The 'Harold', an innovative improvisational tool, helped many actors on the road to TV and film stardom, including George Wendt (Norm on Cheers). Now it is described fully in this new book for would-be actors and comics. The 'Harold' is a form of competitive improv involving 6 or 7 players. They take a theme suggestion from the audience and 'free ...
All the world loves a clown and whether you want to clown around at parties or make a living as a standup comic, comedian Judy Carter can show you how to 'do' comedy.
David Letterman, Jay Leno, Robin Williams and Andy Kaufman and many other soon-to-be-stars were once young, broke and funny in 1970's LA. They were also friends...until one event changed everything I'm Dying Up Here chronicles the collective coming of age of the stand-up comedians who defined American humour during the past three decades. Born ...
Carlin waxes wickedly philosophical in this hilarious new collection of razor-sharp observations. The bestselling author of "Brain Droppings" proves once again that he's one comic who can successfully make the transition from stage to page with his ironic take on life's annoying universal truths.
Written by an experienced stand-up comic, this is a practical, hands-on guide for actors and performers. With observations on what it is that makes comedy work, Jay Sankey guides the performer through the challenges of being funny in public. Covering writing, character, delivery, performance, set structure, audiences, professional work, and ...
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; getting experience; and lots more. Essential for the aspiring comic or the working comedian ...
Offers invaluable advice on getting good material, rehearsing and polishing an act, conversing with an audience, taking charge of an audience, learning from past performances, and much more.
No one knows more about being funny than The Friars Club, and now they reveal their personal tricks of the trade-and give away their favorite material--in this easy-to-use manual for aspiring comics, comedy writers or just plain show-offs. The funniest men and women in showbiz discuss the art of being funny, and author Barry Dougherty puts it ...
Based in part on extensive interviews, this book examines the shift in comedy that occurred beginning in the 1950s. The comedians of that decade and the next were radically different from those that preceded them, and Nachman's study looks at them, their differing styles, and how each was to affect the comedy that was to come.
Provides information for aspiring comedians, discussing how to create a routine and hone ideas, working with a comedy buddy, how to develop and polish material, how to get started in the business, and how to get paid.
A complete improvisation curriculum in twenty-four class-length units. This comprehensive resource who shows the who, what, when, why and how of comedy improvisation. Main topics: What is improv?; Improvisational skills; Structuring; Strategies; How to start your own improvisation team. Includes many games and exercises.
Comedian Richard Belzer promises that he can turn anyone into a stand-up comedian. Here he makes good on that promise and provides a generous helping of laughs in the process. This irreverents and informative book prepares wannabe comedians with tips and inside information from a seasoned veteran. Photographs.
Based on extensive interviews with club owners, agents, producers--and with unprecedented and unlimited access to the players themselves--this work is a no-holds-barred, behind-the-scenes look at one of the most influential and tumultuous decades in American popular culture.
"Stand-Up Comedy in Theory, or Abjection in America" is the first study of stand-up comedy as a form of art. John Limon appreciates and analyses the specific practice of stand-up itself, moving beyond theories of the joke, of the comic, and of comedy in general to read stand-up through the lens of literary and cultural theory. Limon argues that ...
Make 'Em Laugh features the most popular routines, the most ingenious physical schtick, the snappiest wisecracks and the most biting satire of the last century. It helps readers understand who we are as a nation, what we have laughed at, and why. By melding comedy dialogue with biography and American history, Make 'Em Laugh informs as it ...
This funny book about being funny aims to show how aspiring comedians can find a sense of humour and presentation style, market their act and contact agents. It contains interviews with 16 famous stand-up comics including: Jeff Foxworthy, Drew Carey, Carrot Top and others.
If you want to build a stand-up comedy career, this book is a must read. If you want to write comedy, this book is a must-read. If you simply enjoy comedy ...this book is a must read. Part One offers essential advice about understanding the fundamentals of stand-up, studying other comedians, finding your own style, writing your material, working ...
The first and only book to take readers fully into the bizarre universe of the stand-up comic, from its earliest origins in the antics of Milton Berle and Sid Caesar to today's hottest acts.
With an introduction to each artist, transcripts and audio of the routines and special added extra material bring you the following. Rory Bremner, the best impressionist in the world, does Prince Charles Monty Python's unmatched Dead Parrot Eddie Izzard's bizarre world reaches its height in Cats and Dogs Lenny Henry does Delbert Wilkins, the ...
Contributors on the topic of stand-up on TV include: Bob Hope, Dick Gregory, David Brenner, Phyllis Diller, Eddie Murphy, Lenny Bruce, Brett Butler, Elayne Boosler, Robert Klein, Rita Rudner, David Letterman, Bill Cosby, Jay Leno, Ellen DeGeneres, Redd Fox, Woody Allen, Rodney Dangerfield, as well as an interview with George Plimpton, who tried it ...
"The Rough Guide to British Cult Comedy" is the ultimate guide to live and television comedy in Britain from the 1980s to the present day. From Ben Elton to Alan Carr, this book profiles fifty of the most influential cult comedy icons and discovers how they became household names. Throughout the book, there are tips from comedians and industry ...
Following her good-times-for-all, smash-hit "Boredom Blasters, " Helaine Becker serves up another barrel of laughs in this book for now and future jokesters. Young readers learn how to prepare a comedy routine and how to draw their own comic strips. They discover what separates a good clown from a stupendous one, and how to perform clown routines ...
The popular stand-up comedian and sitcom star muses on life--his and ours. Carlin offers an outrageous take on aspects of everyday life that we all seem to accept, and has an ear for what should be jarring in everyday language.
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