Laughing Buddha Comedy

Every show is professional & hilarious. The founder Jeff Lawrence is uproariously funny & has a keen nose /​eye for talent. A rare combination. I highly recommend any of these shows. And there is always a hilarious celebrity headliner!

Laughing Buddha has given me the opportunity to not only grow my stage confidence, but has also exposed me to a great group of other aspiring comedians who have been so supportive. The hosts are great and give you a great chance to do what you love. If you are just starting or if you are seasoned, book an open mic or showcase. You’ll be happy you did so!

Laughing Buddha’s open mics are great. Great quality of comedians there, really professionally run, and very supportive audience.

I wanted a gig in New York and the Laughing Buddha had a great list of shows at multiple times and venues. I went to a Friday show in the Village and was greeted as a regular rather than an out-​of-​towner. Even though it was an open mic, it felt like a show. I can’t wait to do another LB show.

The open mics are an awesome and an absurdly opportunistic chance to get real stage time in front of a real audience. At 5 bucks a pop it’s also the cheapest therapy in town. Also, took a class through Laughing Buddha taught by the veteran Jeff Lawrence. He has a magic way of charming, performing, and teaching all at once. It was a surprisingly comfortable and supportive atmosphere. Great for comics trying to hone their skills, and just for a reg to try something new and exciting. All around great way to get the blood pumping. Couldn’t be more grateful for these guys giving us a very accessible venue to pursue our dreams. Also excited to see what real talent grows from these humble roots.

Very supportive mics. PACKED industry showcases. They’ve cornered the market on open mics in NYC and for good reason. With a plethora of garbage mics run haphazardly all over the city, their mics are a breath of fresh air. Fo. Sho.

I took Jeff Lawrence’s Hosting and Crowd Work Class and all I have to say is that I really learned technique I wouldn’t have picked up by doing self study. The things I learned taking this class I have already been putting to practice when I am on stage. Having the foundation that Laughing Buddha Comedy classes teach I feel will help me grow as a professional comedian to be able to let my voice be heard.

Great open mics, especially when you’re starting out. The crowd is supportive most of the time, and there are incentives for comics to stay until the end of the mic. There are a lot of times and locations to choose from, so you can easily find a mic that works with your schedule.

My son is a 19 year old stand up comic. I go with him to MANY open Mics in NYC and NJ. The people who run LBC are amazing. Professional and considerate for the comedians there craft and time. This transfers over to the comedians who respect each other and try and help out. Best group in NYC.

This place was not funny! Drinks and service was horrible as well. It’s a shame all the best comedy clubs are dying.

i had my second time performing comedy ever here. The staff was so sweet and professional. The crowd is nice and intimate and i won a chip afterwards. Im definitely going back.

Absolutely horrible!!!
I was looking for a comedy club for my birthday– wanted to have a fun night out in the city with some friends and came across laughing buddah. I called and was told there were two shows– one at 830 and one at 1030 at a different location both of which were a $ 5 cover and one item minimum. It turned out to be the worst night of my life. I was surprised to find out there was no cover or drink minimum but got some drinks anyways and didn’t ask questions. Once the show started I come to find out that it was open mic night… which NO ONE told me when I called. Not only were we pretty much the only audience members other than the people performing but every single person was absolutely horrible with the exception of ONE lady. One guy who went on stage stood up there for 10 minutes talking about how he didn’t know what to say! PAINFUL to say the least. We were all falling asleep and miserable, it totally killed our buzz and was a waste of a night in the city. Not only was it a terrible night for me, but I now felt bad that I dragged my friends into this! Thank you for ruining birthday.
I am all for open mic nights for those who think it’s fun or want to get into it but a business should absolutely inform people of what is going on so one can make the proper decision of whether or not they should go!!! For those working there please tell people the TRUTH about scheduled performances and for anyone thinking about going to any of their «shows» or open mic nights — worst comedy EVER!!! SO DISAPPOINTED!!!
I would give this 0 stars if I could !

I love this school.
My instructor was Jeff Lawrence and he is funny as hell, thoughtful in his critiques and really gives you great direction as well as the scoop on the industry and gearing towards being a professional comedian.
What you put into it is what you get out of it.
Before you even have your first day of class, you have an assignment to get you thinking about the profession and what you’d like to get out of it. When you start the first class you jump right into things. They provide the lessons, the constructive critique, the space to work and the rest is up to you. At the time I signed up for the class (Q1 2015) they included two FREE open mics a week with your package. That’s three opportunities a week to work your material alone.
You can definitely see the progress of the people who are going to the mics. Their material and their style definitely evolves quicker than the people who aren’t. The culmination of the class is the showcase where you get up on stage at a comedy club and show em’ what you can do to a live audience. The recording of your set is just the icing on the cake!
I definitely feel like it was worth every bit of my tuition and then some. They don’t sugar coat anything and they tell you how the industry is, whether you like it or not.
If you’re thinking of attending a class, look no further than Laughing Buddha’s comedy school. If you think it isn’t worth your time and you aren’t going to learn anything worth knowing, I suggest you think again!

As someone who was new to the comedy scene Laughing Buddha Comedy was a godsend. The mics are all supportive and fun, and no matter how badly you may bomb, there’s always someone with a nice piece of advice or a smile. Now that I’ve been doing comedy for a while I use these mics to work on new material, and the Industry Showcases have bumped my career to the next level. Whether you’re just starting out, or a pro, Laughing Buddha Comedy is definitely a company you want to be a part of.

I’ve been to one of the industry show at The Stand and I loved the Experience! Have went to many more after my first time. Great venue and great people!

Jeff has created a community in the comedy world. He runs the most inclusive and supportive open mics where people bring their A game out of respect for the art and each other. I attended the open mic at Klimat lounge yesterday and every comic was on. It was two hours of funny, thought provoking material, better than anything on broadway.

I found out about Laughing Buddha during a comedy class from another Comedy School and the members of the class wanted to go to ‘mics’ together. They settled on Laughing Buddha because, as they said, «THERE WAS A GOOD VIBE THERE’. I have not stopped going to Laughing Buddha since that class two years ago! I can choose to perform on Friday, Saturday or Sunday evenings… always very supportive, organized, fun, fairly priced (food at the places is good when I order food)… and there are free snacks after some mics! I invite guests because they get to see a free show. Call it an open mic or mic = they get a great free show!!! We eat, or have drinks to support the club!
Jeff Lawrence has a very empowering organization. I have done an Industry Show and got useful feedback, my guests enjoyed themselves, and it was rewarding to perform in that show. The industry guest spoke to me about what her company looks for — for advertisements.
I recommend going to the Laughing Buddha mics and joining the team of people. By that I mean, get yourself on the mailing list for the newsletter!
One last thing I want to say is… Jeff requests we are all a ‘TEAM’… and we all contribute!

I haven’t been to a comedy club in years, so when a guy with a sign approached me on the street, asking me if I wanted to see a comedy show, I figured, why not?
There was no cover charge, but there was a one or two drink minimum, I don’t remember which, but did get two drinks so it never came up as an issue.
As you enter you’re led directly down a set of stairs to a basement, and led to your seats. All of the seats have a small table in front for your drinks, and I expect you can probably order food too, but having just eaten I wasn’t hungry.
That night apparently the performance had been going on since 9pm, and would go on until 2am, with a different comic going on stage every 10 – 15 minutes.
That is the part I absolutely loved… even if the guy or gal on stage wasn’t doing that great they didn’t stay on for long so you got to hear quite a few different styles, and jokes.
The setting was also quite intimate, with just a small stage, and friendly heckling was part of the show as well. I admit to having been labeled the drunk guy in the back. Lies I tell you! Regardless unlike many comedy shows where there is little to no interaction with the crowd, here there was plenty and it led to greater enjoyment for all.
Having originally intended to spend just a few minutes there I instead stayed all the way to the end, and liked it.
Highly recommend it as something to do if you happen to be in the area.

I took the one-​night crowd work and hosting workshop with Jeff Lawrence. I found it super helpful. We got to get up and perform as if we were at a live show, using the class as an audience. Jeff gave direct and helpful feedback. He doesn’t bullshit — but he also doesn’t embarrass students. He’s a very good teacher. I highly recommend taking this class.
I also highly recommend the mics. You get to pre-​book online, which is amazing customer service. Also, people really pay attention during your sets, since we can’t be on our phones or in our notebooks.

This shit’s better– AND CHEAPER than therapy guys… It puts the work on YOU
I grew & learned more in the 6 weeks I was in Jeff’s class than my entire first year as an open micer. It accelerated my growth as a comic exponentially… I noticed an almost immediate difference each week, as we gained additional positive, constructive criticism on our writing, technique, character, etc as well as suggestions for directions in which we could build.
Also, he makes sure that you understand everything he says is a SUGGESTIONS there’s no right or wrong way to do stand up, but to a certain extent, it IS a science & Jeff helps u find the route to discovery.
I WAS a shaking mess. Now I’m a shaking, confident, comic… I hope it lets me post this anonymously… I’m not the type to kiss ass like this, unless it’s really deserved. & it is.
LB comics stand out. & the graduation show (at least for me) will never be forgotten.