Tuesday, November 29th, 2011 -- 7:30p-10:30p

Saturday, December 3rd, 2011 -- 10:00a-1:00p

Thursday, January 19th, 2012 -- 7:30p-10:30p

Saturday, January 21st, 2012 -- 10:00a-1:00p

$300 (payment in advance reserves spot in class)

Television Director, Producer, and Author MARY LOU BELLI knows funny.  Comedy is harder than drama – the timing, the fast pace, the rhythm – it is truly an art form.   Comedic timing is something that can be learned and Mary Lou is an expert.

This course is a fantastic chance to practice your sitcom rhythm and timing, in the context of a scene on camera.   You rehearse it, shoot it, and have an Emmy® Award-winning director edit it LIVE as you work.  See playback and get critiqued.   Apply what you learn from the first scene to the next scenes you do. All class participants work multiple times.

Class 1:   Find The Joke Exercises - Practice The Frequent Kinds Of Jokes That Occur In Sitcoms
Class 2:   Work With An Actual Sitcom Script – Memorize The Material – Block With The Director
Classes 3 & 4:  Rehearse & Shoot Real Sitcom Scenes Using 3 Cameras (With A Switcher) – Shorter Scenes In First Class, Longer Ones In The Second Class – Mary Lou Will Direct The Scenes And Call Cues, Just Like A Real Set

If you love comedy or just want to add to your acting arsenal, Mary Lou Belli’s Sitcom Class is a must take. Join us for an intense, jam-packed, knowledge-filled 4 classes – equipped with loads of laughs. Benefit from Mary Lou’s years of experience and become a stronger, funnier actor.

Louder! Faster! Funnier!!!

Laughter is good medicine and TV has provided the sitcom to administer that medicine.

Comedy is like having a ball thrown at you. You have got to catch it and throw it back – otherwise it hits you in the head, bounces on the floor a few times, and the game is over. You’ve got to be smart enough to know where the jokes are and skilled enough to make them land.  It’s all about timing and trusting your instincts. Even though comedy is instinctual, the craft of comedy must be honed. That’s where Mary Lou comes in.  She will share with you the secrets behind successful situation comedy… what goes on behind the camera to create a great sit-com.

Sitcoms have their own rules, vocabulary, and exercises. In this class, you will:

• Start with understanding the basics of a joke and comedic timing.
• Find out why K’s and P’s are funny letters.
• Observe how comedy travels in “3’s”.
• Learn to avoid adding “handles”.
• Discover why “embellishing” can ruin joke.
• ...And much, much more.

Mary Lou will teach you how to identify the jokes in a script and give you audition tips/advice for getting the job.

There is a real artistry involved in bringing sitcom material to life.   The stakes are so high in sitcom, you have to come to the set already knowing your job – there is little room for on-the-job training.

Click here for a downloadable flyer for this class.