Oh, to be a Groundling...

The Coming has commissioned Dorien Davies to share her experiences on what it's like to be in the advanced class at the Groundlings. The results are interesting in the first of a soon-to-be regular piece, and if anything, it illustrates how difficult it is to make it big in a group like the Groundlings, the LA version of Second City or UCB. One thing that strikes me is the fact that you can't just audition for these groups. You have to go through all the classes, so if you really want to be a part of the group, you have to shell out at least $1000 in up to four levels of classes (more at UCB, I think). Which makes sense, considering then everyone has the same level of training and comes from the same background. But at the same time are they missing out on any incoming talent by charging so much for their classes? I can't imagine a lot of struggling but talented comedians have a thousand dollars laying around they can place as an investment for a group they may not even make it to.