The comedy troupe that launched the careers of Steve Carrell, Tina Fey and Stephen Colbert will entertain UK students Friday.

“It’s almost like seeing a live version of ‘Saturday Night Live,’ live,” Student Activities Board Director of Public Relations Sabrina Hounshell said. The Student Activities Board is sponsoring the event.

The comedy group “The Second City” describes itself on its website as “the leading brand in improv-based sketch comedy.” The group has permanent theaters in Toronto and Chicago, three training centers and 11 touring ensembles. One of the touring ensembles will perform at Memorial Hall on Friday at 7 p.m.

Perhaps more familiar than the name “The Second City” are the names of some of the group’s alumni.

“A lot of them graduate to do S and L and other things,” Student Activities Board Director of Pop Culture Chelsea Melchor said. Jane Lynch from “Glee” and Amy Poehler of “Parks and Recreation” and “Saturday Night Live” are two well-known alumni.

Friday’s show will have two acts and an intermission, but because the show involves improvisation, organizers know little else about the performance.

“I’m not really sure what skits they’ll do,” Melchor said. “It’s kind of a surprise until that night.”

Acording to the Second City website, Friday’s performance is part of the “Fair and Unbalanced” performance tour. The website describes the performance as taking “unbridled comic pleasure in the foibles of our politicians, celebrities and even our significant others. No institution escapes the satiric eye of The Second City.”

Whatever the subject matter of the performance, event planners expect The Second City to be a hit.

“They came last year and had a great crowd,” Hounshell said. “Since it was a successful event last year, we decided to bring it back.”

SAB Vice President of Internal Affairs Katy Hall helped organize the event last year and also enjoyed the performance.

“There was a lot of audience participation,” Hall said. “It’s not too risqué. It’s still on the edge a little.”

Hall said students can bring their families to the event, since this weekend is family weekend at UK.

“We do it geared towards families coming in for the weekend,” Hall said. She said the performance is a “less intense” family outing than a sporting event.

“I know a lot of families are excited about coming,” Melchor said. “I’m bringing my parents.”

Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for the general public.