Second City Tour Member Andrew Bolduc
With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, who doesn’t need a little relationship advice and a chance to laugh out loud?
That’s why Andrew Bolduc of Second City’s Touring Company is excited that the show is currently in the City of Brotherly Love.
The show, It’s Not You, It’s Me, is playing from Wednesday, Jan. 30 through Saturday, Feb. 2, at the Kimmel Centers’ Perelman Theater. The world-famous comedy company’s latest laughter-inducing undertaking, the show takes shots at heartbreak, missed connections and the more of human relationships.
Since opening its doors on a snow day in December 1959, The Second City has grown to become the world’s premier comedy club, theater and school of improvisation, entertaining one million theatergoers a year around the globe.
Alumni of The Second City’s resident stages, touring companies, and theatrical divisions across Chicago and Toronto include some of the biggest names in entertainment, including Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, Steve Carell, Gilda Radner, Bill Murray and many more.
The small cabaret theater which launched a comedy revolution started with groundbreaking improv games. It went to become the most influential and prolific comedy empire in the world, developing an entirely unique way of creating art and fostering many generations of superstars.
Here is a recent exclusive chat with Bolduc on his love for performing since childhood, his brother the stand-up comedian, touring the country and family support. “The cast is incredibly excited about coming to Philadelphia, performing there,” says Bolduc, “and checking out the city.”
What is your performing history?
I have been performing since I was a kid. I grew up in Bangor, Maine, and I was in all of the high school plays and in college in Maine. I started doing improve short form with my college group. I put up some of my own sketch comedy.
When did you start with Second City?
I was hired in 2014 and started touring on cruise ships and joined the touring company in 2017 as an understudy.
Do you enjoy touring?
I really like being able to see so much of the country. We just got back from Richmond, Virginia, and we have been to Boston, Providence and New York. So, a lot of cities on the East Coast this year. I basically get to hang out with other people in the cast, which is a big blast. We have become a ‘road family,’ and I feel blessed to have a very drama free and funny group. It is enjoyable to spend time with all of them.
Have you been to Philadelphia before?
No, I have a bunch of family members in Central, Pennsylvania, so I have driven through it many times, but we did not stop in the city. This time I am extremely excited to be shown around the city by several of my cousins. I have been collecting recommendations on where to go, the favorite little spots.
How will you spend your free time?
I plan to follow around my family members who live near Philadelphia. I would love to get my picture taken with Gritty, the Flyers mascot. I am a big fan of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, so I would love to visit as many of the exterior locations that were shot there as possible.
Do you have family members in the arts?
Not many members of my extended family, just my younger brother, Patrick, and I. He is a standup comedian in Chicago.
Have your parents been supportive of your career choice?
Yes. My family has always been very supportive of me.
What advice do you have for up-and-coming comedians who want to follow in your footsteps?
Always carry a notebook in your back pocket or have your notes app ready to write down anything that strikes you as possibly funny. If you think for a second something could be funny then write it down, and don’t edit it right away – too many people judge themselves before they get going.
Anything else?
Be nice and friendly and helpful when doing comedy because those are the people who are going to help you out. Things strangely come back around. It’s always better to have not burned any bridges. I have heard friends say, ‘I am done with this,’ and they tell someone they worked with what they think of them. It has worked out far, far better for me to be friendly and polite in every circumstance.
Why will people enjoy this show?
It has a somewhat of Valentine’s theme — relationships, dating, and love. Also, they will see plenty of classic Second City archival material that people will enjoy.
When were you first introduced to improve?
My dad called me over to watch Whose Line Is It Anyway? He told me ‘these guys are making this all up.’ When I started looking into the history of Saturday Night Live and the performers, it went back to Second City and its history.
What did you discover?
I actually found that one of my really great comedy heroes Bob Odenkirk is a Second City alumnus. I loved his Mr. Show, which I think is one of the best comedy shows ever made. So, here is the star of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, it was really gratifying to find out that he had gone back to Second City and performed after he had a successful stand-up career on his own. This made me even more interested in performing in Second City.
What is your long-term plan as a performer?
I would love to have my own sketch show. I plan to move to L.A. in the not-too-distant future It’s a place where a lot of people move to continue their comedy career. I wrote a tribute to British mysteries that play on PBS, based on an Agatha Christie-style solve parlor mystery. That was a big treat for me.
Why should people come to the show?
It’s very funny and we absolutely make sure that our audiences have a blast at every show. We go to the audience for suggestions for improv and bring a couple up on stage. The audience stuff is a crowd pleaser.
What is your life philosophy?
I would say to try anything at least once and to learn from doing it wrong, as well as doing it right.
The Second City Touring Company
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