"I GET TO MAKE PEOPLE LAUGH, THERE'S NOTHING LIKE IT," says Niki Lindgren ('98) who performed in Court Square Theater with The Second City Touring Co. Best known for its Emmy-award winning comedy series SCTV, Second City's alumni roster is a Who's Who of comedy giants like John Candy, Julia Louis Dreyfus and Bill Murray.

  Lindgren says, "I loved being back in the 'Burg. I saw my professors and spoke to classes. I'm so glad to hear that JMU is building a new center for the arts. Without the arts, life has no flavor. When I was a theater major, we worked in Theatre II -- which was converted from a chicken hatchery. Come on! Although I'll cherish the time I spent in that building, I think it's time to have something new."

After graduation, Lindgren worked for a children's theater, and the company toured Chicago. Lindgren saw The Second City and knew immediately that was what she wanted to do. "I moved to Chicago, studied long-form improvisation from the Annoyance Theatre, ImprovOlympic and The Second City Conservatory," she says. "I started performing sketch and improvisation and wrote a one-woman show. I auditioned twice, and after The Second City producers saw my show, they hired me."

Niki Lindgren ('98), actor/improviser/comedienne,
The Second City National Touring Co., Chicago

For an in-depth Q&A with Lindgren:  www.jmu.edu/monty