The Second City Touring Company will be performing at the Southern Theatre on March 5. The show is part of a nationwide tour to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the acclaimed comedy franchise.

Regarded as the premier theatre in improvisational comedy, The Second City has helped train and showcase some of the most successful comedians of the past 50 years, including John Belushi, Bill Murray and Chris Farley.

Performances of the 50th Anniversary tour will feature various skits and musical numbers from the company’s most memorable shows. Their performance in Columbus will include scenes written by Second City alumni Steve Carell, Alan Arkin and Stephen Colbert.

The Second City is a structured comedy organization based in Chicago that features its own main performing stage, as well as touring groups and training centers. The company also has training centers and theaters in Toronto, Ontario, and Los Angeles.

Those who wish to perform for the company must first go through a selective audition, of which only a handful of people are selected out of hundreds of other experienced candidates.

Those who are selected take part in an understudy program, where they perfect their craft with guidance from the established performers of the company. Eventually the performers work in the experimental training centers, the touring groups or the main stage.

“The Second City knows how to find good talent,” said Dana Quercioli, who has been performing with the company for eight years. “They teach you to trust yourself and to be smart. That becomes valuable in each scene.”

Quercioli, along with Ross Bryant, Derek Shipman, Natalie Sullivan and Edgar Blackmon, will be performing together for the show in Columbus.

A typical show from The Second City features two comedy sketches and a surprise third act. The comedy sketches feature predetermined guidelines and scenarios where much of the dialogue is improvised. The third act is chosen directly by the audience, as those in attendance present the performers with random situations to work through.

“The audience almost always suggests something filthy to work with, so it’s important to stay smart and not take the easy way out,” Quercioli said.

The subject matter of Second City shows is usually based on social and political satire, focusing on topics that are relevant to current issues.

Unlike other forms of comedy that focus on select individuals to carry a show, improv forces all of the team members to work together to make each scene effective. The unpredictable nature of improv comedy can be challenging to the performers, requiring them to think fast and display a quick wit on a wide range of subjects.

“You never know what will happen during a scene,” Quercioli said. “It’s dangerous because nothing is guaranteed to be a sure-fire hit, but it’s so much fun. There’s no rule book, so nothing is really ever wrong.”

The performance at the Southern Theatre will begin at 8 p.m. Tickets can be purchased through CAPA or Ticketmaster outlets.