Mastering the Craft

Insights, masterclasses, and real-world advice to take your comedy from the open mic to the paid stage.

Gary Gulman’s Comedy Tips

- Learn how subject, verb, and object placement change joke rhythm

- Swap out passive, weak verbs for action words which paint a vivid picture

- Stuck on a premise? Use this to dig past 'I was mad' and find the specific emotion driving your joke

- Want to write better wordplay or misdirection? Use this PDF to find words that sound the same but mean different things

Foundations of Funny at OSU-Tulsa — A 6-week in-person workshop taught by veteran comedian Shawna Blake focused on premise development, joke structure, persona, and building a polished 5-minute set with a final showcase.
Bricktown Comedy Club (OKC) — 4-week stand-up course with live virtual instruction and a graduation showcase on the OKC main stage.
Bricktown Comedy Club (Tulsa) — 4-week stand-up course with live virtual instruction and a graduation showcase on the Tulsa main stage.
OKC Improv — Oklahoma City training center offering improv levels, sketch writing, and stand-up workshops.
Jackalope Theater — Tulsa-based comedy school offering improv, sketch writing, and solo performance technique.
Third Space Tulsa — Tulsa non-profit collective providing free weekly improv jams, community workshops, and local comedy festivals.

The Second City (Virtual) — Legendary comedy institute offering live Zoom courses in stand-up, set expansion, and TV writing.
Jerry Corley's Stand Up Comedy Clinic — Structure-based training focused on joke formulas, humor mechanics, and late-night TV writing.
Greg Dean Stand-Up Comedy Academy — Step-by-step joke writing methodology and set construction online or in LA.
American Comedy Institute — Premier NYC stand-up school offering material development and professional coaching.
Manhattan Comedy School — NYC and online workshops taught by active headliners focusing on punchline density and stage presence.
Flappers Comedy University — Online and LA-based courses covering stand-up basics, crowd work, and clean comedy.