Stand-Up, Storytelling & Public Speaking

Discover your unique comic voice in Second City’s Stand-Up and Storytelling courses. Stand-Up uses an improvisational approach to the creation and delivery of solo comic material. Craft your set, learn joke construction and discover how to navigate your first open mic. Storytelling courses help you bring structure and craft to your autobiographical stories, and are intended to be taken with multiple instructors in any order. Many Stand-Up and Storytelling courses end with a casual showcase of student work.

Please note that some of these classes will be delivered online.

Stand-Up

Stand-Up 1

In Stand Up 1 you will develop yourself as a solo comedic performer by writing and workshopping your own material. By understanding how earlier stand-up comics evolved, you will experiment outside your comfort zone and experiment until discovering your own unique style. Students will have regular writing assignments during the…

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Stand-Up 2

Build on the skills developed in Stand Up 1, honing your comedic voice through a variety of exercises and personal feedback. Class culminates in a final performance….

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Storytelling

Storytelling 101

Story is everything. Whether it’s inspiration for your next script to understanding yourself a bit better, learning what makes for a great story (and how to make it uniquely yours) is ultimately what allows us to connect, engage and understand what the heck this human experience actually is. No previous…

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Public Speaking

Public Speaking

Do you want to become a better public speaker? Do you feel nervous, unsure or even dread when you give presentations and speeches? This class will give you the tools and skills necessary to deliver effective and engaging speeches. You will learn and practice public speaking theory in a way…

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Stand Up Online

Stand-Up 101: Joke Writing (On-demand)

Develop yourself as a solo comedic performer by writing and workshopping your own material. By understanding how earlier stand-up comics evolved, students experiment outside their comfort zone and experiment in a variety of styles until discovering their own unique style. Students will be encouraged to perform in local open mics…

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Storytelling: Tell Better Stories (On-demand)

An online, go at your own pace Personal Storytelling course.

Understanding the basics of a good, compelling story is essential to life, essential to connection, essential to whether you want to write a memoir, give a Ted Talk or share a story piece for The Moth. Understand your story and you’ll…

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