Bright lights, Second City

UPS FOR REVUE Matt Hovde stands atop the world famous Second City, er, staircase.

Photo: Bob Knuth

Matt Hovde could use a good night’s sleep, but his excitement is contagious—and for good reason. The 32-year-old director is opening his first Second City Mainstage revue, Between Barack and a Hard Place. Since coming to Chicago in 1996, Hovde has kept his Second City directorial résumé growing with original shows at SC’s Denver and Detroit outposts, plus three years with an SC touring company. Now, with a show on the hallowed boards of a legendary stage, he couldn’t be happier. We caught up with Hovde before one of his final rehearsals.

Is this a dream job?
Absolutely. I remember I saw the Second City kids’ show when I was young. Then, when I was a freshman in college, my family came to Chicago and my dad took me to Second City. All through college I knew I’d come back to Chicago and study here. After that, I always hoped I would have the chance to work on a resident stage. So, absolutely. This is a dream.

Is it more difficult being a younger director than a resident guru with revues under his belt?
I don’t see it that way. I have worked with some of this cast, so there is a unity in our point of view and in our way of working. Part of being a director is that you have to feel like you know what you are doing…and I do feel like I know what I’m doing.

What is your role in the process of creating a revue?
I make sure that the material created in rehearsal says what we think is funny and smart and worthy of being onstage. That’s really it. A lot of times that means being a neutral ear and giving the cast a point of view. Other times it means helping them find what makes a character work or what makes a scene funny. Of course, the director puts together the scene order and chooses which scenes get in the show. That’s just based on guts, and seeing the theme, or keeping the show balanced and varied.

Who are your director influences?
Well, [Annoyance Theatre founder] Mick Napier for sure. My first day in Chicago, I ended up hanging out with him at a show. We were connected through a sort of bizarre six degrees of separation, and I ended up calling him later out of the blue. He took time and chatted with me about Second City and directing there. In the years since, I have figured out that, gosh, this is a guy who knows not just what he is doing, but that there is not just one way to do it. That it’s all about the product and the work and breaking the rules, and not being beholden to anything except your vision. That has stuck with me.

So is there a Hovde directing style?
I don’t really know how to answer that. I just do it the way I’d like to do it.

So there’s no “Zen of Hovde?”
If there is, it’s for somebody else to figure out. I don’t try to do a style. I just put all my focus on trying to get the best material. It’s better than the “Irritating Director,” or “Crazy Coked-Out Nutso Director.”

How is this revue different from those in recent years?
From my point of view, I think this cast has a little bit of hope for where our country might be headed. It’s reflected in the show, the title, and how we approach that concept. I know a lot of Second City shows have been pretty cynical about the state of our country and politics. I think we are all like, Hey, maybe it’s going to get a little better. Maybe we are going to turn a corner here. The uneasiness of feeling that optimism is what this show is about. We’re hopeful, but we’re not going to put all our eggs in that basket. We’re still afraid.

Will Obama like it?
I think so. We invited him—or we invited his people. I think it would be hilarious to have him come. Not every politician is going to like this show. I’ll say that.

Between Barack and a Hard Place rolls in Thursday 29 for an extended run. See listings.