For students that have done improv, seen some sketch comedy and want to dive into the world of writing. Rich Talarico (Key & Peele, MADtv, SNL) leads this online writers' room class. Writers will learn comedy writing from the ground up, starting with Jokes, Blackouts, Runners, Desk Pieces, Comic Devices, Brainstorming, Pitching, Writers’ Room Etiquette, Character Pieces, Parodies, Slice of Life Scenes – the class will cover proper script formatting and much more. Writing comedy is easy when you have the right tools. This class will teach you how to think and write FUNNY.

The class meets online on Zoom for six weeks: Saturdays 2:00-5:00 pm, July 12 – Aug 16. The Zoom meeting information will be included in the email confirming your registration.

Class Policies:

Content and Conduct PG-13 

No Recording, Please

Open to All Levels

NO MAKE-UP CLASSES 

There are no make-up classes for this class, however if students miss a class, they can bring homework to the class they return to and RT will stay late to go over it with them. 

STUDENT GROUP EMAIL CHAIN

RT will be available for students' questions 24/7 during the week if they need clarification on the assignments. Students should reply-all to the group email chain.

— Adrian Barrera, Writing Student


About the Instructor:

Rich Talarico is a Peabody® Award-winning writer/producer with four Emmy® and four WGA Award nominations, best known for his work on Key & Peele. Rich was responsible for K&P fave Substitute Teacher, (“…Ay-ay-Ron?”) which in 2024 was added to The Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum Of American History. Rich wrote dozens of K&P faves: Racist Zombies, Karim and Jahar, Hatz, Teaching Center, Obama Greets, Black Ice, and co-wrote many more. 

Other credits include: MADtv, The Tonight Show w. Jay Leno, Saturday Night Live, and the critically-acclaimed, Review. An alum of Chicago’s Second City and Improv Olympic, Rich also provided punch-up work on Mean Girls and Get Out.  As an actor, Rich appeared on screen on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, MADtv, the feature film High Fidelity, and in A&W Root Beer’s classic TV ad, “Mr. Dumass.”

 — More info at richtalarico.com

We offer improv classes and occasional sketch and stand up offerings from top local and visiting instructors. Classes take place in hear.say theater or our new training center.