Classes at Dojo Comedy

Dojo Comedy offers writing and performance education in both sketch comedy and long-form comedic improv. Classes are taught in the Columbia Heights neighborhood in Washington DC, close to the Columbia Heights station on the Green/Yellow lines.

Currently Registering

Improv Classes

Great comedic long-form comes from a solid foundation in Improv Basics. We then build on that, emphasizing Game, then Performance, until the focus can shift from Scene to Form, and from Form in general to Form-specific subjects like Harold or Close Quarters.

Level 0: Improv Introduction
Free sessions for folks who want to see what improv is all about. If you're interested, sign up here!

Level 1: Improv Basics
This class focuses on the fun and discovery of improv while teaching the fundamental skills of agreement, listening, group mind, and the technical elements of improv performance.

Level 2: Organic Games in Scenes
This class focuses on finding the game of the scene—that is, the funny thing for you and your scene partner to play with. The class also provides tools for getting on the same page quickly, game recognition, and game activation.

Level 3: Premise-Based Game in Scenes
This class focuses on using a show opening to develop premises—that is, fully formed comedic ideas. The class also provides tools for delivering your ideas clearly and playing with the ideas generated by you and your scene partners.

Level 4: Performance
This class applies skills honed in previous classes and teaches specialized performance skills related to both scene and form.

Level 5: Harold
This class focuses on the Harold format, described in detail here. The Harold class is the capstone of Dojo’s core curriculum, and you will learn the ins and outs of the Harold.

Sketch Classes

For sketch writing, we focus successively level-to-level on Format, Style, Collaboration, and Building a Show, while for sketch performance, we build basic acting skills along with style and genre awareness in performance.

Level 1: Sketch Writing Formats
This class focuses on well established structures and themes in sketch comedy writing.

Level 2: Sketch Writing Styles
This class focuses on different types and styles of sketch with more free format work.

Level 3: Sketch Writing Collaboration
This class focuses on working with other writers to create sketches and shows.

Electives and Workshops

We offer advanced improv and sketch classes as well as focused workshops for honing writing and performance skills. Check out electives and workshops currently registering.

Corporate Training

Interested in bringing Dojo Comedy to your workplace? The same processes used onstage and in the classroom can also apply to the boardroom and office. Our instructors are available to lead you and your workers through workshops emphasizing teamwork, public speaking, and communication, and it's a pretty good time. Learn more.

Registration Policies

Enrollment Policy

Students may enroll for a class when they have completed the prerequisites for the class or if they have received permission from the registrar. If you have questions about your eligibility for a class, email classes@dojocomedy.com.

Attendance Policy

Due to the collaborative nature of our classes, attendance is crucial and the best way for your class to be a great, positive experience for you and your classmates is to attend all of the classes. If you know that you will be missing classes, please consider taking the class at a time or on a date when you can attend every session. To maintain the integrity of the classes, students who miss more than 2 sessions of any class will have to repeat the class before advancing to the next level and will be removed from the class and ineligible for the showcase.

Refund Policy

A full refund is available if notice is given three full days before the start of the class. Withdrawal from a class inside of the three-day window before the start of the class and the start of the class proper will result in a $50 cancellation fee. No refunds will be issued once the class has started.