The Playwrights Theatre Club was founded in Chicago in the early 1950s by a group of young theater pioneers including Paul Sills

Paul Sills

Paul Sills was a director and improvisation teacher, and the original director of Chicago's The Second City.-Biography:...

 and David Sheppard

David Sheppard

David Stuart Sheppard, Baron Sheppard of Liverpool was the high-profile Bishop of Liverpool in the Church of England who played cricket for Sussex and England in his youth...

. Other members and participants included Elaine May

Elaine May

Elaine May is an American film director, screenwriter and actress. She achieved her greatest fame in the 1950s from her improvisational comedy routines in partnership with Mike Nichols...

, Sheldon Patinkin

Sheldon Patinkin

Sheldon Patinkin is the chair of the Theater Department of Columbia College Chicago, Artistic Director of the Getz Theater of Columbia College, Artistic Consultant of The Second City and of Steppenwolf Theatre and Co-Director of the Steppenwolf Theatre Summer Ensemble Workshops...

, Rolf Forsberg

Rolf Forsberg

Rolf Forsberg is a Swedish-American playwright, film and theater director known for directing such films as The Late Great Planet Earth and Parable a film produced for the 1964 New York World's Fair. Parable portrayed humanity as a traveling circus and Jesus Christ as a circus clown...

, Mike Nichols

Mike Nichols

Mike Nichols is a German-born American television, stage and film director, writer, producer and comedian. He began his career in the 1950s as one half of the comedy duo Nichols and May, along with Elaine May. In 1968 he won the Academy Award for Best Director for the film The Graduate...

, Joyce Piven

Joyce Piven

Joyce Hiller Piven is a director, teacher and actress. She and her late husband, Byrne Piven, were actors in the Compass Players. Later they founded the Piven Theatre Workshop in Evanston, Illinois and became a teacher to a generation of stars such as John Cusack, Joan Cusack, Aidan Quinn, Adam...

, Josephine Forsberg

Josephine Forsberg

Josephine Forsberg , ex-wife of film director Rolf Forsberg was hired by Paul Sills and Viola Spolin to join the original Second City in 1959 as the female understudy and Spolin's teaching assistant...

, Barbara Harris

Barbara Harris

Barbara Harris may refer to:*Barbara Clementine Harris, first woman ordained a bishop in the Anglican Communion*Barbara Harris , American actress*Barbara Eve Harris, Canadian actress*Barbara Harris , lead singer of the R&B group The Toys...

 and many more. The theatre was noted for its original treatment of classic plays as well as original works.

The Playwrights Theatre Club led to the creation of The Compass Players and later The Second City

Second City

Second City or The Second City may refer to:* The second largest city in a country. See: List of largest cities and second largest cities by country...

.