Even if you’ve never seen a live show at the Groundlings Theatre in Los Angeles, you’re likely familiar with some of the characters who were invented there. Ever heard of Elvira, Mistress of the Dark? The Roxbury Guys? Or how about the one and only Pee-wee Herman? Their creators (Cassandra Peterson, Will Ferrell, Chris Kattan, and the late Paul Reubens, respectively) all cut their teeth on that very stage. Other notable alumni include Conan O’Brien, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Melissa McCarthy, Will Forte, and Jennifer Coolidge, to name just a few.
This year, the Groundlings is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Founded in 1974 by improv teacher Gary Austin, the troupe is the West Coast equivalent of storied institutions like Chicago’s Second City and New York’s Upright Citizens Brigade.
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Among the greats who got their start there is Phil LaMarr, best known for his performances in Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction” (1994) and the long-running Fox sketch show “Mad TV.” He’s also voiced characters on dozens of animated series, including “Samurai Jack,” “Futurama,” and “The Proud Family.” In March, the actor moderated a panel looking back on the troupe’s 50-year history alongside fellow alum Karen Maruyama.
“Growing up in L.A. and being in the improv comedy world and also a big fan of ‘Saturday Night Live,’ I knew that the Groundlings was the L.A. version of Second City,” LaMarr says.
Jennifer Coolidge, Michael McDonald, and LaMarr in “Groundlings Getting Some” Credit: Shaun Bishop
Half a century in, getting accepted into the Groundlings School is the comedy equivalent of attending an Ivy League university. Hopefuls must audition in order to enroll in a basic class; from there, they move up through the intermediate and advanced courses. Only then can they land a coveted spot in the Sunday Company, which performs live improv and sketch comedy every week at 7:30 p.m.
After that, comedians have a chance to graduate to the Main Company, which includes no more than 30 performers at any given time. Members decide as a group who stays, who goes, and who might need extra guidance.
Tru Valentino, who started classes in 2016 and joined the Main Company last year, parlayed his experience into a regular role on ABC’s “The Rookie.” He’s also lent his voice to animated series including “Beavis and Butt-Head,” “Spidey and His Amazing Friends,” and “The Cuphead Show!”
“The Groundlings really can test you, but in a good, good way,” he says. “Once I heard who the alumni were, my brain went immediately to watching those people on ‘SNL.’ When I was younger, being on that show was a dream of mine. The Sunday Company is basically like ‘SNL’; the only difference is that there isn’t a celebrity guest hosting every week, and you don’t have the pressure of being on live TV.”
Thanks to the Groundlings’ reputation, celebrities tend to pop up in the audience, which can lead to unexpected gigs for the performers. For example, Tarantino approached LaMarr about joining the cast of “Pulp Fiction” after attending multiple shows. He even added in smaller roles for LaMarr’s contemporaries Maruyama, Kathy Griffin, and Julia Sweeney.
Matt Cook and Tru Valentino in “Cookin’ With GAS” CRED Jada Jarvis
“Quentin also performed onstage with us; he did a good job in a ‘Cookin’ With GAS’ show,” LaMarr recalls. “I think he understood that people who do improv can bring characters to life, and that’s why he put a bunch of us in that movie alongside humongous stars.”
Valentino agrees that being part of the Groundlings can give actors an edge in the audition room. “I’m not in the heads of casting directors, but I think that doing the Groundlings forces you to be the best actor [you can be], especially in scenes you didn’t write. I walked into the Groundlings with most of the tools that I have now, but those tools weren’t nearly as sharp.
“It’s helped with my writing and my understanding of the flow and structure of sketches,” he continues. “And it’s really helped with reading scripts. I never was a good reader growing up, and it’s definitely helped me [get better at] memorizing lines.”
It’s not unusual for alums to hop onstage when they need a little jolt—including LaMarr. “I recently performed with the current Main Company, which was the first time I got to do a Main Company show in decades,” he says. “I’ve gotten to know the current members, which is nice. It doesn’t feel distanced like a high school reunion might. It feels like I could still get a grade in this class, because it’s still going just the way it used to.”
This story originally appeared in the Oct. 10 issue of Backstage Magazine.