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When I did UCB 201, 10 out of 16 members of the class were Software Developers. There is something uniquely appealing to such a face-to-face activity that can s

When I did UCB 201, 10 out of 16 members of the class were Software Developers. There is something uniquely appealing to such a face-to-face activity that can still benefit a tech worker professionally (by practicing public speaking and on-the-fly thinking) It is disappointing that improv and all live-theaters perpetually struggle to stay afloat (even without COVID). It should not be a challenging model; a class just requires a teacher, students, and a clear performance space. Unfortunately, that space is a scarce commodity in the largest cities and finding enough students is impossible in a smaller city.

murph-almighty 6y ago
Space is a _huge_ consumer of income, and Magnet has already lost its practice space that they basically couldn't use in KTown. If they lose their theater space it'd be pretty fucked. I think the economics are a little weird as well- improv coaches basically are hourly employees, and the sticker price for a class (400+ for 10 3h sessions and a ending show) can get a little daunting especially as you go further along. Aside: Apparently UCB has a bit of controversy surrounding its finances and paying staff, though I am not super familiar with it and can't speak to it further, but I'll point you here: https://www.vulture.com/2020/03/ucb-layoffs-coronavirus-beginning-of-the-end.html https://www.vulture.com/2020/03/ucb-layoffs-coronavirus-begi...
bikeshaving 6y ago
This post upsets me. I’m sorry, I can’t imagine anything more insipid than a UCB 201 class where the majority of students were software engineers. It’s yet another example of nouveau-rich tech workers obliviously ruining something with their money. Most NYC improv classes before the end of the pandemic crept up to around 450 dollars for a class which met once per week over the course of 8 weeks plus two shows. This is terrible value and flat out unaffordable for aspiring comedians who decided to move to NY. For them to be priced out by software engineers who see improv as some kind of corporate public speaking training is kind of devastating, not least of which because I considered the UCB (at least in the era of the Chelsea theatre) to be a sort of hallowed ground growing up, where I could go see some of the funniest people in the country for free at the 9PM Sunday ASSSSSCAT after waiting the entire afternoon in line. The pressures of financial mismanagement and the enormous amount of demand from well-paid professionals who wanted to give comedy a go ruined improv comedy in NY. The fact is many of your peers probably “passed” the 201 “graduation“ requirements, despite not having a single funny thought most days, because of the tantalizing incentive of getting these people to pay for more classes. A “school” where some of the greatest comedic minds were once gathered became a cult where people paid tithe, and the result is some of the worst live theatre the world has ever produced. I sincerely hope the UCB never comes back, and that if improv ever rises again, it does so in more sensible cities like Las Vegas, Atlanta or Miami. What happened in New York was senseless. Also, maybe software engineers should think a little bit about how their money shapes their local economies.
- taude 6y ago
  I don't think that the $450 classes designed for people outside of the comedy/improv world are taking away opportunities for those who moved to NY to enhance their career in comedy (performing in main stage of improv troupe, writing for television, etc.) I wouldn't really know though unless UCB is really only sourcing its main-stage talent from their classes, which I highly doubt. because if they were, that'd sound like a pay-to-play type of thing, which happens/happened a lot in places like L.A. for musicians trying to break in a long time ago, and that would be super lame, and likely not lead to their main stage being very funny. Besides, they probably have massive rent to pay , why not offer classes to the dilettantes/hobbiests who want to try and experience different things and work on their social skills and confidence? Also, I have to assume that they offer classes in rooms that aren't the main stage, and all that. They're just utilizing space and time for revenue.
  - bikeshaving 6y ago
    > I wouldn't really know though unless UCB is really only sourcing its main-stage talent from their classes, which I highly doubt. because if they were, that'd sound like a pay-to-play type of thing This is exactly what was happening. You have to understand, this is not a one-off $450 dollar class but a “curriculum” (101, 201, 301, 401). There were requirements after graduation from 201 and 401, where to pass 201 you pretty much had to prove that you didn’t shout racist profanities on stage, and after 401 you had to prove that you were able to carry a bit, and there was a weird tiered culture where improvisers would only associate with people who had attained specific levels. Once you went through these four classes, you had the opportunity to audition for improv house teams which performed every Tuesday night in a marathon 4ish hour block. I remember there being like 6-8 house teams with 8 members each, but even then competition was incredibly fierce. Sometimes, at the highest levels, comedians who were established elsewhere would be brought in, but talent was mostly internally sourced. I remember being somewhat shocked to learn that the house team members were not only unpaid but also had to pay monthly dues. It was an incredible opportunity to get on these house teams and there are a lot of wonderful comedians on the national stage who cut their teeth at UCB. I took classes on and off from like 2007-2017ish and remember them being around 200-ish dollars at the start, and I don’t regret any of it. Nothing will ever beat the experience of being in a groove with your fellow improvisers and bringing down a house. I’m also incredibly thankful that I got to meet all the instructors, who are all hilarious comedians in their own right. I apologize to the OPs; I don’t really know how funny they are or what their classes were like. I just had the sudden image of being a kid who moved to NY for comedy, trying to climb the UCB ladder and saving for classes, only to be in a room where most people literally made five times what you made, sitting and watching two “senior software engineers“ do two person scenes in tinnitus inducing silence, listening to them try to get rise from the room with references to things like Amazon EKS as they pantomimed scrubbing dishes next to each other, and then having to listen to as many minutes of notes on this scene from the instructor. Truly bleak.

murph-almighty 6y ago

Space is a _huge_ consumer of income, and Magnet has already lost its practice space that they basically couldn't use in KTown. If they lose their theater space it'd be pretty fucked. I think the economics are a little weird as well- improv coaches basically are hourly employees, and the sticker price for a class (400+ for 10 3h sessions and a ending show) can get a little daunting especially as you go further along. Aside: Apparently UCB has a bit of controversy surrounding its finances and paying staff, though I am not super familiar with it and can't speak to it further, but I'll point you here: https://www.vulture.com/2020/03/ucb-layoffs-coronavirus-beginning-of-the-end.html https://www.vulture.com/2020/03/ucb-layoffs-coronavirus-begi...

bikeshaving 6y ago

This post upsets me. I’m sorry, I can’t imagine anything more insipid than a UCB 201 class where the majority of students were software engineers. It’s yet another example of nouveau-rich tech workers obliviously ruining something with their money. Most NYC improv classes before the end of the pandemic crept up to around 450 dollars for a class which met once per week over the course of 8 weeks plus two shows. This is terrible value and flat out unaffordable for aspiring comedians who decided to move to NY. For them to be priced out by software engineers who see improv as some kind of corporate public speaking training is kind of devastating, not least of which because I considered the UCB (at least in the era of the Chelsea theatre) to be a sort of hallowed ground growing up, where I could go see some of the funniest people in the country for free at the 9PM Sunday ASSSSSCAT after waiting the entire afternoon in line. The pressures of financial mismanagement and the enormous amount of demand from well-paid professionals who wanted to give comedy a go ruined improv comedy in NY. The fact is many of your peers probably “passed” the 201 “graduation“ requirements, despite not having a single funny thought most days, because of the tantalizing incentive of getting these people to pay for more classes. A “school” where some of the greatest comedic minds were once gathered became a cult where people paid tithe, and the result is some of the worst live theatre the world has ever produced. I sincerely hope the UCB never comes back, and that if improv ever rises again, it does so in more sensible cities like Las Vegas, Atlanta or Miami. What happened in New York was senseless. Also, maybe software engineers should think a little bit about how their money shapes their local economies.

taude 6y ago
I don't think that the $450 classes designed for people outside of the comedy/improv world are taking away opportunities for those who moved to NY to enhance their career in comedy (performing in main stage of improv troupe, writing for television, etc.) I wouldn't really know though unless UCB is really only sourcing its main-stage talent from their classes, which I highly doubt. because if they were, that'd sound like a pay-to-play type of thing, which happens/happened a lot in places like L.A. for musicians trying to break in a long time ago, and that would be super lame, and likely not lead to their main stage being very funny. Besides, they probably have massive rent to pay , why not offer classes to the dilettantes/hobbiests who want to try and experience different things and work on their social skills and confidence? Also, I have to assume that they offer classes in rooms that aren't the main stage, and all that. They're just utilizing space and time for revenue.
- bikeshaving 6y ago
  > I wouldn't really know though unless UCB is really only sourcing its main-stage talent from their classes, which I highly doubt. because if they were, that'd sound like a pay-to-play type of thing This is exactly what was happening. You have to understand, this is not a one-off $450 dollar class but a “curriculum” (101, 201, 301, 401). There were requirements after graduation from 201 and 401, where to pass 201 you pretty much had to prove that you didn’t shout racist profanities on stage, and after 401 you had to prove that you were able to carry a bit, and there was a weird tiered culture where improvisers would only associate with people who had attained specific levels. Once you went through these four classes, you had the opportunity to audition for improv house teams which performed every Tuesday night in a marathon 4ish hour block. I remember there being like 6-8 house teams with 8 members each, but even then competition was incredibly fierce. Sometimes, at the highest levels, comedians who were established elsewhere would be brought in, but talent was mostly internally sourced. I remember being somewhat shocked to learn that the house team members were not only unpaid but also had to pay monthly dues. It was an incredible opportunity to get on these house teams and there are a lot of wonderful comedians on the national stage who cut their teeth at UCB. I took classes on and off from like 2007-2017ish and remember them being around 200-ish dollars at the start, and I don’t regret any of it. Nothing will ever beat the experience of being in a groove with your fellow improvisers and bringing down a house. I’m also incredibly thankful that I got to meet all the instructors, who are all hilarious comedians in their own right. I apologize to the OPs; I don’t really know how funny they are or what their classes were like. I just had the sudden image of being a kid who moved to NY for comedy, trying to climb the UCB ladder and saving for classes, only to be in a room where most people literally made five times what you made, sitting and watching two “senior software engineers“ do two person scenes in tinnitus inducing silence, listening to them try to get rise from the room with references to things like Amazon EKS as they pantomimed scrubbing dishes next to each other, and then having to listen to as many minutes of notes on this scene from the instructor. Truly bleak.