Bernard Sahlins

Bernard Sahlins – Life, Career, and Famous Quotes

Bernard “Bernie” Sahlins (1922–2013) was a pioneering American writer, director, comedian, and co-founder of The Second City comedy troupe. Explore his life, contributions to improv and sketch comedy, and memorable insights into theater, acting, and humor.

Introduction

Bernard Sahlins (August 20, 1922 – June 16, 2013) was an influential American writer, director, comedian, and theatrical impresario. He is best known as one of the founders of The Second City, the iconic improvisational comedy troupe that became a launching pad for many celebrated comedic talents. Through decades of work in theater, television, and education, Sahlins left a lasting legacy on American comedy, sketch theater, and improv pedagogy.

Early Life and Family

Bernard “Bernie” Sahlins was born in Chicago, Illinois, on August 20, 1922.

His brother was the noted anthropologist Marshall Sahlins. There is relatively little public documentation of his early family circumstances in standard biographical sources, but his upbringing in Chicago immersed him in a rich cultural environment that would shape his later commitment to theater and performance.

Sahlins attended the University of Chicago, graduating in 1943. His formal education, combined with his innate theatrical instincts, set the stage—literally and figuratively—for his future work.

Youth, Early Influences & Path into Theater

While specific details about Sahlins’s youth and early theatrical awakenings are not as widely documented as for some public figures, several factors shaped his trajectory:

• Chicago’s Theatrical Scene: Chicago has long been a vibrant center for theater, improvisation, and performance. Sahlins’s presence there gave him access to a milieu of actors, writers, and directors.

• Collaborations and Partnerships: Over time he teamed up with figures such as Paul Sills and Howard Alk—collaborators in founding The Second City.

• Early Producing Ventures: In 1953, Sahlins became a producer of the Playwrights Theatre Club in Chicago. Waiting for Godot in its city premiere.

These steps show how Sahlins moved from behind scenes toward creating a theatrical platform that combined experimental performance, ensemble collaboration, and public engagement.

Career and Achievements

Founding The Second City

In 1959, Bernard Sahlins, Howard Alk, and Paul Sills founded The Second City in Chicago. Saturday Night Live, television, film, and other media.

In addition to its Chicago roots, Sahlins also opened a Second City theater branch in Toronto, further extending its influence. SCTV, a Canadian sketch comedy television show that featured many Second City alumni and garnered acclaim in both Canada and the U.S.

Under his direction and oversight, The Second City became a proving ground for improvisation techniques, ensemble realism, and comedic writing rooted in character and situation rather than mere punchlines.

Theatre, Writing, and Direction

Beyond founding the institution, Sahlins remained actively involved in writing, adapting, directing, and producing theatrical works.

His bibliography includes works such as Days and Nights at the Second City: A Memoir and Handbook of Review Theatre, an account of his experiences and reflections on comedic theater. The Marriage of Figaro, The Bourgeois Gentleman, and works of The Mysteries.

Honors and Legacy

Over the years, Sahlins was honored with multiple awards and accolades:

• Joseph Jefferson Awards for directing/achievement in theater

• Sergel Prize for playwriting

• Chicago Drama League Professional Achievement Award

• Illinois Arts Alliance “Legend” award

• Honorary doctorate from Columbia College Chicago

He also co-founded other theatrical initiatives: the International Theatre Festival of Chicago and the Lithuanian International Theater Festival.

In 1985, Sahlins sold The Second City to Andrew Alexander and Len Stuart, but his influence continued in the company and its training programs.

Bernard Sahlins died on June 16, 2013, from pancreatic cancer at his home in Chicago at age 90.

Historical Context & Influence

Sahlins’s career spanned a pivotal era in American entertainment, where live theater, sketch revues, and improvisation gradually intertwined with television, radio, and popular media. The rise of institutions like Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show, and various sketch and improv troupes drew from the techniques and philosophies that Sahlins and his collaborators cultivated.

Second City’s influence on comedic culture cannot be overstated: many of its performers, writers, and alumni went on to shape late 20th-century comedy in TV, film, and beyond. Sahlins’s approach emphasized character, situation, truth, and ensemble coherence—contrasting with superficial joke delivery or vaudevillian style.

By bridging theater, television, and performance pedagogy, Sahlins helped lay the groundwork for modern comedic institutions, improvisation training centers, and the acceptance of improvisation as both art and discipline.

Legacy and Influence

Bernard Sahlins’s influence is felt in several domains:

• Comedy training and improv pedagogy: The curricula, techniques, and ethos of improvisation taught at Second City and other institutions often trace their DNA back to Sahlins’s frameworks.

• Institutional model: He helped create a sustainable theater model that combined performance, training, and community, which many successor troupes and schools emulate.

• Mentorship & talent development: Sahlins had an eye for spotting and nurturing comedic talent, giving many emerging artists opportunities to learn, perform, and grow.

• Theatrical adaptation & respect for classical works: His adaptations and translations showed that disruption and renewal need not discard tradition, but reframe it for contemporary performance.

• Written contributions to theater discourse: His memoir and writings provide valuable insight into theatrical thinking, improvisation philosophy, and the lived reality of running a performance institution.

Personality, Approach & Values

From his work and writings, certain traits and values emerge in Sahlins’s persona:

• Balance of discipline and spontaneity: Although improv seems spontaneous, Sahlins saw it as a disciplined tool and technique.

• Respect for the audience: He believed in not talking down to the audience. Authenticity mattered.

• Commitment to truth in humor: One of his famous maxims: “Actually being funny is mostly telling the truth about things.”

• Emphasis on story and character over jokes: He often stated that performance is continuous writing—every gesture, movement, silence can advance a story.

• Intellectual curiosity: His adaptations, writings, and theater choices reflect a love for merging classical texts, modern sensibilities, and a continual testing of form.

• Humility grounded in craft: Although he founded a major institution and received honors, his work reflects a focus on collaboration, service to the piece, and sustaining theatrical life rather than seeking personal stardom.

Famous Quotes of Bernard Sahlins

Here are some well-known quotes that reflect his philosophy and insight into acting, comedy, and theater:

“Improvisation is not a presentational form, except in small doses, or as a game. It’s a tool.”

“I think improvisation is a technique and a tool. I think that even the best of them fail most of the time, and in the end, the audience is not interested in how you got there but in what you’re saying. The more clearly and concisely and artistically you say it, the more effective it is.”

“My theory is that everything an actor does, from the way he looks at his watch to the way he moves across the stage, is in the service of advancing a story, and in that sense, it’s all writing. In that sense we, while acting, write.”

“I’m a bug on acting, which distinguishes Second City from a lot of other revues. It comes from the character, the behavior, and not from the jokes. I don’t think jokes are funny. Humor comes out of character and out of situations the character is in.”

“If you’re talking down to the audience, no matter how brutish it is, they know it and they hate you for it.”

“Actually being funny is mostly telling the truth about things.”

These lines carry the wisdom of someone who saw writing, acting, and humor as deeply relational acts—they depend on truth, respect, clarity, and shared experience.

Lessons from Bernard Sahlins

1. Improv is a discipline, not chaos. Spontaneity has structure; it’s a refined tool rather than abandon.

2. Every movement matters. Even small gestures or glances carry weight in storytelling.

3. Respect your audience. Never condescend; sincerity fosters connection.

4. Truth underlies humor. Comedy, at its best, reflects authentic perspectives rather than superficial gags.

5. Sustain institutions, not just moments. Sahlins built structures (Second City, festivals, training) that outlived him.

6. Innovate with reverence for tradition. His adaptations of classical work show the possibility of creative renewal without complete rupture.

7. Cultivate humility in leadership. Even as a founder, he focused on enabling others and fostering a durable culture of performance.

Conclusion

Bernard Sahlins stands as a towering figure in American theatrical comedy—less because of one legendary performance, and more because of his role as architect, mentor, innovator, and thinker. His founding of The Second City ushered in new paradigms of improvisation, sketch writing, and ensemble performance. His writing and reflections continue to inspire actors, directors, and humorists seeking a deeper, more honest craft.

If you’d like, I can help you find more of his writings (essays, memoirs) or dig deeper into his influence on particular comedy figures (e.g. SNL alumni, comedic theater). Do you want me to get those next?