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Fred Armisen, Nate Silver Coming To Second City’s Letters To Santa

By Sarah Cobarrubias in Arts & Entertainment on Dec 14, 2012 7:20PM

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Photo via Flickr user Kent Derek
It’s that time of year again, and Second City is throwing its annual Letters to Santa improv and music benefit. This year’s Letters to Santa, which will be its 11th run, goes down at 6 p.m. Dec. 18 through 6 p.m. Dec. 19. Yep, that’s a full 24 hours of comedians, musicians, and other performers entertaining you in the name of charity—proceeds will go to families in need from Chicago’s Onward Neighborhood House.

This year’s lineup is one for the books. SNL’s Fred Armisen, Jason Sudeikis, Olivia Wilde, and Tim Robinson are among the impressive list of guests, and Steve Albini will take to the stage to interview the most coveted statistician ever, Nate Silver. Musical acts include JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound featuring Fred Armisen and Bonnie Prince Billy. Check out the full schedule and the list of featured improvisers down below.

So what else will be happening? Auctions. Attendees can bid on 2 tickets to a live taping of SNL (you’ll be Aidy Bryant’s guest) as well as a private living room concert by Jeff Tweedy (you can invite 29 friends and select the 30-song set list). Fair warning: Auction items must be paid for by the end of the event, and last year’s Jeff Tweedy show went for $23,000.

All tickets to this event are sold at the door. But if you can’t make it out on a school night or you’re just plain old broke, you can stream the event for free at Gigity or this Letters to Santa site, where you can also make a donation.

The Second City That Never Sleeps: Letters to Santa is Tuesday, December 18 at 6 p.m. through Wednesday, December 19 at 6.p.m at The Second City e.t.c. Theater, 1608 N. Wells, $20, All Ages

Letters to Santa Schedule
6:00PM guest improviser Olivia Wildez
7:00PM Skyping from Dublin Glen Hansard
9:00PM Jeff Tweedy
10:00PM Jeff Tweedy Living Room Concert Auction
11:00PM guest improviser Fred Schneider
12:00AM Kim Deal
1:30AM guest comedian Fred Armisen
2:30AM JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound with Fred Armisen
4:30AM Mike Kosinski
5:00AM TBA
7:00AM Bonnie Prince Billy
10:00AM Steve Albini interviews Nate Silver
12:00PM Jenny Gillespie
2:00PM Robbie Fulks
4:30PM The Blisters

Featured Improvisers
Ryan Archibals
Emily Candini
Dina Facklis
Sue Gillan
Scott Goldstein
Beau Golwitzer
Shelly Gossman (Former SNL Writer)
Paul Grondy
Mike Kosinski
TJ Jagodowski
Brendan Jennings
Michael Patrick O'Brien (SNL Writer)
Sam Richardson
Tim Robinson
Rebecca Sohn
Rich Sohn
Fred Armisen
Sudeikis & Wilde featuring Jason Sudeikis & Olivia Wilde