The showcase at The Improv on Sunday was nothing less than a smashing success! Two packed houses to come see this sessions students perform, most of them for the first time ever. It's amazing to see how far everyone has come in just 8 short weeks, and how much confidence they have when it's over.

I've been performing stand-up off and on myself the past 3 years, from open mics to small showcases, and I gotta say that it was nothing compared to going up in front of a packed house at The Improv. Ironic how doing my act, about being a depressed 32 year old with no direction, gave me the biggest confidence boost in a long time. I only wish that Hilary Duff and her entourage who were at the 6pm showcase (I was in the 8pm show) had stuck around. Because if anyone can relate to the woes of an almost-middle age man, it is most certainly Hilary Duff, her mom, and her band of 22 year old pals.

Another highlight of the night: Stand-up headliner Jim Norton popped in to get some stage time before his Tonight Show appearance on Monday, and so delighted the audience for about 8 minutes in the midst of the showcase. It was a hilarious and harsh reminder that we all have a long way to go as comedians, but a treat nonetheless.

Perhaps the biggest story of the night was watching two of Judy's international students in action. Jo De Rijck and Anne Kraft came to Los Angeles from Belgium and Germany after consulting with Judy for several weeks as part of her "Out-of-Towner" Package. Both of them went up, and both of them killed.

Check out some snapshots of the group in action before and after the show.

Of course a big thank you to Reeta and the crew at The Improv, teacher and emcee extraordinaire Cary Odes, Judy Carter, and to all the students and up and coming stand-ups who made the show so great.

And of course if you are interested, we have new classes starting up again at the end of April.

We hope to see you in class next month!

Yours Truly,
Jamie (Workshop Coordinator)