LA ACTING SCHOOLS

6 schools · verified listings

Improv and comedy schools in Los Angeles

Improv and comedy schools operate differently from acting studios: they run sequential ladders, they usually have their own stage, and progression can lead to performing rather than just to the next class. Every listing is researched from official sources and dated; see our methodology.

Magnolia Park, Burbank

CSz Los Angeles, Home of ComedySportz Los Angeles

LA's longest-running improv show and its school, founded 1988 by James Thomas Bailey: a 101-401 short-form curriculum with published prices, a $65 one-day intensive, and the largest US high school improv league.

Improv and sketchComedy techniqueYouth programs$The Groundlings SchoolMelrose

The Groundlings School

LA's defining improv and sketch school, run by the nonprofit Groundlings theatre company on Melrose since 1979, with an audition-gated core track that feeds the Main Company, published pricing, and teen programs.

Improv and sketchYouth programs$Impro TheatreLos Feliz

Impro Theatre

The school of Impro Theatre in Los Feliz, LA's home of narrative long-form improv: full-length unscripted plays in literary genres, a C.O.R.E. curriculum, published pricing, and a $40 drop-in playground.

Improv and sketchAudit / trial$L.A. Connection Comedy TheatreMagnolia Park, Burbank

L.A. Connection Comedy Theatre

Burbank improv institution founded 1977 by Kent Skov, training kids from age 5 through adults in an audition-into-repertory model, with $10 Saturday shows across all ages and a famous movie-dubbing legacy.

Improv and sketchComedy techniqueYouth programsAudit / trialPack TheaterLos Feliz

Pack Theater

Los Feliz improv and sketch theater grown from the Miles Stroth Workshop, with $330 eight-week classes taught by SNL and streaming-credit writers, shows six nights a week, and no-prerequisite house team auditions.

Improv and sketchComedy technique$Upright Citizens Brigade Training Center - Los AngelesFranklin Village, Hollywood

Upright Citizens Brigade Training Center - Los Angeles

The Upright Citizens Brigade's LA improv and sketch program, teaching game-of-the-scene long form across its Franklin Village theatre and Silver Lake training center, fully relaunched under new ownership and running dozens of 2026 sections.

Improv and sketch$

What this training is

The model is consistent across the major LA programs. You enter at a beginner level with no audition, work up through a curriculum, and at some point advancement becomes selective. Schools attached to a working theater offer performance opportunities, house teams, and in some cases a path into a company. Sketch writing typically runs as a parallel track to improv performance.

Who it suits

Complete beginners, screen actors who want faster instincts, writers, and people who want the most social entry into the LA performing scene. It is the lowest-intimidation starting point in the city.

What these listings show

Counted from the verified records on this page when the site was last built, on 2026-08-15.

  • Published pricing. 5 of 6 publish enough pricing to place them in a band: $ (5). The other 1 does not publish rates, so you have to ask.
  • Audit or trial. 2 of these 6 offer an audit or a trial class, which is the cheapest way to judge a teacher before committing.
  • Audition required. 1 requires an audition or placement before you can enroll, so plan for a step before the first class.
  • Levels. 6 accept complete beginners and 6 run advanced work.
  • Online options. 5 of 6 offer an online format as well as in person.
  • Private coaching. 1 also offers one-to-one coaching alongside classes.
  • Young actors. 3 of these serve kids or teens as well as adults.
  • Where they are. Concentrated in Burbank and Glendale (2), Hollywood and Mid-City (2), Eastside and Downtown (2), across 3 areas of Los Angeles in total.
  • Techniques taught. Most commonly Improv and sketch (6), Comedy technique (3).
  • How established. 6 publish a founding year, the earliest 1974 and the most recent 2015.

How to compare them

Find out where open enrollment ends and selection begins, because that is where the commitment changes. Ask whether the school has its own stage and what students actually get to perform. Ask about section sizes. The well-known programs fill fast, so registration timing is a practical factor rather than an afterthought.

Related

ImprovImprov and sketchComedyTypes of acting classes, explained
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