The Groundlings, Improvisational comedy theatre in Los Angeles, California, US
The Groundlings is a theatre for improvisational and sketch comedy on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles that operates in a small hall with close proximity between audience and stage. The seating is arranged so every spectator can follow the facial expressions and reactions of the performers from a short distance.
Gary Austin founded the theatre in 1974 and transformed a former massage parlor into the permanent venue. The official opening took place in April 1979 when the ensemble moved into the premises on Melrose Avenue.
The venue takes its name from the standing spectators in Elizabethan theatre who occupied the ground-level space in front of the stage. Today this name expresses the tradition of simple, direct connection between performers and audience that continues in the small hall.
The attached acting school offers new courses every six weeks with over 300 participants per round learning through five progressive stages. The school follows a fixed schedule that structures the transition from beginners to experienced performers.
The troupe's name comes from Hamlet, Act III, Scene II, where Shakespeare calls the ground-level spectators "groundlings". The building at 7307 Melrose Avenue had earlier served as an interior decorator's studio, a furniture showroom, a gay bar and a massage parlor before members converted it.
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