Stand-Up 101 (Wednesdays 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM)

The Coalition Theater's entry-level stand-up comedy course. Find your voice and learn to channel it onstage through stand-up comedy! Over the course of this class, students will work toward writing and performing an original 5-minute stand-up set. Students will begin learning basic concepts of joke writing (premise/set up/punchline). You will look to find premises in your everyday life, then work on honing your material and making it authentic and accessible to audiences. Later in the session, students will focus on creating, critiquing and workshopping their own material. The class will culminate in a class showcase performance of all-original student sets.

Dates: The class runs Wednesdays starting 5/27/2026 and running for 8 weeks. Note that a week may be skipped due to holidays or the Coalition's Second Best Fest comedy festival.

A showcase will be scheduled as an additional opportunity on an evening during the week of August 2nd (or potentially the week of July 27th, pending class availability and holiday scheduling).

Instructor: Esther Bilderback

Esther Bilderback is a Richmond-based comedian from Norfolk, VA. She has been doing standup for 2 years, and has previously TA'd this class. We're all really hoping her passion for comedy lends itself to teaching ability. You can catch her at open mics around Richmond!

Prerequisites: None. Email [email protected] with questions.

Cost: $250 (Early Bird: $220)

The Coalition Theater is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Once classes begin, all sales are final. We understand that unforeseen circumstances may arise that prevent you from attending or completing your registered class. While we do our best to accommodate such situations, refunds are awarded only as credit for a future class or shows and are subject to the discretion of The Coalition Theater management. Requests for refunds will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, and any decisions regarding refunds will be made at the discretion of the theater.

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