the listed number is disconnected. It has been a cool stage to get a slotted time to work on…read morematerial.

came here for dnd mini painting night and it was a blast! dan is so kind and funny, and even though…read morewe were complete beginners we didn't do too bad! will be coming back again

YELP INSIDER TIP FROM DOREEN (AKA AZN PERSUASION): This show is now in Santa Monica at MI Westside…read moreComedy. I give the venue and the 10pm Saturday night Improv Show 4 stars. I give 12 Shiny Nickels 1 star. ***** MI Westside Comedy is in the alley between 3rd street and 4th street south of Arizona directly behind the big Santa Monica Parking structure on 4th. If on 3rd street, go into the food court that has the McDonald's, Candy Baron, Subway and walk thru to the alley in the back. This place is small, has a small bar, but if you go on a good night, like the Saturday 10pm improv show it's pretty good and worth it just for the comedy. I went to the 11pm show 12 Shiny Nickels, but caught the tail end of the 10pm show. If you pay for the 10pm show, they let you stay for free for the 11pm show hoping the lead in will have audiences stay, which should say something right there... 12 Shiny Nickels is described as, "Each show features twelve of the best standup comedians in a row doing their best five minutes of material. We have rotating lineup over 80 comics with a new lineup every week." The night I went was not great. If anything, most of the comics were unfocused, new, and got off the stage before their 5 min were up. I now question the phrase, "the best standup comedians" as what they are best of isn't qualified... My Boo said he would go back, I would not.

Just when I thought I had seen all the comedy shows in LA, I found out about the 12 Shiny Nickels…read moreShow at the Gardner Stages. Your ten dollar admission includes an hour of standup comedy, twelve comics, and... (hope you're sitting down for this)... ALL THE FREE BEER YOU CAN DRINK. Holy moly! I don't know how they can charge so little but I'm there! Decided to check it out because Andy Dick was suppose to be there taping for his new reality show (gotta love watching a train-wreck). The doors open at 10:30pm and the show starts tentatively at 11pm. We arrived a few minutes before 10:30 and were the only people there for awhile. Next time, I'd come closer to 11. It's a little bit of an adventure getting to the theatre, it's located right behind Toi on Sunset Blvd. You go down an alley on Gardner street that looks like something out of Gothom City. A nice man is there to give you a wristband and take your $10/online reservations. You then go down some TREACHEROUS ridiculously steep stairs. Keep in mind, NOT an excellent place to wear your stilettos... Also, quite challenging after drinking boat loads of Tecate. At first, I was a little skeptical about the unlimited free beer but lemme tell you, they are not kidding! There is a bar stocked with canned beer (Pabst, Miller, Tecate, etc.) and you can get up and have as much as you want before and during the show. The show was very entertaining, although it was a little disappointing that Andy Dick didn't show. They were nice enough to let us know he wasn't going to come and offered us refunds before the show started. Not some of the best comedians I've seen but hey, what do you want for $10 and free booze? Halfway through the show they gave away free prizes to people who ordered their tickets in advance... I got a VHS copy of Men In Black 2!! Way better than the guy before me that got an at-home-pregnancy-test kit! Whoo hoo! Really nice people run this show, definitely will be back with more of my beer guzzl'n, comedy love'n friends.

Luzia is the 17th different Cirque Du Soleil show that I have seen. This felt more like a Las Vegas…read moreproduction than a show in a tent. It's going to be impossible to describe the show like I want without spoilers so be warned! When we took our seats I was surprised to see that a significant portion of the stage was covered in flowers. For the pre-show they brought out these little garden "robots" with watering cans on their heads. They really surprised me because they picked flowers, picked up tools, and even shook maracas! Before we knew it the show started with just a stunning image of a woman with giant butterfly wings running behind a giant silver horse (operated by at least three people) on a rotating conveyor belt. After this was a tumbling act on the rotating conveyor belt. It was so interesting to be able to see this from many different angles. Luzia is based on Mexican culture and fantasy. The imagery throughout the show was color, fun, and beautiful. You had everything from lucha libre costumes to people with giant fish heads "swallowing" their heads. The music and singing was lovely as well. I didn't know anything about this show and was shocked when "rain" started being incorporated into the acts. Sometimes it was to help with imagery for the story (think a woman on a trapeze swinging through it) but sometimes it was also used for comedy. The one part where the clown just wanted a drink of water was hilarious. They also had a section where the falling water made shapes such as hearts. I could have watched that for hours. I couldn't believe how much water was dropped during the production. The hand balancing act was played for humor and it worked really well. I've never seen hand balancing like this before and it was really well executed. The solo contortionist was interesting and horrifying at the same time. Normally I'm indifferent about juggling but their juggler really won me over with the "speed juggling" he did at the end of his act. Really great stuff! I must admit I got nervous during the straps act. I would have been fine with the artist just walking off of the stage instead of disappearing so high above the stage. The show was finished off with the Russian Swings, which is always spectacular. We all loved Luzia and were glad that we made the drive to attend it!

This show is absolutely beautiful! A total pleasure for the senses. I have seen about 5 other…read moreCirque shows, some better than others, so I was hoping this would be one of the better ones, and it was! Color everywhere, live Spanish/Mexican style music, and of course, amazing feats of human strength, grace and choreography. I wish it stayed in town longer, I would have enjoyed seeing it again and again.

The Gourmet Detective was a fun and enjoyable evening the entire cast was fun and entertaining…read more The show was very interactive and you never knew what to expect from one moment to the next, the made you feel like you were part of the mystery. The Actors were not only entertainers, they served us our food and drinks throughout the evening. My wife and I selected the Steak and I wasn't really expecting much, but I have to say the Steak was a perfect temperature and Cheesecake was Great! This Gourmet Detective is the perfect way to celebrate any special occasion, or just for an entertaining evening out on the town with that special someone! Thank you everyone for a wonderful evening.

The Gourmet Detective is where you will find the REAL DEAL murder mystery show. The actors are…read moreprofessionals and if you like it, their improv with you is GREAT! ***They just moved to a new location in OC (they also have a location in Riverside) so make sure you are going to the right place. There is a lounge bar area for you to relax with a drink if you like before it all starts. You get assigned to a table (all the seats in the house are great because the performers go all around the room.) The three course dinner happens between the three act show. Funny, funny, funny plot where someone dies and it's up to you to figure out who did it. Play along to have the most fun! ...and don't forget to pay attention. The performers are your servers! After you fall in love with them ...go get your photo with them for memories after the show! Fun for all! Worth a try!

What a fantastic experience! My group and I were able to let loose and learn so much about each…read moreother. This helped us develop better communication and support for one another. Definitely would recommend.

Since the summer of 2023, I began rotating through 4 different improv classes in 4 Orange County…read morecities every month -- both structured courses and one-night drop-ins. Are there reasons why Advantage Improv's 5-week workshop is world-class? Yes and... let us count the ways: 1) Co-founders/Lead Trainers Lee Godden and Bob Doll are consummate professionals. They consistently demonstrate mastery, poise and all-inclusive respect for their students. They effortlessly ensure everyone gets ample practice throughout each class while reinforcing core learnings. 2) Advantage Improv's focus is on applicable, transferable skills across virtually every aspect of life where you need to communicate -- and they keep it PG-13 for business applications. 3) You can get a bona fide Advantage Improv Applied Improvisational Professional (AIAIP) certification for completing their coursework. 4) They help you improve your communication skills across public speaking, active listening, creativity, innovation, problem-solving and collaboration. 5) It's hella fun. Is this for you? Of course it is. Just go, be in the moment and have a GREAT time.

Like all of you, I was new to acting at some point. With me, it came later in life. I was already a…read morevery successful entrepreneur and internationally published photographer before deciding on a new career path which ultimately lead me to ASOOC. So I decided to give this studio a shot being so close to me and not having to drive to LA more than I was already doing for other classes and auditions. What I found was a very friendly and knowledgeable staff with everything you could ask for in an acting school. Although still relatively new to acting, in my short 18 months I've landed a highly reputable talent agent, was the principal role in 2 national commercials, and was cast as a supporting role in an upcoming feature film by a major studio. I'm currently going on network auditions 2-3 times a month and have built a rather impressive resume thus far. All of this is because of the core basics I have learned at ASOOC. Without my acting technique, I would not be where I'm at today with so much more to learn and show. Their 7 Pillars of Acting technique has grounded my performance in every way possible allowing me to be in the moment under any circumstance presented to me. My only wish is that I could leave more than 5 stars. This is by far the best school in Orange County.

I am so grateful I was able to start my acting journey here. The community at ASOOC is incredibly…read morespecial and the friendships I've made here will last me a lifetime! Everyone is so incredibly supportive.. it was a place that I felt free and SAFE to explore and learn and grow as an actor. If you're hesitating, please take the leap of faith to try this studio, I know that you wont regret it!

I love musical theatre. When I saw that "Hello Dolly" was the Spring Show I invited a friend and…read morebought tickets, in the center in the second row. The Huntington Beach Academy for the Arts put on such a great show! The orchestra was amazing, the student actors were amazing, the soloists were amazing, and the chorus was amazing. The dance numbers were spectacular. The dance was so athletic and energetic! I would have been happy to see this show at the Music Center. The Huntington Beach High School theatre, built in 1928 is an amazing and historic venue. It was truly magical Saturday night. The parking was easy and free. The volunteer staff were friendly and accommodating. There were snacks at intermission. The only thing missing was my customary glass of champagne at intermission. It is a High School!

The music is good. The problem is the leadership of the music program. The leadership does not…read moreprotect the students in the program from abuse from other students. When asked for help, they literally said, "Let's just focus on the music." I have emails saying that. The leaders are not objective and obviously put talent over ethics; teaching kids that they can behave any way they want as long as they are good at music.

Our family found OC Crazies about five years ago when my sons wanted to work on their public…read morespeaking, and honestly, it was a game changer. We had struggled to find anything age-appropriate that wasn't just debate prep for kids or Toastmasters for adults, so discovering their tween and teen improv workshops felt like a huge win. Since then, all four of my kids have gone through their programs: Tween, Teen, and most recently the Littlest Lil Crazies for my younger daughters, which is their newest class. Cherie, the owner, is amazing. She has been nothing but patient and professional with our kids and she has done wonders in bringing them out of their shells on stage! The growth we've seen in our kids over the years has been truly incredible. Beyond the obvious fun stuff like stage presence, comedic timing, and vocal projection, they've built real confidence in public speaking and have truly learned to think on their feet. My oldest is now a high school freshman and still talks about the OC Crazies workshops as some of the best classes he's taken, he says he uses the skills he learned there often, both in class and in his extracurriculars.

I found OC crazies through simple Google search, and signed up for the basic improvisation course…read more I had read about improvisation a lot but no actual experience. I am so happy my first experience was with OC crazies. Cherie, our instructor, was just excellent. She had plans for each class but at the same time was great at adapting to what was happening in the room. I am a university professor and in my opinion the hardest thing for being a good instructor is finding the right level of challenge for the class. Cherie found that balance so masterfully. Even though there were a wide range of skills in the room, I think everyone ended up having a lot of fun. I learned a lot and had a lot of fun each session too. The graduation show was my absolute favorite. My wife and a few of my friends got to watch me being all loose and crazy. It was just fantastic. A few of my friends also became interested to enroll after just watching the graduation show. I know the reason that I like the graduation show so much. In the academic world we call such an ending to a program a "culminating experience." It's supposed to get the students to experience the so what of everything you did during the program. I think the graduation show did just that. I think what allowed us to be able to do a show after just six week of training was that Cherie does most of her teaching during actual improvisation exercises. During her classes, you are mostly on stage doing an improve act or watching your classmate attempt it. Seeing them succeed or make mistakes are also great way to continue learning. I had so much fun that I think this was the highlight of my 2023 and I am planning to redo the same class as I think I can still improve and also because it's just so much fun.