Improv, Acting & Sketch Comedy Classes in Long Beach

Come as you are. Get curious. Try something.

A group of six people gathered around a man on his hands and knees on a wooden floor, with various surprised and animated expressions, indoors with yellow curtains and greenery in the background.

The Playful Stage is a Long Beach improv school and creative community offering improv, acting, and sketch comedy classes for adults at every experience level.

Whether you're stepping onstage for the first time or looking for new ways to grow as a performer, you'll find classes built around creative play, real connection, bold choices, and the freedom to experiment.

Our goal isn't to make everyone perform the same way. It's to give you room to discover what makes you interesting onstage.

Black, Latinx & Queer-Owned Small Business in Long Beach, CA

Explore our classes

Upcoming Classes

Flyer for a performance class titled 'Narrative Improv: The Improvised Play.' The flyer has a red 'Sold Out' stamp across the middle. It includes details about class dates, times, and instructor Richard J. Martinez, with a photo of a smiling man at t

Poster for 'Improv Essentials' course at The Playful Stage, featuring a group of smiling people in a performance space. Course details include dates, time, registration fee, instructor Richard J. Martinez, and a quote about improv environment.

Promotional poster for 'Experimental Improv: Sound and Song' performance class, indicating it is sold out, including class dates, times, instructor's name, and website.

Course poster for 'Scene Building,' an advanced improv course at The Playful Stage, featuring a group of people performing improv on stage, with instructor Richard J. Martinez, running on Tuesdays from November 10 to December 15, 2026, 7pm to 9:15pm,

Flyer for an improv class titled 'Improv Essentials Daytime Edition' at The Playful Stage, showing a group of diverse people smiling, instructor Richard J. Martinez, and registration details.

Flyer for Short Form Improv Performance Class at The Playful Stage, featuring a photo of two actors on stage, one in a red dress and the other in a light blue shirt, with class and performance details including dates, time, price, location, and instr

Poster for a personal development improv class called 'Inner Child Improv' at The Playful Stage, featuring a group of women acting out a scene on stage with colorful curtains, and photos of instructors Richard J. Martinez and Katie Bradley.

Flyer for 'Improv Essentials' workshop on 'The Playful Stage,' featuring a group photo of diverse smiling people waving, with session details, instructor Richard J. Martinez, and a quote about improv environment.

A promotional poster for a performance class on building dynamic characters, featuring a photograph of three women acting on stage, with one woman in black and blue jeans, another in an orange shirt and gray pants, and the third in a dark dress with

Flyer for a playw, titled 'Playing the Part' featuring actors acting on stage, with details about a theater class happening on Thursdays from January 7 to February 11, 2027, instructored by Penelope Pauley.

Flyer for a Grounded Improv class at The Playful Stage featuring a photo of two people sitting on chairs having a conversation, with event details and instructor information.

Upcoming Drop-Ins & Workshops

Poster for 'Whimsical Improv' show at The Playful Stage, featuring a group of improv actors performing on stage with one actor kneeling and two others standing and gesturing. The event is on October 20, 2026, from 7:00 pm to 9:15 pm at 4651 E. Anahei

Poster for 'Spooky Danceprov,' a Halloween-themed improv and movement drop-in event. It features two people dancing in front of a spooky background with a full moon, bats, and barren trees. Event details include date, time, prerequisites, registratio

Event poster for Halloween Hijinks, a short form improv comedy show on October 28, 2026, from 7 pm to 9:15 pm, instructed by Richard J. Martinez, with a spooky Halloween background including a full moon and black silhouettes of bats and trees. The po

Poster for a Halloween-themed murder mystery event titled 'Murder at the Monster Mash' on October 31, 2026, at The Playful Stage. The poster features a Halloween scene with bats, a purple background, and a group of people with various costumes. A lar

Event flyer for a workshop titled 'Intro to Dialect Drop-In' at The Playful Stage, scheduled for Wednesday, November 4, 2026, from 7 pm to 9:15 pm at 4651 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach, CA. The flyer features an image of two men, one appearing to be ang

Flyer for 'Improv with a Tarot Twist' drop-in event at The Playful Stage, featuring photos of diverse people holding tarot cards, scheduled for November 5, 2026, from 7 pm to 9:15 pm at 4651 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach, CA, instructed by Penelope Paul

Event poster for a nonhuman characters improv drop-in at The Playful Stage, featuring a photo of two actors on stage with colorful backgrounds, and a picture of instructor Connor Allan with event details.

Flyer for a costume and character improv drop-in event at The Playful Stage, featuring an image from a comedy sketch with two actors in costumes, one in a dull robe and the other in a furry hooded coat with sunglasses. The event is scheduled for Wedn

Flyer for a free introductory improv class at The Playful Stage, featuring a group photo of diverse people smiling and posing. The event is scheduled for Thursday, November 12, 2026, from 7 pm to 9 pm, for ages 18 and up. The instructor is Richard J.

Flyer for a workshop titled "Define the Relationship" at The Playful Stage. The event is scheduled for Saturday, November 14, 2026, from 3 pm to 8 pm at 4651 E. Anaheim St. Long Beach, CA. Cost is $40, with prerequiste Improv Essentials. The flyer fe

Poster for a comedic improv event titled 'Improv's Drag Race' with a photo of five performers dressed in drag on stage with colorful background lights, and a portrait of instructor DeRod Taylor, smiling, in the bottom right corner.

Flyer for a group improv game event at The Playful Stage. Features a photo of people performing improv on stage, with details about the event, instructor Rick Ramirez, date November 19, 2026, time 7:00 pm to 9:15 pm, location in Long Beach, Californi

Flyer for a self-compassion improv workshop at The Playful Stage. Features a photo of two people acting out a scene, with event details including date, time, location, registration fee, instructor, and prerequisites.

Flyer for an improv class called 'Scene Exploration: Face the Unknown' at The Playful Stage, featuring an image of two people talking during improv practice, with instructor photos and event details including date, time, location, price, prerequisiti

Upcoming Events

A poster for a Halloween event titled 'Coming Out of the Crypt' presented by Queeriosity. It features illustrated characters including a skeleton in a top hat, Dracula, Frankenstein's monster, a black cat, a zombie hand emerging from colorful puddles

Poster for a theatrical show titled 'House of Haunts', featuring a cast of actors with photos framed in ornate gold frames, set against a dark, patterned background. The poster announces it as an improvised narrative ghost story directed by Nelli Vel

Flyer for The Playground, an improv student jam night, showing a chalkboard with the event title, three photos of students performing improv, and event details including date, time, location, registration fee, host, and age restriction.

Flyer for Play & Sip Improv Jam Nights, featuring neon-colored comedy masks, a drink glass, and a photo of host Derod with the caption 'Hosted by Derod (they/them)'. The event details include $5 registration fee, two drinks minimum, bi-weekly on the

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A woman and a man are clasping hands, looking at each other in a wooden stage setting. The woman has red hair, a green t-shirt, dark jeans, and a watch. The man has curly dark hair, glasses, a maroon polo shirt, a gray zip-up hoodie, and black pants.

A man with short hair and wearing an orange t-shirt is dancing with his arms raised. Two women on either side of him are dancing with their arms raised, one in a purple top and the other in a black top with orange earrings. The scene appears to be a lively performance or dance event with an audience seated in front.

Four women, two sitting and two standing, are making puppets and watching a puppet show in a room decorated with a moss wall and a clock. There is a table with puppet supplies and a yellow curtain on the side.

Two people, a man and a woman, are laughing and holding hands, appearing to dance or play together indoors in front of a blue curtain, with a clock on the wall.