Los Angeles is an amazing city for comedy, and with that comes a huge scene of people trying to make it as comedians. Thousands of dreamers flood into improv classes every year hoping to one day make it big. In reality, only a small fraction of these people will go on to have a successful career in comedy, but the characters who flow in and out of improv programs in LA can be hilariously predictable.
With that in mind, here are seven people you'll definitely meet in an LA improv class.
1. The person who tries too hard to be funny
Succeeding at improv is all about getting in the grey zone—reacting to what people are giving you without any mental preparation or plan in place. But there is always that person who concocts some sort of elaborate story or character and ignores your teacher's endless pleas to not overthink it. This clown will turn what should be a simple scene of a mother and son arguing at a store into a Scientologist Tony Stark zombie or something like that. Their heart is in the right place, and they might be pretty funny and nice, but their desire to be the center of attention of every scene throws everyone off their game. (Disclosure: I was/am this person.)
2. The one who's somewhat established as a comedian/comedy personality
Many people who start off in improv classes are new to major comedy cities like New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, and have received very little, if any, introduction into the professional humor world. But chances are you'll bump into a person who is part of a semi-famous comedy troupe or has opened for Andy Dick at the Comedy Store once or twice. They aren't quite famous, but they won't hesitate to name drop whatever famous person they casually met two nights ago ("I went to a house party in Echo Park and saw Sarah Silverman there. We talked about comedy and Bernie Sanders and stuff for, like, 45 minutes."). This person will be very dedicated in classes but will ultimately drop out of the latter half of the class so he can star as the second lead in a Funny or Die video.
3. The older non-actor who is absolutely hilarious
Lying somewhere on the cusp of their late 40s and early 50s, this person often works at a service industry job and seems emotionally worn down by the harsh pains of life. But when they get into the grey zone, this person is improv magic, concocting hilarious scenarios and characters that leave you wanting more at each turn.
4. The younger kid who works in "The Industry"
Perhaps their wealthy uncle helped secure them a prestigious internship at a talent agency in Beverly Hills, or maybe through the strength of their own merit were able to land a coveted spot in the NBC Page Program. But this kid will make sure you know that they are a part of the entertainment and media industry, no matter how low on the rung they may be.
5. The somewhat established actor who you will frequently see in Best Buy and Taco Bell commercials years after class has ended
It's a Saturday night, you're drinking a beer and watching Mad Max: Fury Road on your couch when you notice one of the savage war boys looks exactly like your old friend Mark from an improv class. After bringing up his IMDb page, you're stoked to learn that it actually is Mark and are impressed by the small but notable acting credits he's landed in top-shelf Hollywood productions throughout the years. A few months later, you'll be at home for Thanksgiving watching commercials during halftime of the football game and see him in a commercial for Geico or Kia Soul and freak out. Another 15 years will pass and you'll be watching the Oscars or Emmys at home again and see Mark walk on stage to accept his award. You have a brief moment wishing that he'd thank all the fun people from the improv workshop who made all of his success possible, but, chances are, Mark has forgotten all about you.
6. The person who showed up to only one class and was never heard from again
Seriously, whatever happened to them?
7. Your well-established and respected improv teacher
There you are with your classmates during break talking about how your scene partner, Mary, totally has the same mannerisms and sardonic sense of humor as Aubrey Plaza, then you notice your teacher silently eavesdropping and smirking because he is totally friends with Aubrey and went through the same improv program with her years ago.
Your teachers will have bios boasting appearances on Conan, network sitcoms and even the occasional Apatow flick. But just because their faces aren't as famous as your improv schools other alumni doesn't mean they aren't as funny. You and your peers will schedule a time to see your teacher perform in the company show and will be totally be blown away by his improv prowess.