Since the early ’90s, Un-Cabaret has been serving up fresh, original laughs to a crowd looking for something a little more original and edgy than what the generic Hollywood comedian has to offer.

Greg Miller, producer for Un-Cabaret, says the show was the idea of Beth Lapides. The comedienne, author, actress and artist became fed up with the standup comedy scene that was in L.A. at the time, so she created the comedy show.

"[Un-Cabaret] is a place where writers and comedians can perform material they really care about, [as] opposed to the mainstream comedy clubs where it’s all about setup, punch line and jokes per minute," Miller says. "We don’t care if the comedian takes some time to get to the joke."

Lapides felt that there was an audience of people who didn’t want to go to clubs for their laughs because the comedy was often degrading toward minority groups and homosexuals. As a result, the comedy featured at Un-Cabaret is different than most other comedy clubs in the city.

Miller says the show tries to work with progressive comedians that tell a humorous story in a comedy-based venue rather than a club "where everybody’s telling dick jokes and it’s all about selling drinks."

David Cross, Margaret Cho and Bobcat Goldthwait are just some of the well known comics that have graced Un-Cabaret’s stage.

"We try to work with progressive comedians. A lot of people that left standup [comedy] because it was so horrible often come to Un-Cabaret," Miller says. "Un-Cabaret features stuff that’s deeper and darker than straight comedy. It’s [about] things that are really happening in people’s lives [so] it’s more personal and real."

Originally at Luna Park for seven years, Un-Cabaret now features a show every other week at M-Bar in Hollywood. True to the groundbreaking style of Un-Cabaret, ticket prices for each event are only $10.

Aside from simply putting on a show, Un-Cabaret also offers courses for the aspiring comedian dubbed "The Un-Cab Lab."

"The courses are fun. We have some magicians, college students and ‘Mad TV’ writers. Even people who are working on one-person shows often come to us with an idea to see if it works," Miller says. "It’s a great place for people who think they want to write comedy and people who want to get better at it."

For $300 a month, students meet at the Lab held at M-Bar from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. each Sunday. Each session has limited space, which allows for individual attention for each student.

Un-Cabaret also offers a contest for TV writers called "The Other Network TV Writing Contest." The contest gives people the opportunity to submit half-hour and hour-long TV scripts. Winning scripts receive script notes from an industry writer. The deadline for the contest is July 1.

"In most contests you submit your script and get a couple hundred bucks," Miller says. "Our winning scripts will be read by top TV writers and, in an ideal world, they would want to work with you. In the least, they will help work with your script."

Through performances, classes or networking, and whether you’re a comedian or a patron, Un-Cabaret definitely isn’t just serving up the same old shtick.

For ticket reservations, call (323) 993-3305. Dinner reservations are guaranteed a table if guests arrive by 7:15 p.m. For more information, visit www.uncabaret.com.