The Groundlings: History, Training and Famous Alumni of LA’s Improv Theatre

For more than fifty years, The Groundlings in Los Angeles has been one of the most influential improv and sketch comedy theatres in the world. Its stage and school have produced a remarkable number of comedy stars, especially for Saturday Night Live, and its character-based approach has shaped American comedy.

Here is a look at its history, how its training works and what any actor can learn from the Groundlings approach.

How it started

The Groundlings grew out of an improvisation workshop led by actor and teacher Gary Austin in Los Angeles in the early 1970s. In 1974, the group formally became The Groundlings, a non-profit theatre company. The name comes from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, where “groundlings” refers to the ordinary audience members who stood in front of the stage.

Austin served as the company’s founding artistic director. The theatre settled on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, where it still performs and teaches today.

Character-driven comedy

What sets the Groundlings apart is its focus on character. Where some improv traditions emphasise long-form, group-built scenes, Groundlings training puts strong emphasis on creating detailed, specific characters and building sketches around them. Performers develop recurring characters that can be dropped into any situation, and many of those characters have gone on to television.

The most famous example is Paul Reubens’s Pee-wee Herman, developed at the Groundlings before becoming a stage show, films and the TV series Pee-wee’s Playhouse.

Notable alumni

The list of performers who trained or performed at the Groundlings is long. It includes:

• Founding-era members such as Laraine Newman, one of the original SNL cast members
• Phil Hartman and Jon Lovitz, who became SNL stars in the 1980s
• Lisa Kudrow, later of Friends
• Will Ferrell, Chris Kattan, Cheryl Hines and Jennifer Coolidge
• Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig, SNL stalwarts and film stars
• Melissa McCarthy, who went from the Groundlings to Gilmore Girls, Bridesmaids and beyond
• Conan O’Brien, who performed there before writing for SNL and hosting his own shows

Many writers, directors and producers also came through the company.

How Groundlings training works

The Groundlings School teaches improvisation and sketch writing through a series of progressive levels, typically starting with basic improv classes and moving through intermediate and advanced levels to a writing lab. Students who progress may be invited into the Sunday Company, a performing company that develops new material, and eventually the Main Company.

The path is highly selective and can take years. But even the early classes are popular with actors who want to sharpen their improv and character skills, not just aspiring comedians.

What actors can learn from the Groundlings approach

Specific characters

Groundlings performers build characters from detail: a voice, a walk, a point of view, a job, a strong want. The same specificity makes dramatic characters come alive too. See our guide to movement for actors for physical character work.

Commitment

Great comedy characters are played with total conviction. The character believes completely in their own logic, however absurd. Committing fully to choices is a lesson for every actor.

Listening and “yes, and”

Like all good improv, Groundlings work depends on accepting what your partner offers and building on it. This makes scripted scenes more alive too.

Writing your own material

Groundlings performers write their own sketches. Creating your own work is one of the most powerful ways to show what you can do. Read how Vin Diesel launched his career with his own short film.

Comedy is truth

The best comedy comes from truthful behaviour in ridiculous circumstances. That’s why so many Groundlings alumni have also succeeded in drama.

Other famous improv institutions

The Groundlings is part of a wider improv tradition that includes The Second City in Chicago, where Bill Murray started, as well as many other improv schools and theatres around the world. If you’re interested, look for improv classes in your city. They’re a great complement to acting classes.

Final thoughts

The Groundlings shows how a small theatre built on character, commitment and play can shape an entire industry. Whether or not you want to do comedy, taking an improv class can make you a braver, more specific and more responsive actor.