Comedy—like Helios's chariot—has its roots in ancient Greece, brings light and warmth to the world, and can prove hazardous to one's health with an amateur at the helm. Instead, let the pros damage your funny bone irrevocably with today's Groupon to Improv Asylum in North End. Choose between the following options:

• For $99, you get Level One improv training classes (a $260 value). Patrons must contact Improv Asylum's Training Center to reserve a spot in their preferred class date and time.

• For $28, you get two tickets to an Improv Asylum theater show (a $46 value). This Groupon is not valid for Saturday shows or special events. Tickets are subject to availability.

Boasting a packed schedule of shows, the Improv Asylum not only creates a safe habitat where restrained tee-hees can morph into shameless guffaws, but also hosts a team of improv instructors who teach students how to garner their own giggles. During the Asylum's eight-week, Level One improv program, you'll spend two hours each week learning the essentials of good scene work that is vital to ad-libbed hilarity. Mastering the art of "yes, and…" will improve your ability to think faster on your feet, tap into a distinctive comedic voice, and earn more laughs at auditions and Senate hearings.

Non-comedic duos that'd rather participate in a live laugh track can instead purchase tickets to a show produced by Improv Asylum, such as Improv Asylum's Main Stage Show, which hosts a gaggle of epigrammatic comedians in a production that combines elements of Whose Line Is It Anyway? with Saturday Night Live!. The cast takes suggestions from the audience to create off-the-cuff comedic scenes that are as unpredictable as a staring contest with an orangutan (see Improv Asylum's schedule and seating chart).