Becoming a great comedic actor or comedian is not easy- perhaps not much easier than becoming a great wizard or witch. I am a big Harry Potter fan, and after watching all of the films, and recently starting to read the books, I became intrigued with one of the themes. The whole idea of there being wizards who have magical powers who live among and sometimes interact with “muggles” (or “normies,” as I like to call them) who don’t have any powers is fascinating. While there may be no such thing as wizardry, (or is there?) I definitely could identify with real-life idea that there are people who are extremely talented (actors, musicians, painters, etc.) and can do many of the things that normal people cannot. We call them artists.
As I started to delve deeper and deeper into this idea, I saw that there were a ton of analogies that could be drawn from it. One in particular came to me because I had recently become a little bored with the theater, so I started to go see shows at some of the improv houses around town: The Groundlings, UCB, IO West, and Second City. They all have different ideas of how to approach comedy and improv, but they all have the shared goal of finding the humor of the scene. With some help of a friend who is a Harry Potter expert, it didn’t take me long to see there are a lot of parallels between these four schools and the four houses at Hogwarts. If you are familiar with the Harry Potter series, you know that those houses include Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff. All of these houses have the goal of making the best wizards, but they all do it in divergent ways.
Now, if you are familiar with the idea of the Sorting Hat at Hogwarts, you’ll know that there is a certain house that is more suited to who you are as a person, and where you can succeed the most. It’s the same with the improv schools; each one has its own individual strengths. When choosing one, it is ultimately a personal decision that requires self-reflection. There are people who may be terrible at The Groundlings, but excel at iO West- that’s just the way it works… but more on that later. I like to be thorough, so along with each school and its corresponding Hogwarts house, I’ve included each school’s philosophy, and info on all of the hotspots to hang out in each of the neighborhoods. But before we go straight into it, I’d like to share a quote from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, giving a description of each house.
Said Slytherin, "We'll teach just those
Whose ancestry is purest."
Said Ravenclaw, "We'll teach those whose
Intelligence is surest."
Said Gryffindor, "We'll teach all those
With brave deeds to their name,"
Said Hufflepuff, "I'll teach the lot,
And treat them just the same."
So without further adieu, let’s get started:
iOWest
6366 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
iOWest is the sister school of the original Improv Olympic, located in Chicago. It was founded in 1997. The original theater in Chicago was founded in the 80’s by some of the pioneers of improvisational comedy, Del Close and Charna Halpern. The school does not signify which of the two schools their notable alumni attended, but some of them include:
Vanessa Brayer (SNL)
Bill Hader (SNL)
Andy Richter (Conan)
Vince Vaughn (Swingers)
Danny Pudi (Community)
Jack McBrayer (30 Rock)
Tina Fey (SNL, 30 Rock)
Tim Meadows (SNL)
Before we go on, I want to re-iterate that this classification is dealing with the iOWest arm of the two, and it should be noted that most of the notable alumni attended the original school in Chicago. In any case, like some of the other schools, the base of the training at iOWest is the long-form Harold structure. Most of the shows that you go see will be in this format, though there are many other types of shows available. There are seven levels of classes at iOWest. The levels culminate with you and your classmates creating your own show, with your teacher as the director. Students I’ve spoken with have expressed that a lot of the emphasis at iOWest are on the relationships between characters onstage. Treating this with importance leads to the bulk of the humor being derived by the specificity and dynamics of each relationship.
Hogwarts Classification: Hufflepuff (values hard work, patience, justice, and loyalty)
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true
And unafraid of toil
There are more than a few reasons for this qualification, and whenever I asked various people on the improv scene to guess the house for iOWest, this was the most consistent answer. Probably the number one reason is because of the opportunity to perform onstage much earlier than at any other houses. You will often see cagematches at iOWest composed of teams that were comprised at other houses. This is great for performers, but perhaps not as great for audiences. It has been said that the best way to get better at improv is to get up there and do it, and iOWest allows performers to do that. Some of the shows may not be as polished as the company shows at the Groundlings, but they are very beneficial to the budding improvisational actor. Plus, the shows are really cheap, at five bucks each, which oftentimes will get you in for the rest of the shows that night. I even have one friend who completed the entire program, and now has a card that gets her free iOWest shows for life. I’d say that makes iOWest pretty darn loyal to its students, and if you’re willing to go through seven levels of classes, it’s quite clear that you are unafraid of toil. So, there are some definite pros to joining the iOWest community. One of the other fun facts that led to this classification was that at Hogwarts, Hufflepuff is located next to the kitchen; in comparison, iOWest is the only improv house with its own fully stocked bar, making it one of the best places to hang out for a fun, inexpensive night of improv.
Top Hufflepuff hangout: The iOWest Bar
Why leave? The school has its own built-in bar, where students, performers, and audience members hang out before and after the show. They usually have various cheap drink specials all night.
The Second City
6560 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
Just a stone’s throw away from iOWest on Hollywood Bl. is the Second City Theater and Training Center. Like iOWest, this theater also originated in Chicago. It has been around since 1959, and the training center was founded in the mid 1980’s. The Los Angeles location opened in 1989. Including another location in Toronto, the Second City is the largest school for improv in the country. Some notable alumni include:
Chris Farley (SNL) – Chicago
Mike Myers (Austin Powers) – Chicago
Tina Fey (30 Rock) – Chicago
Stephen Colbert (The Colbert Report) – Chicago
Steve Carell (The Office) – Chicago
Andy Dick (Newsradio) – Los Angeles
As with iOWest, more of the notable alumni have come out of the Chicago center. You also may note that some of the alumni attended both schools in Chicago - all three of the new cast members for the 2012-2013 season of SNL performed at both IO and the Second City in Chicago as well. This has also been known to happen in Los Angeles, as there are some who have practiced at Upright Citizens Brigade as well as the Groundlings, or completed at one school, and ended up on a Harold team at another. It can give you an advantage, as long as you are able to adapt to and maneuver between each school’s relative rules of improv.
The Second City has five levels of instruction, with the last one culminating in seven evening graduate shows. Also like iOWest, this means that you will have opportunity to get on stage for a live show with an audience earlier in your training than at UCB or Groundlings. The format of a Second City show is 2 acts of scripted sketch comedy, followed by a third act of improvisation. The emphasis is placed on using improv as a tool to make better sketches and test out material, unlike iOWest, for example, who focuses mostly on the Harold form.
Hogwarts Classification: Ravenclaw (values intelligence, creativity, learning, and wit)
If you've a steady mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind
The Second City offers a very balanced program, integrating improv and sketch as equal parts of the equation for creating scenes. Like UCB, they also offer sketch writing classes in addition to the traditional improv courses. One of the reasons that Second City is Ravenclaw is mostly because of its muted reputation in LA. It is well known as one of the top schools in the city, but its list of notable alumni pales in comparison to the resumes of the Groundlings and UCB- the two hottest schools in town. As was the case in the Harry Potter films, most of the stories dealt with the conflicts between students from Gryffindor and Slytherin, while Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were featured in the B stories. Second City is definitely in the top four schools in LA, but presently, it isn’t in the top two. Lastly, you may notice that in the movies, the Ravenclaw school colors are blue and grey. You may also notice that the Second City insignia is blue and grey as well. Coincidence? I think not.
Where the Ravenclaws chill: Boardner’s
Boardner’s is located down the street on Hollywood Bl., and is a popular place for performers and audience-goers to congregate before or after shows. They even have a late night happy hour on Tuesdays, 2 for one drinks. There is also a separate room called the B52 club in the back, which has a completely different party vibe.
The Groundlings
7307 Melrose Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90046
The Groundlings is another improv powerhouse. The troupe was formed in 1974, by Gary Austin. The theater's only location is in Los Angeles, where it moved into its current housing on Melrose Avenue in 1979. Its main philosophy in creating improvised scenes and sketches was introduced by Viola Spolin. While other schools concentrate on the Harold, and finding the game of the scene, Groundlings is known for its creation of characters. The long-running joke is that they are the kinds of people you would not like to be stuck in an elevator with. Additionally, students are encouraged to begin every scene with three basic ideas: spacework (similar to miming), eye contact, and emotion. The school itself actually came into existence in 1978, and today, has over 4200 students. Out of all the schools in Los Angeles, this one probably has the most extensive list of alumni, including the following:
Will Ferrell (SNL, Old School)
Phil Hartman (SNL, Newsradio)
Paul Reubens (Pee Wee Herman)
Lisa Kudrow (Friends)
Kristen Wiig (SNL, Bridesmaids)
Maya Rudolph (SNL, Bridesmaids)
Melissa McCarthy (SNL, Mike&Molly)
Jon Lovitz (SNL, The Critic)
Chris Parnell (SNL, Archer)
This is not even half of the illustrious list of people to come out of the Groundlings. As far as notable alumni from LA schools go, Groundlings has all the other schools beat. Their most notable recent alum to make SNL is Taran Killam. One of the reasons this occurs may be the way in which the school is constructed. There are four levels: Basic, Intermediate, Writing Lab, and Advanced. In either the Basic or Intermediate classes, you may be asked to repeat the level, if your instructor feels that you are not ready to move up to the next level. You can repeat the class up to the three times,the limit to which you can further continue in the program. It should be noted though, that many of the famous alumni had to retake levels, such as Will Ferrell and Jennifer Coolidge, so it’s not a huge deal. As of now, the school’s enrollment is so large that there is a waiting period between Intermediate and Writing Lab, and it can take anywhere between one and two full years before being allowed to advance. If you have the patience to make it this far, it starts to get really interesting. If you make past Writing Lab, and are allowed to continue the program, you can enroll in Advanced- if you make it past this cut, you will be asked to join the Sunday Company, where you will perform with other improv performers in a group in an SNL-type show, with performances every week. Usually, you are given six months to perform in Sunday Company, and if you’ve shown you have what it takes, you will make it into the Main Company, which is comprised of thirty members at any given time. Because all of the shows at the Groundlings are comprised of alumni, main company members, and Sunday company members, the shows are consistently good. They also usually cost a bit more than the other schools, averaging between $10-$20 bucks, but they are usually worth it. All of the performers have worked for a long time to get where they are, so the cream usually rises to the top here.
Hogwarts Classification: Slytherin (values ambition, cunning, leadership, and resourcefulness)
Or perhaps in Slytherin
You'll make your real friends,
Those cunning folk use any means
To achieve their ends.
The Slytherin motto, which the Sorting Hat reinforces in Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone, is that "Slytherin will help you on your way to greatness." Looking at the people that have come from this school, it would be hard to refute that point at the Groundlings as well. If you are one of those people who makes it to the alumni stage, there are plenty of opportunities to perform at shows in starring and guest star roles. For example, Michael McDonald (MadTv) comes back all the time. However, if you do not make the cut, the chances of performing on the Groundlings stage are pretty low. Out of all the schools, Groundlings is the most difficult to advance in. However, most recently, they have added classes called Power WOWs, and if you have already completed intermediate, you can take this course, with the fifth class culminating in a student performance on the Groundlings stage. This is very encouraging for students who may have not yet made it to the Sunday Company. You can say what you would like about the politics at the Groundlings, but this school and its alumni has consistently done well for themselves over a long period of time, so it seems like the system works.
Where the Slytherins dwell: The Darkroom & The Village Idiot
The Groundlings’ swanky location on Melrose is complemented by two very Slytherin-like hangouts, with the Darkroom right across the street, and the Village Idiot only a few blocks down. Both places have the dark atmosphere and green color schemes that would make any Slytherin feel at home (house colors are silver and green). The Darkroom is a great place for a drink before or after a show.
If you are feeling hungry and have the buck for it, Village Idiot has some of the most fancy and delicious food on Melrose. Their cocktails, while pricey, are also quite good, and their beer and wine selection is well above par for the course.
The Upright Citizens Brigade
5919 Franklin Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90038
The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre was originally founded in New York in 1999, while its Los Angeles location was formed in 2005. Most recently, UCB has added a second location in New York, in the East village; it debuted in 2011. The troupe originally came from Chicago, where its four founders, Matt Besser, Amy Poehler, Ian Roberts, and Matt Walsh originally trained with Del Close at the Improv Olympic. Because of Del Close’s influence, this school also emphasizes the Harold form. The theatre has improv teams built specifically for the Harold, and it also has teams built for sketch shows, for which they use the term Maude. UCB trains performers to play to the top of their intelligence, and to find “the game” of the scene. UCB seems to have the most even amount of notable performers to come from each coast. They include:
Scott Adsit (30Rock) – New York
Bobby Moynihan (SNL) – New York
Horatio Sanz (SNL) – New York
Donald Glover (Community) – New York
Aziz Ansari (Parks and Recreation) – Los Angeles
Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation) – Los Angeles
Patton Oswalt (The King of Queens) – Los Angeles
Ed Helms (The Daily Show, The Hangover) – Los Angeles
Rob Riggle (The Daily Show, 21 Jumpstreet) – Los Angeles
The list of successful performers coming out of UCB is extensive, and with Amy Poehler as one of its founders, this school is one of the hottest places to be right now. Their most recent hire to SNL in the 2011-2012 season was Kate McKinnon, from UCB-NY. As far the school goes, like the Groundlings, there are four levels of training, after which, you are allowed to take more advanced classes, and you can audition or be chosen for one of the House teams. The levels are easier to move through than at the Groundlings, (though the higher level classes do tend to fill up fast). Also unlike most of the other schools, every level of instruction has a student performance for the final class. You aren’t cut here, either, so it is a bit more democratic, in that you can stick around and take more classes while aspiring to get on a Harold or Maude team. As aforementioned, there is also a separate program dedicated to writing for sketch. As far as the shows go, they are nearly almost always sold out, as most ticket prices are between free and $10 bucks. There is a huge variety of shows every night, and being in LA, it attracts a good amount of special guest stars, along with their current UCB performers and alumni.
Hogwarts Classification : Gryfinndor (values courage, bravery, nerve and chivalry)
You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve and chivalry
Set Gryffindors apart
Being a little less cutthroat than the Groundlings, UCB is more like Gryfinndor, the most popular house. Although UCB is the youngest, it has recently created the most amount of momentum of all the schools, with currently successful performers coming out of the schools on both coasts. The shows are consistently good, with a only a few misses- you won’t see any bad shows here. One interesting show in particular, called Gravid Water, teams up an actor performing lines in a two person scene from literature (plays, screenplays) with an improviser who has no idea what material the actor is using, and must improvise all of his lines, while the actor must stick to the script, no matter what. It makes for a very fascinating form of comedy.
Where Gryffindors go for a good time: Birds
While the block has a few bars, the two most popular places are Birds for drinks, and LaPoubelle if you are hungry- it also has a bar, but is more known for its fine French cuisine.
If you look at the pictures seen here, you may also notice that both of the awnings for these two establishments are donning scarlet and gold, the Gryfinndor colors. There is also a very cool, hip coffee shop at the end of the block called the Bourgeois Pig. With a pool table, good coffee, and a very eclectic design, this place is often open til’ 2 am. Franklin Village is just the type of well-balanced atmosphere that would attract any Gryffindor.
So, with all that being said, which is the best house? The answer, like with the Sorting Hat, is always which house is the best for you. Some people are great at building characters, while others love to use their wit to find the game of the scene. There are plenty of people who have made it out of each of the respective schools, so it’s more important to choose the place where you feel the most comfortable and have the most fun. There’s no use of going to the Groundlings if you don’t like performing with emotion, but someone with great, dry humor might do well at Second City. It depends on who you are, and which community you truly belong in.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this introduction to LA improv, it was researched through a period of over half a year of going to shows, interviewing present and former students, taking classes at the schools, and obviously, reading Wikipedia. So I’ve done the homework, but if you have a valid, differing evaluation, I’d love to hear it- even though you’re wrong.
PW Jackson is a writer in Los Angeles. He can be contacted at pwjacksonthewriter.@gmail.com
