An entry · Work · Life
Comedian
A microphone, a dark room, and one person betting they can make strangers laugh tonight.
From curious to committed
Your first steps.
A first visit can be enough. It can also be the beginning.
Meet the craft
Small room, close to the stage, where the craft actually lives.
Explore experiences →Give it another afternoon
Notice what you want to come back to. Ask the teacher what regular practice would look like, and what support you would need.
Keep a note for next time →See the working day
Five minutes at a time, night after night, is the whole apprenticeship.
Explore ways into the work →These are starting points. A workshop is not a professional qualification. Entry requirements and recognised training depend on the work and the country.
Before you walk in
A few things worth asking the host before you book.
- Is this session suitable for someone who has never tried it?
- What should I bring, wear or prepare?
- What is included, and are there any extra costs?
- Can you accommodate my access needs?
- What could I try next if I enjoy it?
Teach this craft? Share what beginners ask you →
Work it
Do the work.
Jobs, apprenticeships, and training that put a person in the room.
Places to begin
- Course
The Second City
Stand-up comedy training
Chicago, IL
The legendary comedy school where you write, workshop, and perform your own stand-up material.
- Route in
Peoples Improv Theater
Perform with us
New York, NY · Submissions open on a rolling basis
House team casting, hosting slots and festival submissions, which is how stage time in New York actually starts.
Ways in
- Route in
The open mic circuit
Five minutes at a time, night after night, is the whole apprenticeship.
- Course
Comedy classes and workshops
Structure, writing, and stage time, taught in most cities.
- Route in
Write every day
The material is the job; comedians are writers who perform.
Ways in, gathered by hand.
Add yours to the atlasLive it
Live the hour.
Experiences, classes, and places where the presence is the whole point.
Places to begin
- Class
Comic Strip Live
Stand-up comedy class
New York, NY
Eight weeks crafting your act at a famous NYC club, ending with a real stage set.
- Course
Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB)
Stand-Up Program
New York and Los Angeles
Structured stand-up courses covering material generation, joke writing, and performance, with weekday, weeknight, and weekend sections.
- Course
Manhattan Comedy School
Stand-up comedy, Level 1
New York, NY · New sessions start every few weeks
Small stand-up classes taught by working comedians, from a school whose students go on to perform in its shows.
Ways in
- Visit
A night at the comedy club
Small room, close to the stage, where the craft actually lives.
- Gathering
Open mic night
Watch people try it raw, or put your own name on the list.
Ways in, gathered by hand.
Add yours to the atlasWhy the human is the point
Nothing is riskier than trying to be funny to a room of strangers, live, with no edit and no undo. The comedian reads the crowd in real time, feels a bit dying and saves it, or rides a laugh they did not expect. It is the audience and the performer making the night together, once, unrepeatably. A feed serves you clips forever. It cannot give you the shared, slightly dangerous joy of a whole room laughing at the same second because a person out there earned it.
Kept nearby
