When native Canadian John Kapelos (Konstantin, DAYS) decided to become an actor, he began taking classes at the Toronto location of the famed Second City improv school. “Next to my family, Second City was the most formative experience in my life. I owe a lot to it,” he declares. “I started taking workshops in Toronto with John Candy, who was a big mentor in my early career. It was a great place for me to spend my twenties. I could have gotten lost; instead, I had to go work in the theater every night. And that was a blessing.” Kapelos’s late father was thrilled that his son wasn’t slinging drinks like most aspiring actors. “My father, God rest his soul, said to me, ‘If you’re going to become an actor, don’t become a bartender. Become an actor. Get a job where they pay you.’ And Second City paid me. At the age of 21, I got paid 25 bucks a show. That was like manna from heaven!” After performing with Toronto’s comedy troupe for eight years, Kapelos was encouraged by Candy to try his hand with the company at the Chicago location. “My mother was a Bostonian and never gave up American citizenship. The day I auditioned for Second City Chicago is the day I got my [American] passport in the mail,” he recalls. “They accepted me and I never looked back.”
By Stephanie Sloane
Michelle Parkerton
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