Update: Second City is not the only legendary Chicago comedy theater on the market. On Friday, October 9, Charna Halpern of iO, which ceased operations in June, announced that both the business and the Kingsbury Street building that has housed the company (including two main theaters and two cabaret spaces in addition to classrooms and a bar) since 2014 were for sale. A press release from iO said “After 40 years of success, Charna decided to put the business and property up for sale. The current pandemic hit the theater industry hard and iO was one of its victims.”
There’s been some recent upheaval, however. In addition to the pandemic shutdown, which has temporarily put a stop to live performance at its Chicago and Los Angeles theaters, longtime producer, co-owner, and former CEO Andrew Alexander abruptly left the staff in June, after accusations of institutional racism surfaced. Alexander took responsibility and apologized as he exited, and Anthony LeBlanc was immediately named to replace him as interim executive producer.
