Here Are Some Comedy Class Acts

Whether you’re booking for a spot on the next season of “Saturday Night Live” or you are an accountant looking to liven up your next presentation, there is a place in L.A. for you to learn improvisational comedy. Although the entry-level classes around town are similar in structure and content, some schools have different styles and specialties.

L.A.’s Groundlings have been around since 1972, and the emphasis is on character work. By the second level of classes, students have created a stable of characters. Paul Reubens created Pee-wee Herman at the Groundlings, and Will Ferrell and Cheri Oteri honed the Spartan Cheerleaders.

The Groundlings have long been the big man on L.A.’s improv campus, training thousands over the last 15 years, including Lisa Kudrow, Chris Kattan and Phil Hartman. As a result, the program is so popular that the waiting list can stretch a year.

The Second City, the granddaddy of improv education, focuses on social and political satire. Based in Chicago since 1959, Second City has fostered such comic minds as John Belushi, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner and Mike Myers. It has training centers in several cities and recently marked its second anniversary in L.A.

ImprovOlympic is also a child of the Windy City, co-founded in 1981 by Charna Halpern and David Shepherd. Alumni include Andy Dick, Andy Richter and Chris Farley. The West Coast branch teaches a signature brand of long-form improvisation called “the Harold.” A Harold performance cuts between disparate stories and unrelated characters until they miraculously weave together.

The basics:

The Groundlings offer a single training program for the professional actor, which consists of four levels: basic, intermediate, writer’s lab and advanced. All students start in basic. In addition, a separate Introduction to Improv class teaches the basics of improvisation for the nonactor. Introduction to Improv meets once a week for six weeks. Basic and intermediate classes meet either once a week for 12 weeks or twice a week for six. The writer’s lab meets twice a week for six weeks, and the advanced class meets once a week for 12 weeks. Expect a wait of up to a year between the upper-level classes. All classes are three hours long. Tuition for Introduction to Improv is $200. The basic and intermediate classes are $395 each. The writer’s lab costs $475, and the advanced class is $600.

ImprovOlympic West offers a single training program that consists of six levels. In addition, ImprovOlympic offers writing workshops, one-person workshops and beginner and advanced digital shorts workshops. ImprovOlympic classes meet once a week for eight weeks. All levels are currently open. Classes are three hours long. Level 1 tuition is $315 and includes the book “Truth in Comedy: The Manual of Improvisation” by Charna Halpern. Tuition for all other levels is $300.

Second City offers two tracks of improvisational training--introductory and conservatory. Both programs consist of five sessions. In addition, Second City offers a writing program and a class designed to teach improv techniques to actors. Each Second City introductory and conservatory program class meets once a week for eight weeks. There is currently no wait between levels. All classes are three hours long. Tuition for the introductory program and Improv for Actors is $300 per term. Tuition for the conservatory program is $325 per term.

For more information:

* The Groundlings theater and school: 7307 Melrose Ave., L.A. (323) 934-4747 or www.groundlings.com.

* ImprovOlympic West theater and training center: 6366 Hollywood Blvd., L.A. (323) 962-7560 or www.iowest.com.

* The Second City Training Center and theater: 8156 Melrose Ave., L.A. (323) 658-8190 or www.secondcity.com.

A sampling of other schools in the Los Angeles area:

* bang. Studio (www.bangstudio.com)

* Acme Comedy Theatre (www.acmecomedy.com)

* L.A. Theatersports (www.theatresports.com)