Things to do · Arts and crafts
Do five minutes of stand-up
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Stand-up is writing and performing in one, turning your own stories and opinions into jokes and then finding out, live, which ones land. A beginners' course gives you a group to try material on, and some end with a short set in front of a real audience.
Moderate£100 to £500 / $130 to $650A few weeksIndoorsWith othersUK and US
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What a beginners' course covers
Courses start with where ideas come from. City Lit's beginners' class covers developing material, comic personas and storytelling, and students write and perform different styles of stand-up, with some preparation at home between sessions. The Comedy Store's course covers punchlines, timing, microphone technique and working with an audience.
At The Comedy Store in London, the six-week course ends with each student performing five minutes to a public audience at the club, with tickets to give to friends or sell. The Second City's Stand-Up 1 class in Chicago also ends in a final performance, and includes regular writing assignments.
Ways in
| Provider | Format | Cost (as last listed) |
|---|---|---|
| City Lit, London | Stand-up comedy: beginners; ten Monday evening sessions, 18:15 to 20:45; runs listed for 2027 | £349 (senior £349, concession £244) |
| The Comedy Store, London | Beginners comedy course with Mike Gunn; six two-hour sessions and a five-minute set at a public showcase; 15 places | £340 on the booking listings (the course description says £300) |
| The Second City, Chicago | Stand-Up 1: weekly three-hour sessions, ending in a final performance | 440 (currency not shown on the page) |
| The Second City, online | Stand-Up 1 (Online): weekly three-hour sessions over six or seven weeks, ending in a final performance | 345 (currency not shown on the page) |
City Lit asks students to bring a notebook and pen, and suggests two optional books, Sally Holloway's The serious guide to joke writing and Adam Bloom's Finding your comic genius.
How to start
- Book a beginners' stand-up course, and check whether it ends with a showcase or final performance.
- Carry a notebook and write down anything that makes you or other people laugh; this is the raw material for your set.
- Shape your best material into a tight five minutes and rehearse it aloud, timing it, before the showcase.
Where to go
- City Lit: Stand-up comedy for beginners (London) UK
- The Comedy Store: Beginners comedy course (London) UK
- The Second City: Stand-Up 1 (Chicago) US
- The Second City: Stand-Up 1 (online)
We opened these links on 12 November 2026 and found them to be what we say. Dates, places and prices are on the official page, where they stay up to date.
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Questions people ask
Do I need experience to take a stand-up comedy class?
No. City Lit's beginners' course needs no prior experience, and The Second City's Stand-Up 1 is its first-level class.
How long is a first stand-up set?
Often about five minutes. Each student on The Comedy Store's beginners' course performs a five-minute set at the end-of-course showcase.
What do you learn on a stand-up comedy course?
Writing jokes and stories, finding a comic persona, timing and delivery. The Comedy Store's course also covers microphone technique and engaging an audience.
How much does a stand-up comedy course cost?
In London, City Lit lists £349 for ten evenings and The Comedy Store £340 for six sessions plus a showcase. The Second City lists 440, without a currency, for Stand-Up 1 in Chicago.
Where this comes from: City Lit, Stand-up comedy: beginners; The Comedy Store London, Beginners Comedy Course; The Second City, Stand-Up 1 (Chicago); The Second City, Stand-Up 1 (Online). Opened 12 November 2026.
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