; bring a jacket.

## NICE SHIRT cast
Alyssa Dawson, Todd Douglas, Jack Finnegan, Gerard Fogarty, Joshua Hogan, Ben House, Frank Rizzo, Cole Steeves, Primula Stonebraker.
Director: Jeff Bouthiette. Music Director: Darwin Noguera. Stage Manager: Vicky Diaz-Escobar.

## WAITING FOR THE PUNCHLINE cast (the other Grad Revue ensemble on the bill)
Madeline Blasingame, Alex Buckmann, Daniel Fleming, Erik Kalberg, Rachel Kiser Rucker, Michael Nicholas, Tucker Brewster Schuster, Kallie Scott, Sarah "Swannie" Willstein, Christopher Willumsen.
Director: Jess Mitolo. Music Director: Darwin Noguera. Stage Manager: Vicky Diaz-Escobar.

## About the Grad Revue
The Second City Conservatory is an advanced six-level program that uses improvisation to create a Second City-style revue. Grad Revue 3 is the final level; its ensembles perform Monday nights at the Training Center and the run ends with a graduation show. A Second City revue is scripted sketch comedy (never "skits") and songs with live improv; no two shows are the same.

## In the news
- BroadwayWorld (2026-09-15): "NICE SHIRT to Play Closing Performance at The Second City" - closing night Mon Sept 21 at the e.t.c. Theater, WAITING FOR THE PUNCHLINE 7:00 PM, NICE SHIRT 8:30 PM. https://www.broadwayworld.com/chicago/article/NICE-SHIRT-to-Play-Closing-Performance-at-The-Second-City-20260915
- Forbes (2026-08-31): cast member Cole Steeves stars in the Chicago Cubs' 17-episode TikTok rom-com "Nine Innings To Love" (Cubs Productions, premiered 2026-09-04). https://www.forbes.com/sites/rickellis/2026/08/31/chicago-cubs-announce-tiktok-rom-com-nine-innings-to-love/

## Links
- Show page: https://niceshirt.rizzo.cc/
- Official programs (PDF): https://niceshirt.rizzo.cc/assets/programs/nice-shirt-program.pdf and https://niceshirt.rizzo.cc/assets/programs/waiting-for-the-punchline-program.pdf
- Frank Rizzo, actor site: https://rizzo.cc/
- The Second City: https://www.secondcity.com/