Say The Thing is an intimate, in-person comedy lab for comedians who have outgrown joke accumulation and want sharper presence, cleaner instincts, and real-time decision making.
This is not a class built on notes or formulas. It is a room-based practice in attention, risk, and clarity, culminating in a curated live event at The Stand.
What It Is
This is not a class. It’s a small, application-based comedy lab.
A cohort meets over multiple sessions to develop material by listening to what is actually happening in the room, not by forcing jokes onto it. Comedy here is treated as a live organism. You learn how to notice it and trust it long enough to land.
What Makes It Different
Most comedy training teaches what to say.
This lab trains when to speak, when to wait, and how to let the room lead.
You’ll learn how to:
Track attention in your body and the audience
Catch instinct before it turns performative
Interrupt fear when it disguises itself as “craft”
Reshape material based on energy, not punchlines
Stay present through silence and discomfort
Hold a room instead of chasing it
You don’t leave with a list of jokes.
You leave with a repeatable way to make them.
The Work
Each session builds toward clarity through a living sequence:
Truth → Risk → Listening → Editing → Clarity
The focus is presence, instinct, and editorial choice so what you do on stage is actually coming from you, not your habits.
The Live Conclusion
The lab ends with a public performance where selected participants present work that could only exist because of this process.
No recycled sets.
No obligation to crush.
Just real choices made in real time.
This night is about attention, not approval.
Is This For You?
You have outgrown joke accumulation. You are ready for:
Presence when the room shifts
Instinct before it gets shaped
Silence that holds
Choices that cost something
If that feels exciting, you’re in the right place.
If it feels unsettling… even better!
Logistics
Cost: $425 per participant (sliding scale available)
Location: The Stand NYC, Main Stage
Schedule: Saturdays, 12:00–3:00 PM
Feb 28
Mar 7
Mar 14
Mar 21
Mar 28
Culmination Event: Sunday, March 29, 5:00 PM — The Stand Main Stage
Applications Due: Friday, February 13
Notifications Sent: Monday, February 16
Enrollment deadline for accepted participants Friday, February 20
After February 20, any remaining spots will be offered to waitlisted applicants on a first-come, first-served basis.