In the late Fifties and Sixties, iconoclastic young rebels in Chicago opened two tiny theaters--The Compass and The Second City--where they satirized politics, religion and sex. Developing scenes by improvising based on audience suggestions turned out to be a fine way to develop great actors, directors, and writers. Alumni went on to create such ground-breaking works as The Graduate, Groundhog Day, and Don't Look Up. Many of them also became stars on Saturday Night Live. Something Wonderful Right Away features the pioneers who founded the empire that transformed American comedy.

This new edition tells even more of the story. Included for the first time is an interview with Viola Spolin, the genius who invented theater games that were the foundation of improvisational theater. Also included are dozens of follow-up stories about Mike Nichols, Barbara Harris, Del Close, Joan Rivers, Alan Arkin, and Gilda Radner, plus "You Only Shoot the Ones You Love," the story of how this book's author, playwright Jeffrey Sweet, ended up being so involved in the community he covered that he was captured by it.