Tony Vicich is the owner and an instructor at comedyschools.com Tony teaches the Beginning and Advanced Stand Up comedy classes.
Starting his stand up comedy career in Los Angeles in 1985, Tony Vicich had been a national touring stand up comic for over 19 years. Prior to stand up comedy, Tony was a scholarship student at the world famous Lee Strasberg Institute. His television credits include EVENING AT THE IMPROV, SHOWTIME, MTV, COMEDY CENTRAL, FOX, and TNN.
In the mid-nineties he created and produced the television show TNN’S COMEDY ROUND UP. He has written for some of the top comics in the country, including Jay Leno, Bill Hicks, Ritch Shydner, and Craig Shoemaker
For many years Tony owned his own comedy club and talent booking agency. An expert in the field of one person shows, he directed Ritch Shyder’s THE ADVENTURES OF CANYON MAN and was the creative consultant on Comedian of the Year Craig Shoemaker’s sold out one man show WHOSE YOUR DADDY.
Tony’s workshops have taken people all the way from a Free Intro Class to national television. Former students and alumni have appeared on Last Comic Standing, The Jimmy Kimmel Show, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, episodic television, and commercials. Our alumni also excel in the field of dramatic acting. Most notably we are proud ofJosh McDermitt. For several years he has portrayed Eugene on AMC’s The Walking Dead.
When asked what makes him different from most stand up comedy teachers, Tony said, “I guess the fact that I learned how to teach what I know how to do. A lot of people know how to do something, but don’t know how to teach it. Like when my Dad taught me how to drive. He knew how to do it, but I don’t think he knew how to teach it! That probably explains all of my accidents and speeding tickets! I just hope I can help people avoid the car wrecks that come with learning our craft.
I met Tony Vicich in 1985. He wrote jokes for me then that still work. Over the years he also provided sage advice and stage time. I consider Tony one of the most knowledgeable people in standup comedy and the best kind of friend. Most importantly, he always makes me laugh, hard.
Ritch Shydner
The Tonight Show
Married With Children
HBO
Tony Vicich is a highly decorated stand up comedy headliner for the past forty years performing coast to coast with his brilliant wit and crowd pleasing humor about life, the world, the nation and the very human condition itself.
Audience adore Tony. In recent years Tony has made it his mission give back to the stand up comedy craft he loves by training new comedians with his comedy classes, turning Open Mic Wannabes into established club headliners. Tony operates out of Arizona, and he is known from LA to New York as a master practitioner of the craft.
Many young comedians flock to Phoenix as they would to college to learn from the grand master himself, who provides both the class time and the stage time for rookies to develop their talants and start their journey up the ladder of success, a ladder Tony climbed long ago and is now so generously willing to share the view with those with talent and willingness to learn and persevere.
Argus Hamilton
The Tonight Show
Richard Pryor Show
Comedy Store regular since 1976