Courses in Comedy Writing Set at UCLA

The UCLA Extension Writers’ Program offers a wide variety of comedy writing courses, covering fiction, film writing, sitcoms, radio, comic strips, song lyrics and improvisation.

The 10-session “Writing Comedy for Film and TV,” taught by Dee Caruso, whose credits include “The Bill Cosby Show” and “Get Smart,” meets on Tuesdays, Jan. 7 through March 10, from 7-10 p.m., in Room 5216, Young Hall, UCLA.

The nine-session “All Seriousness Aside: A Guide to Writing Humor” will be held Wednesdays, Jan. 22 through March 18, from 7-10 p.m. The instructor is Colleen Todd, who has published numerous humor books, and the course will focus on techniques for writing mainstream comedy. Class location has yet to be announced.

“Comedy Tonight! Six Evenings with Renowned Humorists and Comedy Writers” will feature such guest speakers as screenwriters Harold Ramis and Mitch Markowitz, songwriters Stephen Bishop and Dale Gonyea, and comic strip creators Mell Lazarus and Brant Parker. This series meets Thursdays, Feb. 6 through March 12, from 7-10 p.m., in Room 147, Dodd Hall, UCLA.

The two-day “Comic Toolbox: How to Be Funny Even If You’re Not” explores the hidden logic of humor and the tools that writers can use to make their work more inventive and amusing. Conducting the seminar is TV writer John Vorhaus, whose credits include “Married . . . With Children” and “The Wonder Years.” “Comic Toolbox” meets March 7 and 8 from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the UCLA Extension Building, adjacent to the UCLA campus,

Four sitcom-writing classes to be held on the UCLA campus are: “Writing the Situation Comedy,” taught by Alicia Schudt, meeting on 12 Saturday mornings, Jan. 4 through March 21; “Writing the Situation Comedy: Limited Enrollment Workshop,” taught by Ric Weiss, meeting on 10 Thursday evenings, Jan. 9 through March 12; “Writing the Situation Comedy: Works-in-Progress,” taught by Robert Pekurny, meeting on 10 Saturday mornings, Jan. 11 through March 14, and “Advanced Sitcom Laboratory,” taught by Steven Pritzker, meeting on 10 Tuesday evenings, Jan. 14 through March 17.

For complete details call the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program at (310) 825-9415.