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But in the past decade, all that has changed dra- matically. Hot young talents like T.J. Miller and Kumail Nanjiani (Silicon Valley), Hannibal Buress (30 Rock, SNL), Cameron Esposito (Conan, Chelsea Lately), and many more have all recently emerged from the scene. These success stories in turn have spawned two important new venues—UP Comedy Club at The Second City and the Laugh Factory in Lakeview—and a gold rush to Chicago for both stand-up comics and talent scouts alike. "Whenever a Chicago per- former moves to Los Angeles or New York and has some success, the industry f locks here searching for the next 'golden boy,'" says Haas. "So comedians are f locking to Chicago for stage time." Why Chicago? What makes this city the best place to see and practice comedy in the US —and perhaps the world? In part, our hardscrabble DNA makes us funny people. "We are skeptical, but not cynical," says Haas. More importantly, the Windy City offers a chance for comics to hone their craft sans the ubiquitous agents who put comedians in New York and LA on constant edge. "Chicago remains a place where it feels like you're doing it just for the sake of doing it, and that becomes a social and artistic phenomenon in and of itself," says Napier. Halpern agrees. "You can take your time here to get good." This summer, scene stalwart Steve Waltien departed The Second City Mainstage after three revues. As is tradition, a special improv set was held in his honor, and teary speeches were made. Alexander was in the audience that night. "It's no accident that all of this is taking place in Chicago," he says of the city's reputation as a comedy capi- tal. "When Steve Waltien left the show, he gave a very passionate speech about the work that speaks to this whole question about Chicago. He wasn't worried about movie roles or television shows; he just loved being on that stage. When you hear that, you can't help but be moved." MA "Chicagoans make up the best audiences in the country. They're grounded with Midwest sensibilities, they're not afraid to laugh, and they have a wicked sense of humor. They are the best teachers and audiences in the world, and I am grateful to them for participating and witnessing the development of my craft." — Jim Belushi (According to Jim) "In Chicago I was able to fgure out what it is that I contribute or bring to the table in any project. And then I tried to do that as well as I possibly could." —Jack McBrayer (30 Rock) "The Chicago stand-up community is hard to impress. You have to be out at shows every night and constantly create new material to be taken seriously. Success in stand-up is really about doing the work, and Chicago knows that." —Cameron Esposito (Conan, Chelsea Lately) "I learned that when you make a sincere effort to make a scene partner look good, it behooves everyone. It is not necessary to be a staunch individualist to have success in the arts. Collaborate, and it could be twice as great." —Keegan-Michael Key (Key & Peele) "The stand-up scene in Chicago had a big emphasis on originality and on fnding your voice. There was no industry, of course, so no one actually thought of their careers or anything like that. We just wanted to be funny and different from every- body else." —Kumail Nanjiani (Silicon Valley, The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail) "Doing shows at iO and the Annoyance taught me how to confdently improvise and write, and The Second City taught me to be a professional. I had good shows [and] bad shows, shows for three people and shows for three hundred people, but they all taught me to be a better performer." —Aidy Bryant (Saturday Night Live) "Play at the top of your intelligence. In Chicago, the audiences allow you to get onstage and improve… forever." —Dave Pasquesi (TJ & Dave) "I learned you're allowed to fail and learn, and be brilliant and wrong and lovely and dumb, and your friends will stick with you while you are all of those things." —T.J. Jagodowski (TJ & Dave) "The city exudes passion, desire, courage, fortitude. Let it infect you as a per- former. Every time you get onstage, you get better. You must get onstage. I don't care if it is in class or performance—get up and do it!" —David Koechner (Anchorman, Anchorman 2) "What I have empathically learned is that Chicago has the most extraordinary audiences in the world, unbelievably patient with our growth, yet demanding of us in doing our best at all times. I owe this city everything for simultaneously giving me a career and a safe place to land." —Susan Messing (Messing with a Friend, Blessing) WHAT CHICAGO TAUGHT ME Comedy greats and up-and-comers alike reveal how the Windy City made them a better comic. "I fInd InspIratIon In non-comedIc art forms lIke Indepen- dent fIlm, horror fIlms, and musIc." –John Hartman opposite page: photography by billy rood 120 michiganavemag.com