It’s bred the likes of John Candy, Bill Murray, Tina Fey and Stephen Colbert.

Created in Chicago in 1959, The Second City Touring Co. is a long-running improvisational comedy theater that will bring some of its best sketches, songs and improvisations to Columbus on March 21 for a one-night only performance of One Nation, Under Blog, a show based on today’s headlines and the world of politics, entertainment and media.

The organization’s comedic style has changed with time, but the format has remained consistent. The two-act revues feature six actors augmented by a musical accompanist and a sound and lighting director to produce comedy that’s thought-provoking, silly and wild.

Since its debut, Second City has been a springboard for comedians, award-winning actors, directors, and other show business notables.

Comedian Joey Bland took a moment from the troupe’s busy touring schedule to talk with City Scene about his role in Second City, traveling performances and Bill Cosby.

CityScene: From where does your interest in comedy stem? And how did you develop your own unique style? 
Joey Bland: Well, for me, and I think for a lot of us, it’s similar in that we started off enjoying comedy on television and in movies. Growing up in middle school and high school, I loved Saturday Night Live, and I’ve always thought The Cosby Show was the greatest thing I’d ever seen. People in my family thought I was really funny, and they kind of became my audience. I always made my mom laugh, so that was encouraging. Then, in college, I just got into theater and found I really enjoyed comedy. Second City is a good place to find your voice; they encourage uniqueness and your own point of view.

CS: What do you enjoy most about being part of Second City?
JB: As a touring company, I enjoy the ability to bring what I think is a unique show to places that don’t know exactly what they’re getting. It’s not your typical Broadway musical coming into town. Every show is new, and you never see the same show twice. We also get the opportunity to travel. We’ll go to really big cities, like Columbus or Boston, and then to little towns I would never visit if I wasn’t with Second City. I’m always surprised they know who we are.

CS: What have you learned at the company and how do they factor into your success?
JB: You learn how to really hold on to any idea you get. We get the opportunity to generate our own material, so there’s a lot of discipline with that. You also learn how to work as an ensemble, so you bring in an idea and it changes really quickly based on other actors. We take a lot of pride in the fact our show is really polished, but we know in our heads it’s a work in progress. We get to change the sequence or scenes or the order of songs – there’s never any time to be stagnant. Our shows change from city to city, venue to venue.

CS: What do you hope to bring to the performance of “One Nation, Under Blog?”
JB: As a touring company, our show, One Nation, Under Blog, is a kind of “best of.” It’s scripted stuff from 50 years of archived material, stuff alumni have written and we ourselves have written, as well as some improv. What I can bring – what you have to bring – is your ability as an actor to interpret others’ work. It takes a lot of energy, so hopefully I bring a lot of energy to the show.

CS: How will “One Nation, Under Blog” differ from previous Second City performances?
JB: Chances are it will be a completely different show. The running order will be vastly different. There might be some shorter scenes people have seen before, but there’ll be brand new scenes, too. It’s always a work in process. A lot of what we’re touring with now is stuff Second City has created in the past year or two. Everything we improvise will be new, too, so people will recognize the format of the show, but almost 100 percent of it will be fresh and new.

CS: Where does your inspiration and material come from?
JB: It comes from just keeping your eyes open – always. One thing we’re trained to do at Second City is to be hyperaware all the time. We absorb a lot – things with friends and family, things on the street or at the store. You get more inspiration if you’re just more aware, so we go along with our eyes and ears open for everything that is funny and strange; things that make us react.

CS: Who are some comedians you admire?
JB: Working in Chicago the past seven, eight years, you start to see so much great material and comedy; it sometimes makes me want to scream to the rest of the country, ‘Why are you not watching what I’m watching? There are so many great acts here.’ I came out here from Richmond, Va., with some friends from college, and it’s been fun to see them succeed. You also get inspired by the people you work with every day. Growing up, I watched people who I admired from afar. Phil Hartman, I think, was always great. And I always go back to The Cosby Show. Bill Cosby is funny no matter what he does. He answers the phone, and it’s funny.

CS: How does your work with Second City factor into your long-term career goals?
JB: My long-term career goals are on some level to just make a living as an actor and performer, so I guess I’m living the goal. Second City has opened me up to new skills. Before Second City, I did a lot less writing, so hopefully those skills will help me in new projects.

CS: Tell us something most audience members don’t know about a Second City performance.
JB: The funniest thing about it is that for all they know, there may be a scene in the show that we’re doing for the first time in front of an audience. Or, it very well may be the first time we’ve ever done something. That’s exciting for us, to walk out on the stage with that degree of nervousness. People always want to know where we’re going next or what we’ve done before, but that’s hard to answer. In most towns, we’re only there for about 20 hours, so we come in the theater, look around, and make sure we know where everything is and where we need to go. It’s usually the first time we’ve ever been on that stage, so everything is always new.

CS: Second City has an impressive list of alumni. Is there ever any pressure to be like the greats, such as John Belushi or Dan Aykroyd?
JB: I’ve never felt (pressure) at all. Second City is just about 50 years old, and there are people working there who worked there when those guys did. I’ve never gotten the impression from them, ‘You should be more like this person,’ or ‘Why aren’t you more like that guy?’ It’s more like a family. Instead of feeling any challenge to be like Belushi, you just kind of feel inspired that this is the same building he went through. There’s something inspiring about seeing their pictures on the wall. But Second City wants you to see you succeed on your own terms. They want you to be the next Joey Bland.

Liza Martin is assistant editor of CityScene.

CAPA Presents The Second City production of One Nation, Under Blog
March 21, 8 p.m.
Southern Theatre, 21 E. Main St.
Chicago’s legendary comedy theatre performs some of its best sketches, songs and improvisations from the company’s more than 40-year history in this production.
www.capa.com, 614-469-1045