Comedians

High School

There are no set educational standards for comedians. The overriding requirement is to be funny. Comedians should also have a love of performing and a strong desire to make people laugh. A comedian should obviously have good communication skills and be able to write material in a succinct and humorous manner. It is also necessary to have a strong stage presence. Often, budding comedians will take English and composition classes, as well as speech and acting courses, to help develop skills in these areas. Accounting and bookkeeping skills are also helpful, as comedians often prepare their own financial records. Marketing classes will come in handy because you'll need to be able to promote your talents on the Internet, including on social media sites.

Postsecondary Training

A small, but growing, number of colleges and universities offer comedy-related courses and degrees. One interesting opportunity is the Comedy Studies Program that was developed by The Second City Training Center in Chicago, with college credit provided by Columbia College Chicago. The program is open to those with undergraduate junior-level status of 60 credit hours or more, as well as recent college graduates. The curriculum "includes developing physical, vocal and improvisational performance skills needed for comedy; writing comedy in various forms and genres; discovering the historical bases for contemporary comedy; examining social and political contexts for satire; and supporting the individual comedic voice within an ensemble." Visit https://comedystudies.com for more information. Columbia College Chicago also offers a comedy writing and performance bachelor's degree. Emerson College in Boston offers an undergraduate comedic arts degree (https://emerson.edu/programs/comedic-arts-bfa).

In general, higher education may give a comedian a stronger understanding of society and current events, useful when writing their material. Becoming a comedian takes a lot of hard work and, as with other performance skills, practice, practice, practice. Many communities have improvisational groups that provide a training ground for aspiring actors and comedians. Some comedy clubs also offer classes.

Other Education or Training

Many aspiring and current comedians develop their skills by participating in comedy and acting workshops in their area. Colleges and universities and online learning platforms also offer acting and comedy classes.