I’m looking for comedy courses
Learning to write stand up and sketch
You cannot learn COmedy, its your natural skill
just say “ur mum “after anything or everything …
I just wanted to learn some basic foundation first
maybe good communication skills i guess ?
Dumb-Simple: You can literally become funnier for $0. Not “kind of” free. Actually free. Like, courses that cost $500 elsewhere are just… sitting on the internet. Waiting for you.
Wait, You Can Actually Learn Comedy?
Yeah. That “comedy is a natural talent” thing? Complete bullshit.
It’s like saying you can’t learn to cook because Gordon Ramsay was “born with it.” No. He learned. Then practiced. Then yelled at people.
Comedy works the same way. There are actual formulas that funny people use. Not vibes. Not “just be yourself.” Actual step-by-step shit that makes jokes land.
And someone put all of it online. For free. Because the internet is occasionally not terrible.
The “Holy Shit This Is Free?” Section
This dude John Roy is a touring comedian who got tired of seeing people pay $500 for comedy classes. So he just… gave away the entire 12-week course. How to write jokes. How to build a set. How to not bomb. Everything.
Cambridge University — yes, the fancy British one — has a free comedy course. The same school that made Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie funny. You can audit it for $0 and write actual performable material.
Someone leaked UCB’s $400 sketch class notes — UCB trained like half the people on SNL. Now their secrets are just… on a blog. God bless whoever did this.
But What Even IS Comedy Writing?
Okay here’s the thing nobody tells you:
Jokes have a formula.
Not like “mad libs” formula. But there’s a structure. Setup creates an expectation. Punchline breaks it in a surprising way. That’s it. That’s 90% of comedy.
Example:
“I told my wife she was drawing her eyebrows too high. She looked surprised.”
See? Setup = wife drawing eyebrows. Expectation = she’ll be mad. Punchline = “surprised” (because high eyebrows = surprised face). Boom. Formula.
This free PDF breaks down 13 different joke structures. Written by a Tonight Show writer. Just sitting there. Download it.
YouTube Shit That Actually Helps
Most comedy YouTube is just clips of specials. Useless for learning.
But Jerry Corley (wrote for The Tonight Show) literally opens his screen and writes 15 jokes in 30 minutes while explaining every step. It’s like watching a chef cook while telling you exactly why they’re adding each ingredient.
Nerdwriter did this breakdown of a Louis CK joke that shows you exactly how he built it word by word.
This isn’t “watch funny thing, hope funny rubs off.” This is actual technique.
“But I’m Too Scared To Do Open Mics”
Cool. Do them from your couch.
Virtual open mics exist now. You can bomb in your bedroom. No one sees your face turn red. You just mute and pretend your wifi died.
- Joke Zoom — Free daily virtual writers’ room. Read your jokes. Get feedback. Cry privately.
- Greg Dean’s Open Mic — Free 5-minute spots online
When you’re ready for real humans, BadSlava.com lists every open mic near you. First site every working comedian recommends.
The Only Thing You Actually Need To Know
Here’s the secret successful comedians don’t gatekeep:
Record every set. Count the laughs.
Seriously. That’s it. The target is 18 seconds of laughter per minute of your performance. That’s headliner-level funny.
If you’re getting 5 seconds? Rewrite those jokes. Try again. Record again. Count again.
Comedy isn’t magic. It’s editing. The funniest people aren’t naturally gifted — they’re just willing to rewrite the same joke 47 times until it slaps.
Places To Get Roasted (Nicely)
Writing jokes alone is hard. You need people to tell you “this sucks” before you say it on stage and find out the hard way.
- ThinkingFunny Discord — Comics workshopping material together
- British Comedy Guide Forums — Surprisingly active, will absolutely tell you if your joke doesn’t work
- r/Comedywriting — 7k+ people writing sketches and stand-up
The Actual Path (Simplified)
- Watch Jerry Corley write jokes on YouTube. Notice the structure.
- Read the 13 structures PDF. Pick one. Write 10 jokes using it.
- Post in a Discord/forum. Get feedback. Rewrite.
- Do a virtual open mic. Bomb safely.
- Find a local open mic on BadSlava. Bomb publicly.
- Record yourself. Count laughs. Rewrite weak spots.
- Repeat until you hit 18 seconds of laughter per minute.
That’s it. That’s the whole process. Everything else is procrastination dressed up as preparation.
Free Money If You’re Not White/Male/Straight
Not even joking. Diversity scholarships exist specifically to get underrepresented people into comedy:
- UCB Diversity Scholarship — $250 toward classes
- Groundlings/SNL Award — Free classes + they literally send your tape to SNL
- Because They’re Funny — $10,000 for BIPOC comedians, free to enter
The industry knows it’s too white and too male. They’re actively throwing money at anyone who isn’t. Take advantage.
The Point
You don’t need “natural talent.”
You don’t need to be born funny.
You don’t need $500.
You need to write 10 jokes today, show them to strangers, get told most of them suck, figure out why, rewrite them, and do it again tomorrow.
That’s comedy. That’s the whole secret.
Now go make someone laugh, you beautiful disaster.
!