ACME Comedy Hollywood

HORRIBLE PLACE FOR RENTERS. COMMUNICATION IS POOR AND THEY WILL NOT PAY TICKET SALES.
Lack of communication. It is very difficult/​impossible to get a hold of anyone. We have online ticket sales that have not been paid out and my show run was during the beginning of October! It has now been 5 months and counting and they have not responded to numerous emails. There isn’t a phone number to call and they will rip you off. Please be careful when dealing with them. All I was looking for were the ticket sales from my show. Not fair and bad business.

Never experienced a business like this before. No one answers the phone. Ever. NEVER EVER.
Everyone I spoke to has had the same issue, saying «no one answers, just email them».
Do they email you back? Maybe. Days, weeks, months later if you’re lucky. I guess they don’t need your business. The frustration feels worth it because it’s the perfect theater set up: perfect number of seats, great AV, right next door to a bar that lets patrons bring in drinks to the theater. So you bite. The deal is that they’ll set up a door person to take tickets and count money and will cut you a check after they take a percentage.
Guess what happens when it’s time for them to give you back your profit from ticket sales? Remember, no one answers the phone. Email is a toss up. No one is ever at the NoHo location office and there’s no office at the Hollywood location. So now we wait for months to get back THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS.
Work with this place at your own risk.

This is a great spot whether you are here to watch a show, great stage and seating, or like me you are a television producer looking to shoot a show with a studio audience. I have produced two TV shows here, one was a talk show and the other a Kids Game Show Pilot. It was great for both; price effective and equipped with all you need. There are cameras at the location but I recomend that you use your own, they may have changed things since I last used the facility but they had SD cameras then, so ask when planning.

I went here last night for the TMI Hollywood comedy show that’s usually at Second City on Sunset Blvd, but because it was a special show and a bigger audience a larger capacity theatre was needed. Great location in West LA on La Brea adjacent to many nice restaurants and stores. As a matter of fact, Amalfi Italian restaurant is connected to the theatre and I was able to get a cocktail before the show started and bring it in. The theatre is nice, clean, and spacious with ample seating. My only complaint is the parking. You either have to try your luck and find a open space on La Brea or in the adjacent neighborhood or valet for $ 5 bucks and have your car parked less than 6 feet from the valet stand. Unfortunately, there are no self-​parking lots or garages in that part of LA… go figure!

(NOT a review for patrons; the space is adorable)
Warning to renters!
I’ve been renting theatre spaces in LA and in San Francisco for five years. I met with DAN, who offered me this space when my in-​progress rental (with JET Studios in NoHo) wouldn’t work out due to the space’s sale to ACME.
Dan texted me to set up a meeting. He and I walked the space, discussing where our walls and doors would go, what the show is, how we just ended a successful run in San Francisco… His last words were that he’d follow up tomorrow and send me what we talked about.
On the third day of hearing nothing back, I reached out on our text string seeing if there was anything else he needed from me to move forward. Nothing. Two silent days and ignored texts later, I (as a Hail Mary) email the generic rental email I first contacted ACME through, where I am eventually given different availability information and am actually berated for daring to text Dan, which was «unprofessional» of me. (Never mind that text was how Dan ASKED me to get in touch with him before he offered follow up and disappeared.)
The «rentals@» communication string* continued to inform me of theatre-​unfriendly policies: it got to the point where one support beam into one wall was all our set would be allowed for stability. Completely unsafe with theatrical flats (industry standard/​obvious information they seemed unaware of).
*[Zendesk (generic email answering software) handles ALL of this company’s communication (they won’t say who is answering what email, either… employees aren’t even aloud to introduce themselves)! There is no other way to reach anyone at ACME, and even then some questions asked to «rentals@» will just be ignored completely)]
The email answering service finally admitted that the space has not actually been used by a full production (they have roll-​on couches and squares like traditional black boxes, as well as two doors built in with roll-​on 8×8 gray walls with flat screens embedded that Dan offered until I explained our period-​accurate set, furniture, and costumes) before suggesting a different ACME space that I’d already shared wasn’t a possibility for us.
The space is fun and funky, and renting might be worth the headache if you’re a one man show or sketch group, but theatre companies and anyone laying down real money should stay AWAY. Dan is a shady guy who tells one story before disappearing behind Zendesk corporate form emails with contradictory stories. And no one seems to have worked with productions of full, scripted theatre before (case: I expressed worry that moving from four tech evenings to only TWO 9 hour time slots wouldn’t be sufficient to load in, build, tech, and get to dress rehearsal. Their response: «Production can be complicated, and some people handle the challenges better than others.»)
EDIT: Dan reached out hours after I posted this review (what timing!) trying to make me feel poorly.
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TL;DR: ACME manager «Dan» promised and assured one thing, then disappeared. Zendesk answering service (only option to communicate with ACME) condescended while giving different info than Dan. DON’T TRUST

Came here for the first time 2 days ago and had a great time. I was urged by a coworker to attend a production that involved people they knew. It wasn’t like the other plays I’ve attended in the past where the auditorium was so huge the actors in stage looked diminutive. Here, the setting is more intimate so you’re more engaged and immersed in the play on stage. This place seats about 100 to maybe 200 at most and the atmosphere is welcoming and I didn’t feel all stressed out about super formal attire cuz the ambiance was pretty chill and everyone was just semi-​casual that I was able to relax and enjoy the show.
And speaking of the stage play, I saw Love Soul Deep by Patricia Cuffe-​Jones and it was awesome!!! This place is bare, no bells and whistles, so it depends on the actors’ aptitude and capacity to bring the story to life, so thank gawd they had really good ones, haha! I think today is their last day at ACME but I heard they’ll still be playing for a few more weeks at other places, so check them out! I enjoyed the play so much, now I’m gonna be watchin’ out for other shows that play here.
The only downside for me (maybe not others) was, that you can bring in drinks, but not snacks. And I get that the snacks might get distracting during the plays and might make it harder to keep trash off the theater, but the play was like 3 hours long with just two 10 min breaks in between that I got really hungry in the middle. Maybe they can install a vending machine nearby cuz it sucks that the bar next door takes forever to make anything, and the closest snack place is at the gas stations way on the corner of the street. So either bring in snacks to eat for later or eat dinner right before going here.

One of the finest theatres in LA– with one amazing kind owner, and his manager at his North Hollywood is grand too. Great spaces, kept clean and professional. They take pride in this place and it shows. I would never go anywhere else. To perform, to watch, or to take classes. They deserve the 5 stars.

I have performed in this space twice. It is an exceptional space. The staff, particularly at the north Hollywood location are wonderfully helpful. They are a caring group, the managers of these stages. The shows are wonderful and the bar /​restaurant next door is incredibly accommodating.
My only criticism is, as many locations have this problem in Los Angeles, is the parking. I personally despise valet parking but the Hollywood location offers it as a choice due to the strict and limited parking rules in the nearby neighborhood. Overall, worth going to experience!

Was here for the Yacov Smirnoff.
Nice 99 seat theater, nice adjacent bar.
Limited street parking, but valet to help offset the parking situation.
I look forward to seeing other shows at ACME

I sure did return on September 1^st to watch the ‘Angry Ken Doll’ rip a well-​deserved new one for Los Angeles. Once again, Hailey Boyle opened and had the crowd cracking up. Look for the chick in the tie-​dye…
2 hours was not enough, but loved every minute of it.
Even though he refers to ACME as an ‘f****** dollhouse’, I enjoy the fact the theater is there for its purpose: to showcase the talent, not overwhelm it. So therefore, this KenDoll was in his element…

This is a really nice small place to go see really good comedy shows. The staff is really friendly and fun to talk to. The venue is very cozy and the seats are very comfortable. The stage is small so all seats are great seats and you will always enjoy the show from wherever you are.
The valet parking is pretty cheap — $ 6.00 so be ready to pay up as there is almost no street parking on Friday nights.

Just saw Colin Kane… The show RAWKED!!! Funny as hell!
Amalfie restaurant next door is insane! I had the pumpkin-​filled ravioli with braised short rib in a mascarpone sage sauce, and it was one of the BEST meals EVER!!!

Strictly a review for the improv class.
I took said class from some guy named Joseph (I kid, I kid, he’s cool) because a) they’re a helluva lot cheaper than Groundlings, b) Groundlings is a little too name-​droppy-​who-​you-​know for me, and c) Joel McHale is an alumnus. Yes, star of the most incredible sitcom on television right now, along with the most awesome talk-​ish news-​ish show, Joel McHale.
Turns out I made an excellent decision by choosing ACME to fulfill my lack of improv skillz. The class was small and intimate, and totes fun. A very comfortable learning environment as well, for those of us who live in fear of looking like, I don’t know, a complete idiot or something (and you will). At the end of the 8 weeks we were given personal counsel should we want to pursue improv further. I didn’t, but it was helpful nonetheless to see where my strengths were.
Price may seem steep, but for the quality of instruction you get, I would wholly recommend it. These people know what they’re doing, and they love to do it. Will be back to review again once I actually get my arse out to see a live show.

We performed here for two weekends and it is a fantastic theatre! The staff was super helpful and friendly. Plus a good backstage area and great sound!
I would love to perform here again!

The actual facility was gorgeous, cosy and clean. The seats were comfortable and the theater was clean. The sound system wasn’t too loud, as some others have been in the past. I loved that we weren’t forced to purchase any drinks, but were able to if we so chose to from the restaurant next door. This laid back policy adds to the appeal and vibe of this place. ACME’s facilites are some of the best I’ve been to for a theater this size.
Unfortunately the ACME TNT troop we saw on Saturday night left us more in fits of rage than fits of laughter. I usually enjoy and at the very least can tolerate off-​color comedy– but there is nothing funny about rape, ever. (We did only pay $ 11 for the show, so I guess you get what you pay for?)
I’d love to go back to ACME for one of their more well known acts for a good comedy experience at this lovely theater.

The theatre at ACME is really intimate. The isn’t a bad seat in the house and the place seems to be maintained very well. It’s really nice that there isn’t a drink minimum and that there is an attached bar/​restaurant, Almalfi. It sounds like ACME has some great comedians/​performers that pass through their stage!
Having said that, we really struck out with the show we saw Saturday night, «TNT». I commend the Comedians because I could never stand up there and perform for strangers every saturday night, but it was just not funny at all. I would come back to Acme for stand-​up or improv, but not for the comedy show.

I like this place. Like what a lot of the other reviewers said, it’s intimate yet comfortable. I feel kinda bad stealing their words, but they described it best.
I’ve only been here once but I liked it. The crowd wasn’t obnoxious, the act was funny and it was just a generally enjoyable experience.
It’s convenient to buy the tickets online and print them out. My friend had the e-​tickets and it was nice not to wait in line and to just go in and have kind of first picks at the seats.
Generally I had a nice experience here and I’m probably gonna come back sometime.

The classiest and most high-​tech 99-​seat theater you’re ever gonna see. The quality of the shows vary, especially with «guest shows» mixing in with the house productions. They do some neat experimental improv stuff, with musicals, soap operas, matchmaking shows, etc. And whenever they have live music in the shows, it’s tight.
The space is gorgeous, like a little TV studio and with built-​in HDTVs into the set. Clean bathrooms and a nice lobby.
Prices vary, but don’t think I’ve seen anything at Acme more than $ 12.
Only complaint is the management, which at times seems overbearing (interrupting shows, hectoring guests) and other times absent (theater doors locked on show night, box office not open or overwhelmed). Nothing awful, just annoying.
Still, enough talent and good vibes to be worth checking out.

I have been a fan and performer at ACME Comedy for over 10 years. I first started at ACME as a fan when I saw some of their improv and sketch shows. I loved it so much I decided to take classes there.
First of all I’ve studied at all the comedy schools in town, Groundlings, IO, Second City, UCB, etc. ACME was an amazing experience and I was lucky enough to have some of the best instructors in town who were my teachers at ACME.
Eventually I became a company member and have done hundreds, if not more, shows at the theater and am very proud to still be doing shows there regularly.
There are many theaters to choose from in town, some very funny, some not so much, but I can say with 100% honesty that ACME delivers quality material and has a great cast of actors in a beautiful hi-​tech theater. Like I said, the school is great too. Come and see a show and judge for yourself.
Also there is a great restaurant and bar right next door, Amalfi.

My bro does improv here quite regularly. The ACME theater is right smack in the middle of the Hollywood area. It’s relatively small, but I think conducive to the art of improv.
It seems that improv has become a tool for people from all walks of life to work on their fear of speaking, get over shyness, think on their feet and of course just to learn the skill of improv. Because of that, you do get a mix of really good players and some pretty bad ones. That being said, I don’t think that’s such a bad thing. That kind of mix can give the good ones some great subject matter to react to.
As others have mentioned, there’s a restaurant that’s attached to the theater. You can head over for a pre/​post beverage, or have dinner. If you’re expecting «Who’s Line is it Anyway» you might be disappointed. If you’re looking for a unique, fun evening and some laughs, check it out. Keep in mind, what you get always depends on who’s playing that night.