The Groundlings Theatre Celebrates 45th Anniversary All October Long

Los Angeles' famed Groundlings Theatre is celebrating their 45th Anniversary next month with a series of exclusive events and performances that honor the legacy of the always hilarious Groundlings. The month-long celebration kicks off on October 2 with a weekly series of panels and will also feature two incredible nights of comedy featuring iconic sketches from unforgettable characters that originated at The Groundlings.

The Groundlings Panel Series will feature a variety of Main Company members and alumni and will take place every Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. The panels will be free and open to the public and attendees can reserve their spot by RSVPing at www.groundlings.com/45Anniversary. The line-up for the weekly panels is as follows and panel participants will be announced soon:

• Wednesday, October 2: Writing for TV/Film; moderated by Michael Churven
• Wednesday, October 9: Creating Solo Shows; moderated by Michael Churven
• Wednesday, October 16: Diversity in the Industry; moderated by Lyric Lewis
• Wednesday, October 23: SNL Alumni; moderated by Ariane Price
• Wednesday, October 30: Sister Groundlings: The Women of The Groundlings; moderated by Patty Guggenheim and Annie Sertich

The two-night sketch comedy extravaganza will then take place on Monday, October 21 and Tuesday, October 22, with night one celebrating cast members and iconic characters from 1974-1999 and night two hailing those from 2000-present. Performances will begin at 8:00 p.m. each night and tickets are $75.00, which include gourmet appetizers, specialty cocktails and desserts, followed by a celebratory toast with the cast!

Many Main Company members, alumni and special guests are scheduled to participate and attend over the two nights, including Jordan Black (Last Man Standing, Saturday Night Live), Stephanie Courtney (Progressive Insurance's Flo), Nat Faxon (The Way Way Back, The Descendants), Michael Hitchcock (Glee, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), Phil LaMarr (Pulp Fiction, Samurai Jack), Tracy Newman (According to Jim, The Drew Carey Show), Cheri Oteri (Saturday Night Live, Scary Movie), Jim Rash (Community, The Descendants), Mitch Silpa (Bridesmaids, The Happytime Murders), Mindy Sterling (Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, The Goldbergs), Lynne Marie Stewart (Pee-wee's Big Adventure, American Graffiti), and Michaela Watkins (Casual, Brittany Runs a Marathon) to name a few. Monday evening's iconic sketches will be directed by Groundlings alumna Deanna Oliver and Tuesday evening will be directed by Main Company member Lisa Schurga.

For more information, to purchase tickets, or to RSVP for the free panels, visit http://www.groundlings.com/45Anniversary. You can also follow The Groundlings on social media at @TheGroundlings for more details leading up to the event and a chance to win free swag throughout the entire month of October.

The Groundlings Theatre is located at 7307 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90046.