Photo Flash: LA City Council Honors The Groundlings on Their 45th Anniversary

In acknowledgement of 45 years of artistic achievement in theater, improv and sketch comedy, the City of Los Angeles and Councilmember Paul Kortez of the Fifth District hosted a special City Council presentation to honor The Groundlings, a non-profit theatre that has provided the city with decades of laughter.

1974, The Groundlings Theatre and School has been the foremost comedy training ground in Hollywood and the springboard for countless careers including comic geniuses from film and television such as Melissa McCarthy, Will Ferrell, Maya Rudolph, and Kristen Wiig, among others. You can catch current Groundlings and recent alumni on shows and films such as Saturday Night Live (Mikey Day, Heidi Gardner & Chloe Fineman), The Righteous Gemstones (Edi Patterson & Tony Cavalero), Community (Jim Rash), A.P. Bio (Lyric Lewis), and Brittany Runs a Marathon (Jillian Bell & Michaela Watkins) to name a few.

During the presentation, Councilmember Paul Koretz stated, "It's almost 35 years to the day since my second date with my wife Gail at the Groundlings Theatre, and I believe that a night of laughter solidified that relationship and we've been inseparable ever since. I have a lot of gratitude for them and for them having supplied the city of Los Angeles and beyond with decades of laughter."

Founding member of The Groundlings Laraine Newman also added, "I am a native of Los Angeles - my dad was born here in 1916, so this my home town. Starting out as just an improv workshop, I don't think any of us ever considered the longevity that we would enjoy. We never imagined that the Groundlings would represent Los Angeles, and yet have a reach further than that producing writers, actors, directors, talk show hosts, Emmy Award winners and even Academy Award winners. I'm so proud of what The Groundlings has achieved. I'm especially proud that our level of excellence has made us the home team for Saturday Night Live. On behalf of The Groundlings, I want to thank you so much for this incredible honor."

Additional information about The Groundlings 45th Anniversary special events taking place this month can be found here: groundlings.com/45anniversary.