A popular comedy show is returning to Orillia to raise funds for Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital (OSMH).
‘The Second City Had a Weird Dream About You, Orillia!’ will feature skits and improv in a show that uses Orillia-specific content and pokes fun at the city in a lighthearted way.
“Last year, there was a skit at the Mariposa Market, and they had a person pretending to be the mayor,” said event organizer Tim Hillson. “I don't help with the content at all … but I'm expecting to see something to do with that (Fred’s) tree episode, or things that happened to Orillia over the last year.”
This year, the show is set for 7 p.m. on Oct. 4 at the Orillia Opera House.
Barring a couple missed years during the pandemic, the Toronto-based comedy troupe, The Second City, has put on annual shows in Orillia for several years, with all proceeds donated to the hospital. Last year’s show raised close to $10,000, and Hillson hopes to see a similar figure this year.
Hillson, who works as an eye surgeon at OSMH, originally saw the show in Toronto where he got the idea to bring it to Orillia.
“I was like, this is really good and I think everybody would like this, and it’s a pretty easy way to get people out because it’s a brand everybody recognizes and it’s so fun,” he said.
While the government provides operating funds for hospitals, Hillson said getting new equipment is not as easy, with funds from Second City performances going to new items, like an ultrasound machine, in years past.
“In years past, we bought an ultrasound for the general surgeon so that they could do diagnoses in the emergency department a little more easily,” Hillson said. “It's usually something around that $10,000 mark, usually a gadget or a piece of equipment or something that just doesn't have a source of funding.”
The Second City has been performing for over 60 years out of Toronto and Chicago, producing comedy stars such as Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, Steve Carrell, and many others.
Tickets for the show are $40 before Sept. 13, and $45 after that date. They may be purchased in person at the Orillia Opera House box office or the opera house website.
