Last weekend May 27-28, 2023 was Doors Open Toronto weekend when over 140 buildings and sites opened their doors and invited the public to explore some of Toronto’s most architectural, cultural and socially significant sites for free. This year’s theme is City of Sound.
I chose to explore The Second City Toronto, one of the newer buildings to avoid crowds and lineup, and the sound of laughter is appealing. I made the right choice visiting The Second City. There was no queue. Visitors could explore the front stages, back stages and take pictures. Knowledgeable volunteers and staff were on site to answer questions.
The Second City Toronto
The Second City Toronto is the biggest improv comedy theatre and training centre in Canada. It has nurtured performers whose wit and friendly faces have dominated the comedy landscape on both sides of the border for decades. The list of famous alumni includes John Candy, Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Martin Short, Joe Flaherty, Dave Thomas, Dan Aykroyd, Andrea Martin, Robin Duke, Gilda Radner, and many others.
This year, The Second City Toronto celebrates 50 Years of Funny in June and invites visitors to explore its rich history and see the original flooring where John Candy made history.
City of Toronto website
Here’s my The Second City Toronto photos. For more door photos, visit Dan’s #ThursdayDoors.
I had fun exploring The Second City. As I left the building, I saw this attractive sculpture. Ah, how I’d like to have infinite energy!
Weekend Coffee Share
Have you heard of The Second City or John Candy? Who is your favourite comedian?
I’d love for you to share what’s been happening, simple joys from your week and/ or favourite public art photos from around the world in the comments or Weekend Coffee Share linkup #121 InLinkz below.
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Natalie the Explorer 
I love John Candy. I still laugh out loud at Trains, Planes and Automobiles! A very funny man who left us way too soon. Second City produced some amazing comedians. I did have the opportunity to see a live Second City Review on stage once while in Toronto. Very funny. Not everyone appreciates (or gets) Canadian humour but I think it’s awesome!
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Darlene, I still laugh out loud at Planes, Trains and Automobiles, too. John Candy left a tremendous legacy. His name is on the Canada’s Walk of Fame in Toronto. I love Second City and Canadian humour. Eugene Levy, his son Dan Levy and Catherine O’Hara won many awards for their TV sit-com Schitt’s Creek.
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Hi Natalie – I’ve never heard of this place but it looks like it was a fascinating building to wander through.
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The Second City is well-known in Toronto for comedy shows. They used to be in another building for many years and recently moved to the location that I visited. It’s fun to wander through and see not only what the audience normally see but also what’s behind the curtains.
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Hi Natalie! What a fun exploration, indeed! Especially in this moment when things can just feel so darn heavy, I’m so glad you took the laughter route 🙂 Hope the weekend ahead is equally filled with joy and lightness. Thanks for hosting us again in your lovely space!
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Melis, Thank you for your weekend wishes. It was fun visiting Second City and see the stages from front to back. Have a great weekend!
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Wonderful doors and a great post, Natalie. I miss John Candy, a great comedian and actor, gone way too soon. Thanks for bringing us along on your tour.
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Dan, Thank you for hosting Thursday Doors. I thought it was great that Second City kept the original flooring where John Candy made history. He did prolific work and was gone way too soon.
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I just watched ‘Uncle Buck’ last weekend.
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That movie did well at the box office. I hope you enjoyed it.
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Yes, I’ve heard of John Candy but I wasn’t aware of his connection to Toronto. This looks like an interesting visit
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Hi Sarah, Doors Open Toronto is a fantastic event to see participating buildings inside out for free. I try to go to at least one building every year. John Candy was a member of Second City Toronto.
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I have gone to a second city show in Chicago and loved it! I didn’t realize Toronto has something similar. I love most comedy, Taylor Tomlinson is a recent favorite!
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Yes, Second City Toronto has been around for many years. They used to be at another location in downtown Toronto and moved to the York Street location where I visited. I love most comedy, too.
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An Doors Open weekend, what a great idea! You found some amazing places to photograph.
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Keith, Thank you for your visit and comment. Doors Open Toronto is a fantastic event and Toronto has many interesting things to photograph.
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Loved John Candy in Cool Runnings, great film. Pictures are great, thanks for sharing.
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Candy was great in Cool Runnings. Thank you for mentioning that film.
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This kind of open doors event provides wonderful opportunities, Natalie. Good choice!
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Thank you, Jo. I look forward to the annual Doors Open event in May. Over the years, I’ve visited some beautiful and interesting buildings for free.
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John Candy always makes me laugh and he’s in many of what I think of as the classic comedies I enjoy!
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Well said, Joanne. Thank you.
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These open door events are always fun. Thanks for taking us to this new space.
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You’re welcome Barbara. The Second City recently moved from an old building to this fairly new building and the facility looks beautiful.
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I’ve never heard of either, but you always introduce me to things unknown. That’s why you are the explorer. 🙂 Great post as always. 🙂
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Thank you Marsha for your lovely comment. I enjoy sharing my explorations and discoveries on my blog 🙂
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And that shows! Have a great week, my friend.
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Thank you, Marsha. You have a great week, too.
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I have not heard about second city. But the pictures are beautiful.
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The Second City Toronto recently moved from an older building to this newer building and everything looks fresh and beautiful.
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The Second City looks great, Natalie. Thanks for the virtual coffee. Happy Friday.
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Thanks, Shari. Happy weekend to you.
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Not such a big Improv fan but it’s an extraordinary talent for those who di it well. I do go to a lot of comedy. I think it’s really fascinating to watch well crafted shows….great view into that famous landmark…
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I think it’s an extra talent to be a good comedian. Some of the Second City alumni have achieved great success in films and TV shows.
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Natalie The Second City is stunning and your photos are beautiful. I would love to be able to visit in person. Your reference to John Candy made me think of Planes Trains and Automobiles. It still makes me laugh when I think of it.
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Jennifer, Planes, Trains and Automobiles movie makes me laugh, too. Great acting by John Candy and Steve Martin.
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John Candy and his movies gave me and my family many hearty laughs and memories. The scene were he uses a portable vacuum to clean up his jumper as his eating gets me going! Lovely catch up here with memories of movies and our kids when they were young. I also think Canada is one big scene for talent of all kinds. Your images show this too. Thank you for the link up. Denyse
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Hi Denyse, I’m glad to hear you and your family enjoyed John Candy’s movies, too. It’s a talent to act and make people laugh. Thank you for linking up. Have a wonderful weekend!
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What a wonderful event “Doors open”, more cities should have this type of events. Really a great idea! There is an annual festival in my town this weekend. The festival is called ‘Åfesten’ basically “The river party” if you translate it. The town is built around a very importan river, and the festival takes place on both sides of the river. There are food trucks from all around the world, famous artist, singing, dancing, art, and fun activities for children. I am hoping that my daughter want to visit, she said yesterday that she was too tired to go today, we’ll see 🙂 Last year was a blast. Have a wonderful weekend Natalie!
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Maria, The annual festival in your town sounds like a lot of fun. I hope your daughter decides to go and you both have a great time. Happy weekend!
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These are really interesting and intriguing photos!
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Thank you Margaret for stopping by. Second City recently moved to this location in a new building and the facility looks great.
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I’ve never heard of The Second City but I am a fan of John Candy, especially the movie Uncle Buck.
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Good to know you’re a fan of John Candy. He was great in Uncle Buck.
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I think Second City would have been my first choice. So many funny people have been there. Did they film the TV show there as well, or was it just a performance/training center?
Hope you have a great weekend 🙂
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Second City moved from Mercer Street in Toronto to this location about six months ago. I wouldn’t be surprised if they start filming at the new location since the facility looks great. Happy weekend!
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That is so cool! I’ve heard of Second City forever, but had no idea it was in Toronto. I loved John Candy, Dan Ackroyd, John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Robin Williams. I could go on and can’t pick favorite. A good comedian is worth their weight in gold.
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So many good comedians have been in Second City Toronto. I think it takes talent to perform and make people laugh.
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Hi, Natalie – I love Second City and used to go there frequently when I lived out that way. Thanks so much for featuring it here.
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Hi Donna, Second City runs so many good performances and the tickets are reasonable compared to other types of entertainment. Second City Toronto used to be on Mercer Street for years before they moved to their new location on York Street about six months ago.
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The Second City is beautiful and amazing!
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Yes, the stages and lounge look great.
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Adoring the photos of Second City. It just looks like a fun place, even without any person on stage.
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The staff offered to take photos of visitors on stage. One couple got their photo taken while they pretended they were performing. It was a fun and relaxing visit.
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Ok, now that is so super cool. Wow, I was a big fan of SCTV back in the day. This is amazing. Thanks for sharing this super cool place.
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Several of the Second City alumni were on SCTV. This location looks really nice and tickets to the shows are reasonable.
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Lovely!
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Thank you Teresa for your PPAC contribution. Those colourful and whimsical seats make me smile.
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They are so cool aren’t they. I wish I could’ve found more.
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Happy searching 🙂
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Hi Natalie, I’d not heard of this event. Looks like too much fun to cram into one day.
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Hi Gary, Doors Open Toronto started in 2000 and has become a very popular annual event. Some visitors go to several sites in one weekend. It’s fun and free of charge.
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I’d never heard of Doors Open so had to Google it. Turns out a bunch of major cities do it. Such a great idea! And I’m seriously jealous you got to visit such a legendary site.
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Janet, Doors Open Toronto started in 2000 and is a wonderful annual event. I look forward to it every year.
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Natalie,
Only John Candy would have a “Box” Theater–I love it! Thanks for sharing. Your post makes me want to spend much more time in Toronto on my next visit. Thanks for sharing. My two favorite comedians are no longer with us–John Belushi and Richard Pryor, but, like Candy, their humor lives on. Have a great week. Joe
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Joe, We lost several great comedians way too soon but like you said, their humor lives on. There’s a lot to explore and enjoy in Toronto. I hope you visit and when you do, please feel free to reach out. Have a wonderful week!
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I’d never heard of this, but it sounds intriguing. No queue, yay! I don’t honestly know much about comedy at all though.
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Some of the historic buildings have a long queue so I chose to go to a newer one and it was great.
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Such a fun building 🙂
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It’s a new and beautiful facility. I look forward to attending a comedy show there in the future 🙂
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That sounds like a great weekend. Those are fun. I think I’d also want to choose a spot that wasn’t as crowded.
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It was a nice and relaxing visit. The building is new and beautiful.
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Thank you Ali for sharing such a beautiful place with us.
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I had seen their sign when in that building but didn’t realize it was so interesting inside.
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Second City was on Mercer Street for years then they moved to York Street location about six months ago. It’s a beautiful facility.
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