LA Stand-Ups

Joe is an incredible and honest instructor! He allows his students to find their own funny and gives them the skills necessary to structure and shape themselves into the best communicators possible. If you’re just looking for a comedy class, that’s great!
But you should know you’re gonna get a mentor, as well.

Joe is AWESOME! Really knows his stuff and gives you a great opportunity with the graduation show at The Hollywood Improv.
He gives a lesson at the beginning of each class (with super helpful examples from famous comics) and then everyone gets a chance to work on their material each class. His feedback really changed my material for the better. Made it much tighter and relatable.
Couldn’t have had a halfway decent show without Joe!

I learned alot from you Joe! But look up Rudy Ray Moore! …You might get another Character like Dnellwatson in the Room. !! Watch «Richard Pryor Inspired Me.» on YouTube
Richard Pryor Inspired Me.:

Joe means well and comes from a great place. I was butting my head going to mics figuring it all out on my own. This class provided a method to the madness laying l the basic ground rules of joke telling and stage craft. If that’s what your looking for this class is for you. If your looking for some shortcut to being famous, this is not your class, that class doesn’t exist. Comedy is hard work.

Joe is a great teacher, a funny guy and a good person. His lessons showed me how to write material for performing quality comedy sets, and now I am getting paid every month to perform at some of the top standup clubs in the world!
The other night I was backstage with Whitney Cummings and she kept staring at me. I just kept thinking, ‘she is even hotter in person’ lol and «I’m so glad I got into this.»
Truly, I wouldn’t be where I am today without a great mentor like Joe.
These lessons have been worth every penny!

If you’re interested in being a stand up or want to learn to write and perform your own jokes as a speaker, this is the place to be. The 6 week class is great and ends in a real live performance. Joe, the teacher, really knows his stuff– both the performance and the business end. I highly recommend the class.

As a new comedian, Joe’s advice was really helpful and insightful. He really guides you to be a funnier comedian. He doesn’t however, write your material for you. You do have to show up to class, prepared and ready to work. However if you are prepared, he will lead you in the right direction, critically analyze your material to help you find the funniest jokes, and edit your jokes so they aren’t too wordy. My friend and I took the class, and by the showcase we were confident with our sets and able to perform our routines successfully. I recommend this class to any new comedian starting out. It was a great help and you will learn a lot about yourself and comedy.

I love comedy shows! I go see them at least a couple times per month! I always wondered if I could do it. I looked into it and after reading several of Joe’s reviews I thought I’d give it try.
Right off the bat I saw this was no fooling around type of class. Joe had so much information he wanted to share, it was deep and fun!
You do need to make time to work on your material, I was a horrible student, didn’t do my homework and missed a class, but those who took the tips he gave shined brighter each week. I think I just liked being around funny people. In class I found everyone is naturally funny.
With Joe’s guidance and information, I finally put some time into it and dedicated effort to the process. The results showed last night, in the final show, I felt excited, ready and kicked but! This was at the improve in front of all the people AND We ALL had a blast!
Overall I learned to face my fears of public speaking, experienced the other side of comedy and saw incredible growth in all of us in such a short time. It was an incredibly delicious way to start the week, I looked forward being in a class with everyone, we laughed a lot in class.
This was just something I wanted to do, but experiencing Joe’s class I can see how easy it is to be swayed to do it for real. He gives you all the guidance you need and the results show. I love it! I highly recommend this class, the instructor Joe and the atmosphere! It is a must do before you die!
AKA Ellie

I’m really not one to write a bad review because I feel like they often come from a vengeful place; my only motivation is to share a counterpoint to the other reviews on here as, to be frank, I would never let someone I know take this guys advice– let alone pay for it.
Joe has never done stand up. He says his is available to look over your notes but he never returned phone calls or emails regarding the pages of jokes I sent him. I found some of his ‘advice’ really antiquated– like he wanted everyone to do a seven minute set of one liners, and for the girls not to be too dirty– I don’t think he’s even seen a live ‘up-​and-​commers’ comedy show in the last ten years. Several people in my class dropped out. I later found out some quotes on his website are fabricated. I’m leaving out the parts where he was insulting, or pressed on jokes not to find the funny, but to single people out for their sexuality or to ridicule them.
Other comedians I know have taken classes with different teachers and loved it, if you’re interested in actually developing a set and getting feedback and advice, I would strongly encourage you to take a class besides this one.
I would give this class zero stars if that were permitted. The only benefit to taking the class is that you had a deadline to write every week… But that’s true of any stand up class. Stay away from this guy.

I recently completed Joe’s class, and I would recommend it to anyone. Many comics advised me not to take a class, as I am just starting out, but to just start attending open mikes – but I started going to open mikes around the 3^rd or 4^th class, and I’m so glad I had the instruction and practice from Joe’s class. So whether you are brand new or an old houndstooth at stand up, this class is a good idea. The first class I was sweating and completely sick with nervousness, and by our show at the end I can say confidently that I KILLED it.
I personally would not have been able to do that just diving into open mikes. He asked everyone really insightful questions to encourage everyone to heighten and explore. He gave us several handouts per class, and if you study these sheets, study the examples and techniques used by all the great comedians – there is no way you can’t improve tremendously, Joe broke everything down really well. I will always keep these sheets next to me when I write, always.
I’m curious about the folks that said he isn’t nurturing, uh… not really his job, comedy isn’t a nurturing environment. But he is absolutely SUPPORTIVE, totally understanding when I had to show up late because of work conflicts. He won’t let you get away with bailing on your material. He pushes you to do better, and created a vibe where everyone in class supported each other.

Unimpressed.
I would only recommend this workshop if it’s worth your money to say you stood onstage at the world-​famous LA Improv (although there are other classes that offer the same thing). The instructor is far from a nurturing personality, and my experience led me to believe he was more interested in making jokes at our expense while we stood in front of the class. I don’t need to pay someone several hundred dollars to insult me about my heritage or otherwise.
Here’s the big secret: Watch comedians on YouTube or Netflix, then write stuff every morning. If you can do that on your own, save your money, unless being onstage at the Improv is that important to you. Break a leg.

I just graduated from Level 1 Stand-​Up Comedy class and what an AMAZING experience! Joe seriously rocks!!! (I Unilocal businesses all the time, but hardly add a single review, unless I was utterly unhappy w/​my experience).
If you don’t know who Joe Falzarano is, he’s comedy guru with 26+ years of experience and he’s worked with and influenced tons of comedians! He did that while running the New York improv Carolines on Broadway, producing Caroline’s Comedy Hour on A&E, AND filming BBC’s documentary The Art of Stand-​Up! WOW!!! Talk about multi-​tasking! He taught me how to make people laugh during his classes and provided informational hand-​outs on: How to Think and Act Like a Standup Comedian, etc. In his Level 1 class which is basically an introduction to stand-​up comedy, he covers topics including writing jokes, finding your own point of view, connecting and relating to the audience, and overcoming stage fright (which was the MAIN reason for me taking the course!)
Throughout the 6: weekly 3-​hour sessions, Joe lead me further insight to the art of standup comedy and gave me a HUGE boost to my editing skills. Biggest personal achievement was him giving me the courage of getting onstage w/​grreat material AND to even make a fool of myself. His class subjects included: writing jokes, developing your own style, nailing the delivery and timing, and honing performance skills.
For our graduation, we got an opportunity to perform in front of an audience at the Hollywood Improv! How cool is that!!! I owe EVERYTHING to Joe and if you’re shy, not brave enough, ever thought about becoming a comedian, need help developing and editing better material or just simply want to try being on stage w/​confidence, I truly recommend taking his class. Thanks Joe! And God bless! ^^

I took Joe’s beginners level stand up class and now I have caught the comedic bug!
The six week course allows you to get great feedback on your jokes and your writing. Joe is really good at telling you how to Tweak and edit your material to make it funny. I will say you should definitely have some ideas in your head and have some idea of writing beforehand.
Performing weekly in front of him and your classmates really gets you prepared to hit the stage for your graduation. It’s exhilarating and challenging, I had a lot of fun.
If you’ve always wanted to give stand up a try I highly recommend this class as a great jump off point

I just completed LA Stand-​Ups 6 week course. It was a great experience! The 6 week course provides practical comedy fundamentals while we develop our own set. The course ends with the students performing at the improv in a real show.
It was great for me! My classmates were cool and Joe is an invested instructor. He provides you with all his information and we can always contact him with any questions. Plus I am inspired to continue working on stand up – that has immense value to me. Take the class if want to perform but need a kick in the tail!

I recently attended the 5 week course of LA Standups with Joe and I have to say this is a great thing to take whether you’re on the fence of doing standup or you’re trying to do something new to push yourself in the sense of public speaking.
Within the 5 weeks you start to break down comedy and learn week by week how to write jokes for yourself in preparation of the graduation which is at THE HOLLYWOOD IMPROV.
Every week, Joe challenges you to write and deliver better as you work your set out week by week with a forum of feedback from him and the class. It’s important to know that when he puts you on the spot, it’s not to make you feel bad but pushing you into the deep end to make sure he gets the best of you. Joe does a great job in getting back to you with questions about your jokes via email and does offer a service of individual help during or after class is over via skype or phone call which may be of help.
Just go in and do the work and you will take away a very enlightened experience.
Thank you, Joe!

I have just indulged myself in Joe’s delightfully fun Beginner Stand-​Up class. In just a month and a half, I have a better understanding of how to write, edit, and deliver jokes, and build confidence in performing them. I’ve pretty much realized that I’m one of the most threatening, hilarious, and talented comics out there. –Cyber wink–
Joe is friendly, down-​to-​earth, knowledgeable, funny, and encouraging. He even makes himself available outside of class to give notes or suggestions to his students. No matter your level, skills, or experience, Joe can take any unique individual, and make them into a solid comic (at least for their very first set at the world famous Hollywood Improv)!
He provides a safe environment for you to try out «your stuff», and gives ample feedback to set you up for success. Class was spent laughing 85% of the time, and thanks to Joe, all of my classmates are walking around today with six pack abs!
I’m happy to have found LA Stand-​Ups and would recommend it to anyone looking for something else to do with their «pie-​hole»!

It’s one thing to be a teacher; Joe is definitely a mentor! Joe absolutely cares about each & everyone of his students. He helped me find stuff I didn’t even know I had inside… pulling out my best, unique self. And what a fun guy!
Eden Y

Joe is the bomb. He assembled a pretty rag-​tag group of wannabes that made up our group and turned us all into some confident little comedians. I just did my one-​and-​out but several of us have continued on to perform and I wish them the best.
He is very knowledgeable of the system, the comedy machine, and how to begin to turn the cogs to make it run. He also provides an atmosphere that facilitates comedy and knows how to cull it from people. That is gold.
All in all, take the damn class. Have fun with it. Tell Joe me and my dog stains say HI.
Auf.

Joe is a nice enough guy, but before going into this class you should know 2 things:
1. Joe is not a stand-​up comedian himself, but a MANAGER of stand-​up comedians. He has never once performed stand-​up comedy himself.
Does he know the business, and how to get gigs? Yes.
But joke-​writing and how to personally craft a routine? Not so much.
So just as you might not want to take boxing lessons from someone who has never stepped in the ring, before you sign up for this class, consider if you want to take comedy lessons from someone who has never once performed.
2. Joe offers no refunds.
I went to the first class of the 6-​session, and after being unimpressed with Joe’s advice on crafting a stand-​up routine, I asked for my money back. Joe refused, saying that when I signed up I agreed to the «No refunds» policy on his site. This is true — it is stated on his site — so I didn’t fuss… but I can’t say I agree with this way of doing business. I know if I personally ran a class of any sort I would happily refund someone’s money if they weren’t happy with the course, especially if they asked for it back after the very first session. That is just me.
So if those things don’t bother you and you are looking for a place to practice and get feedback on a stand-​up routine you create yourself, I’m sure Joe’s class is a good place to do it. But don’t sign up if you’re looking for any sort of joke-​writing instruction or help, and know that once you send him the money, your $ 325 is gone forever, whether you end up enjoying the class or not.

I may be in week 3 of 6 of my class with Joe Falzarano, but already, he’s managed to flip everything I thought was accurate about comedy writing upside down and call me out on my errors.
This is an incredible experience. I encourage anyone with the slightest bit of curiosity or creativity to check this out.
Some people listed performing on stage as their worst fear… even worse than death! Don’t be a statistic.