Performing comedy for the first time — whether it's improv, sketch or standup — can be an intimidating experience, which keeps a lot of would-be first-timers from taking a stab at it. Luckily for panicky novices, though, there are several well-regarded programs that hold your hand through the getting-your-feet-wet process. While conventional wisdom seems to dictate that with standup, it's best to get started by performing at an open mic instead of taking standup classes, sketch and improv lend themselves more to curriculum and classes, and several well-regarded schools have popped up over the past several decades to help wannabe performers get started.

Gawker guest editor Natasha VC, doing retrospective reviews of bar/bat mitzvahs she's been to.