Comedy Workshops

with

Dave Schwensen

Dave's next Cleveland workshop will begin on Sept. 6, 2008.

Meets for three Saturdays - noon to 4 p.m.

Includes an evening performance at The Cleveland Improv

on Tuesday, Sept. 23 at 7:30 pm

Space is limited to 10 people.

Total Price: $200

To register, use the PayPal link below

or see details at the bottom of this page for sending a deposit.

Register for Cleveland workshop through PayPal, (includes $6 service charge)

July 5, 2008 -Important notice: Because of sales for my new book and how our business account is set up, Ohio residents signing up for the workshop through PayPal have been charged 6.5% sales tax making their total cost $219.39. This is a miscalculation - the total fee for the workshop using PayPal is $206. Please note that we are aware of this and you will be refunded $13.39 at the first session. Sorry for the hassle - but at least it's easy to fix! 

Being a stand-up comedian is a serious business, with a lot of laughs. Stand-up comedy has become a giant industry and a major source of talent for movies, television and radio. The entertainment world is constantly looking for "new faces."

Becoming a successful comedian takes more than just talent and luck. It involves preparation, experience, a knowledge of the business and knowing what is expected of you. Today's top comedians developed their humor without conforming to any trends or formulas. Talent and originality are the keys to success. However, there are established business methods within the comedy industry that performers should be aware of. Developing an act and becoming a working comedian is what this workshop is all about.

Dave Schwensen is a talent coordinator, booking agent, publicist, author and entertainment journalist with extensive experience within the comedy industry in New York City, Los Angeles and Cleveland. Some of these credits include:

A&E's An Evening At The Improv

The Los Angeles Improv Comedy Club

New York's Original Improv

Assistant To Budd Friedman

MTV's Half Hour Comedy Hour

Comedy Central's The A-List

Corporate Speaker

Producer: Theater & Nightclubs

Radio Host, What's So Funny!

University Instructor in Presentation Skills

Stand-Up Comedian

Syndicated Humor Columnist

Coordinated talent showcases for major television and film studios including The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Night with David Letterman, The Today Show, The Montreal Just For Laughs Festival, The Great Lakes Comedy Festival, Disney, Paramount, ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, HBO, Showtime and more.

Dave's workshops are meant to be fun, supportive and informative about the comedy industry. They're based on similar workshops in New York and Los Angeles, brought together to give participants an idea of what to expect on both coasts and everywhere in between. "Comedy coaching" best describes what these types of workshops are all about, but the difference we offer is a knowledge of what goes on behind the scenes. Any "good" workshop will send you out with five minutes of audition night-worthy material, but most leave you wondering where to go from there. We'll tell you how to go about finding work, with enough information on where and how to get your comedy career started.

In addition to the aspiring stand-up's who've taken our workshops, we have many who come to us with different interests. Teachers and public speakers want to add more humor to their presentations. We've worked with doctors, lawyers, psychologists, grandparents, students and others who are looking to add more humor into their lives. Even those interested in only trying something different... well, we've been told it beats the heck out of a basket-weaving class.

The bottom line is talent. We work to bring out your own individual and creative sense of humor and take the time to do it - that's why these workshops are limited to no more than ten people. You already have the ideas, (whether you know it or not), and we help you to bring it out and organize it to a level that can be performed on a comedy stage.

Comedy workshops are not uncommon and quite a few clubs have their 'local' favorites teaching these. That's another area where we're different. Dave Schwensen Entertainment supports local comics, but also has an experienced knowledge of what the industry is like in the entertainment capitals of New York and Los Angeles. If you want to remain a 'local' comic, then choose to work with the best in your area. If you want to know what it takes to go beyond that, then contact us.

To say Dave Schwensen knows the comedy business would be an understatement.

     - Ohio Magazine

Think you're funny? If so, it may be time to take your talents onstage. However, honing your craft in front of a live audience doesn't do much for either your self-esteem or drink sales. That's where comedy veteran Dave Schwensen enters the picture...

   - Cleveland Magazine

People may tell you you're funny. That's a good start," Schwensen says. "But it's very different from doing it up here. I'll show you how to put an act together.

   - The Cleveland Plain Dealer

Listening to his insider stories is worth the price of admission. But the purpose of the name dropping isn't to impress - it's to illustrate how comedians make it in the business as well as demonstrate that anyone can do comedy with the right amount of luck, dedication and laughs.

   - The Sunday Register

The nice thing about Dave is he doesn't tell you 'if you want to be funny, do this.' He looks at what you're trying to do and then he helps you fine-tune it.

   - The Chronicle-Telegram

Coming away from this experience, I realized stand-up comedy involves a lot more than just being funny. The criteria for a successful stand-up routine includes timing, delivery and the right material. And above all, you have to be confident.

   - The Sunday News-Herald

Bobby Collins

Robert Dubac

Dom Irrera

Lisa Lampanelli

Maryellen Hooper

Bobby Slayton

Since we're based in the Cleveland area, our main workshop is designed to take place over a three-week period at The Cleveland Improv. We meet for three Saturday afternoons between noon and 4 p.m., followed by a Tuesday evening performance at the club. Groups are limited to ten people only due to the time spent working with everyone on an individual basis. Each participant has performance time on stage during every meeting and members of the workshop are encouraged to help with ideas, suggestions, punch lines, jokes and experiences. To make a long story short, we laugh a lot while getting the job done.

Dave's Comedy Workshop has been the subject of numerous television, radio and newspaper features. Among those we'd like to thank...

The workshop is about performing. About developing and writing a comedy act and making it successful, (funny), in front of an audience.

We detail common business methods within the comedy industry. Included are hints on how to use your creativity to your advantage when developing promotional material, along with contact information for numerous agencies, comedy clubs and open-mic rooms.

Selected interviews with 'working comics' and personal experiences from the world of stand-up comedy.

Three Saturday sessions - 4 hours each.

In class performance time.

In class discussions aimed at answering all your questions about a career in comedy.

A final night performance at The Cleveland Improv.

As everyone who's read How To Be A Working Comic and Comedy FAQs And Answers, or taken one of our workshops knows, we don't make this stuff up. It's either been learned through experience from dealing with the best in the biz, or told to us by comics, agents, managers and talent bookers who are all 'working' in the comedy industry.

Have a question about the workshops?

Want to know what past workshop members have to say...?

WORKSHOPS ON THE ROAD

Available in other locations as a one, two or three-day workshop or seminar for private groups, organizations or comedy clubs. Email us for more information.

The Cleveland workshop is limited to no more than ten people. Total price is $200 - $50 required as a deposit to hold a space, (remainder paid at first session). Payments are refundable up until the Monday before the first Saturday meeting. Send to:

Dave Schwensen Entertainment

P.O. Box 318

Vermilion, OH  44089

Please include your name, address, phone and email. Once the deposit is received, we will send you a confirmation email or letter with more details.