5 Weeks to Funny! Standup comedy for beginners

Our beginner class will take you from zero experience to killer five minute set in just 5 weeks.

Classes will take place every Wednesday at 18:00 from September 25th until October 23th with graduation show October 30!

The lessons will prepare you for presenting your funniest five minutes of comedy, and then you’ll be able to invite friends, family, and coworkers to see you and your classmates CRUSH your comedy debut!

You’ll learn important comedy skills like:

How to take the stage with confidence

How to introduce yourself to a crowd

How to practice engaging stage presence

How to craft a killer joke

How to tell an engaging story

How to deliver material like a professional

Sign up now for a 10% discount!

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR

Terence Hartnett is a ten year comedy veteran and cancer survivor from New York. He began his comedy career in Chicago, performing at the legendary Second City as well as Chicago’s Laugh Factory. After learning his comedy chops in Chicago and touring all over the United States, he moved to New York City and became a paid regular at the world-renowned Caroline’s on Broadway located in Times Square. Soon after moving he was named a New York Comedy Festival Comic to Watch.

In 2022, he was accepted in to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the largest performing arts festival in the world with his testicular cancer themed solo show “One Ball Show”. The show sold out its entire run two years in a row and was named a “Highly Recommended Show” by Fringe review.

In September of 2023, after touring the show around the US and Europe, he filmed his first special “Ballsy” in New York City at Comedians You Should Know. The special is set to be released this spring.

After moving to Vienna in 2023, Terence quickly became a staple of the scene and has performed as a headliner at The Comedy Pub.

ABOUT THE CLASS

Lesson 1: Introducing yourself to the audience

Who are you and why do we care?

We will learn how to take the stage as if you are the funniest person in the room, how to communicate your unique point of view to the audience, and how to tell a joke.

Plus all of the basics: How to hold the mic, project your voice, eliminate “ums” and “ahs”, and deliver a punchline.

Lesson 2: Your first joke

How do you find your funny?

Now that you’ve successfully taken the stage and gotten our attention, you need to find something to say. We will figure out how to find the funny in your everyday life or pull some silliness out of absolutely nowhere. We will explore your style of comedy and how you will get the audience on board with your jokes.

Lesson 3: Crafting a bit

Is this funny? Is this anything?

Time to try out some material. Let’s take your funniest ideas and figure out how they can become a killer bit. We’ll talk about set ups, punchlines, delivery, and tagging a joke to keep the laughs rolling. How can we communicate what we think is so funny? Students will individually discover their own comedic voice. Deadpan? Silly? Physical? Wordy? We will find the best way to communicate your comedic creation to maximize laughs.

Lesson 4: Punching it up

How do you take a joke from good to great?

We’ll make sure that you have your set perfectly structured and ready to perform. Are the jokes in the best order? How do you get into and out of comedic ideas? Basically, we will polish your set and make sure the crowd will love it.

Lesson 5: Final rehearsal

Ready for the real deal?

We’ll test out your first tight five! You will run your first five minute set in front of the class to make sure it is ready for the graduation show! Make final tweaks, find more laughs, and close strong.

Lesson 6: Graduation show

How’s everybody doing tonight?

We’ll test out your first five minutes in front of a real live crowd! Terence will host the show and create a warm environment so your jokes have the best chance to thrive. Invite family, friends and coworkers to see you K*ll your first standup set!

Host or Publisher Terence Hartnett