Comedy Acting for Theatre

by Sidney Homan
Comedy Acting for Theatre
Author: Sidney Homan
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 205
Release: 2018-02-22
Genre: Drama
ISBN: 1350012785
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Analysing why we laugh and what we laugh at, and describing how performers can elicit this response from their audience, this book enables actors to create memorable – and hilarious – performances. Rooted in performance and performance criticism, Sidney Homan and Brian Rhinehart provide a detailed explanation of how comedy works, along with advice on how to communicate comedy from the point of view of both the performer and the audience. Combining theory and performance, the authors analyse a variety of plays, both modern and classic. Playwrights featured include Harold Pinter, Tom Stoppard, Christopher Durang, and Michael Frayn. Acting in Shakespeare's comedies is also covered in depth.

Stand-Up Comedy

by Judy Carter
Stand-Up Comedy
Author: Judy Carter
Publisher: Dell
Total Pages: 241
Release: 2010-03-03
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 0307575209
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If you think you’re funny, buy this book! Whether you dream of becoming a star . . . A better public speaker . . . A more effective communicator . . . A funnier, happier human being . . . You can learn to leave ‘em laughing! David Letterman learned to do it. Jay Leno learned to do it. Roseanne Barr learned to do it. So can you! Now successful stand-up comic Judy Carter—who went from teaching high school to performing in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Lake Tahoe, and on over 45 major TV shows—gives you the same hands-on, step-by-step instruction she’s taught to students in her comedy workshops. She shows you how to do it: create an act, perform it, make money with it, or apply it to everyday life. Discover: • The formulas for creating comedy material • How to find your own style • The three steps to putting your act together • Rehearsal do’s and don’ts • What to do if you bomb • Ways to punch up your everyday life with humor

Don't Wear Shorts on Stage

by Rob Durham
Don't Wear Shorts on Stage
Author: Rob Durham
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2011-12-20
Genre: Stand-up comedy
ISBN: 9781468004847
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Rob Durham has written a book on the ins and outs of being a stand-up comic. Hilarious and enlightening, he uses some funny experiences of his own with famous and not-so-famous people to give some great tips on getting started in the biz. "Rob Durham 'gets it' as a performer and a teacher of how to get going in the comedy business. He covers the little things that so many new guys ignore. This is the book I would have written. . . if I had the time, interest, or word-processor." --Jimmy Pardo"I support this book unconditionally!" --Maria Bamford"Read this book before going to your next open mic night." --Tommy Johnagin

Acting Comedy

by Christopher Olsen
Acting Comedy
Author: Christopher Olsen
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 181
Release: 2015-08-27
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 131748665X
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Despite being roundly cited as much harder to perform than its dramatic counterpart, comic acting is traditionally seen as a performance genre that can’t be taught. At best it is often described as a skill that can only be learned "on the job" through years of practice, or given to a performer through natural talent. Acting Comedy is an effort to examine this idea more rigorously by looking at different aspects of the comic actor’s craft. Each chapter is written by an expert in a particular form—from actors and directors to teachers and standup comedians. Topics covered include: how performers work with audiences how comic texts can be enhanced through word and musical rhythm analysis how physical movements can generate comic moments and build character. This book is an invaluable resource for any performer focusing on the minute details of comic acting, even down to exactly how one delivers a joke on stage. Christopher Olsen’s unique collection of comic voices will prove essential reading for students and professionals alike.

Step by Step to Stand-up Comedy

by Greg Dean
Step by Step to Stand-up Comedy
Author: Greg Dean
Publisher: Heinemann Drama
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2000
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 9780325001791
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If you think you're funny, and you want others to think so too, this is the book for you! Greg Dean examines the fundamentals of being funny and offers advice on a range of topics, including: writing creative joke material rehearsing and performing routines coping with stage fright dealing with emcees who think they're funnier than you are getting experience and lots more. Essential for the aspiring comic or the working comedian interested in updating his or her comedy routine, Step by Step to Stand-Up Comedy is the most comprehensive and useful book ever written on the art of the stand-up comedian.

Performing in Comedy

by Ian Wilkie
Performing in Comedy
Author: Ian Wilkie
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 239
Release: 2016-04-20
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 131742929X
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Ian Wilkie contends that comic acting is a distinct art form, and as such demands a unique skillset. By exploring the ways in which performance choices and improvised moments can work in conjunction with texts themselves, Performing in Comedy offers an indispensable practical tool for enhancing comic performance. This volume is a must-read for any actors, directors or students who work with comic texts. Wilkie synthesises theories and principles of comedy with practical tips, and re-evaluates the ways in which these ideas can be used by the performer. Most importantly, these skills – timing, focus, awareness – are teachable rather than being innate talents. Exercises, interviews and guides to further resources enhance this comprehensive exploration of comic acting.

Performing Greek Comedy

by Alan Hughes
Performing Greek Comedy
Author: Alan Hughes
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 329
Release: 2012
Genre: Drama
ISBN: 1107009308
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A new account of Greek comedy performance from its sixth-century origins to New Comedy, drawing upon fresh visual evidence.

Standup Comedy 101

by Jim Rauth
Standup Comedy 101
Author: Jim Rauth
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Total Pages: 62
Release: 2017-07-04
Genre:
ISBN: 9781548618131
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"If you're looking at this book, trust your instincts," says Jim Rauth founder of the Comedy College a standup comedy school located in Milwaukee and Chicago. Jim has been teaching "Standup Comedy 101" for the last 19 years. Jim's students have appeared on HBO, Comedy Central, NBC's "Last Comic Standing", Jimmy Fallon, Conan O'Brien and more! Jim also has managed a comedy club and has produced over 600 comedy shows. "In the early years, I was producing an open mic in Chicago and in the same room we had TJ Miller, Kumail Nanjiani, Kyle Kinane, Nate Bargatze and Hanibal Burress when they were starting their careers on a Tuesday," said Rauth. If you're looking to be funnier for the next party or you're heading for a national television gig, this workbook will get you there. It's worked for numerous Comedy College students who have made to national television shows and others who make their living doing standup. The book is an easy read and the exercises are simple to follow. It's designed to help you get your comedy act together for you first comedy performance, and then to help you keep building your comedy career.

Mastering Stand-Up

by Stephen Rosenfield
Mastering Stand-Up
Author: Stephen Rosenfield
Publisher: Chicago Review Press
Total Pages: 242
Release: 2017-11-01
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 1613736959
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Stephen Rosenfield, founder and director of the American Comedy Institute, the premier comedy school in the United States, has taught literally dozens of major standup comics in North America, and has also pioneered comedy as an academic discipline in many universities, a trend that is rapidly spreading. Mastering Stand-Up draws on Rosenfield's own extensive experience (and those of countless stars like Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor, Chris Rock, Rodney Dangerfield, Louis C.K., Steve Martin, Roseanne, and Johnny Carson) to show the reader—and would-be comic—what works, what doesn't, and why. Forty sharply written chapters cover every conceivable angle of the joke and how to tell it. There are a number of books on comedy and how to do it, but none has the breadth and authority Rosenfield brings to his theme. It's not for nothing that the New York Times has described him as "probably the best-known comedy teacher in the country." Rosenfield's book is sure to become the classic text on its subject. And it should help thousands who long to make others laugh to realize their fondest hopes.