We are so proud to have been named number 14 of the Top 20 Stand Up Comedy Blogs to help new and emerging standup comedy writers by Feedspot. Look out for some entries coming up in 2024 for comedy improvisation and standup comedy.
COMEDY CADENCE. Mastering rhythm
(Especially when performing for non-native speakers) Controlling your cadence is crucial for any stand-up comedian. But it becomes even more important when performing for audiences where English may not be the primary language. In this post, we’ll look at cadence techniques to maximize laughs, as well as specific tips for …
POINT-OF-VIEW. The Heart of a Joke
Your joke needs at least 2 parts, a setup and punchline. This is joke structure. But what makes a joke very satisfying is attitude. What is it you are really trying to say? Having a clear point-of-view is what helps you create a relationship to your audience. Ideally every joke, …
SETUP & PUNCHLINE. The two parts of jokes
The key to writing a successful joke is to make sure you understand how joke structure works. PREMISE. First you need a setup. This is a topic that is what your joke is about. It could be about relationships or politics or or even an anecdote of something that happened …
ACTING EXERCISES FOR STANDUP COMEDIANS
Here are some solo exercises you can use to improve your acting skills. Good actors can make things believable. Being credible onstage for an actout joke or a sincere punchline is crucial. You also need performance skills and good vocal variety. Try these tools from the world of acting when …
NEW JOKES OR OLD JOKES?
Hopefully some of the jokes you wrote from your first open mic got a response. Keep whatever was working for you, and bring those jokes back. Can you add new jokes to the same premise? (A Tag). A lot of knowing if jokes work comes from practicing the jokes multiple …
185 BLANKS WALK INTO A BAR
A joke writing format from improvisation comedy. This is a fun exercise you can play alone or with fellow comedians to work on your punchlines. You have a fixed setup and you can make multiple punchlines. First you need to think of a random object or ask an online tool …
COMEDY PODCASTS. For comedians by comedians.
The Best Podcasts for Stand-Up Comedians Learning Comedy You can learn a lot from the pros. We recommend the following podcasts which are specifically for LEARNING to write comedy. Topics covered are everything from comedy personas to breaking down joke structure and performance skills. The Comedian’s Comedian Podcast Stuart Goldsmith …
APPS AND TOOLS FOR COMEDIANS
FIVE Websites, apps and tools to help you with writing 1 – ORGANISE YOUR JOKES However you prefer to organise your jokes, Evernote will make that process easier. You can set up Notebooks with specific functions, tag jokes, search your database of jokes. With a premium account you can use …
THE SECOND OPEN MIC
So you survived your first standup comedy open mic. Congratulations. Whether you killed it or you bombed or (more likely) something in between, you are no longer a standup comedy virgin. You got up there and showed the audience you have a right to be on that stage. Congrats. Now …
WRITING YOUR FIRST FIVE MINUTES OF COMEDY
So you want to start standup comedy. Where to start? A good way to find topics for your first five minutes of standup comedy is to have a think about yourself… what’s unique about you? What are your most pronounced personality traits? You cannot control whether an audience will laugh at your …
JOKE INSPIRATION LIST.
Check out our joke inspiration list before heading to your next open mic. For new comedians it can be difficult to know what you should write jokes about. For more experienced comedians it can be easy to get writers block and not be able to think of any fresh ideas. …
WRITING SETUPS FOR JOKES.
Random Punchlines – A setup joke writing exercise. It is helpful to be able to separate a punchline from the setup. Below are a list of 30 punchlines to real jokes. You should pick a random punchline and write as many setups as you possibly can for it. Setups should …
PREMISE DECONSTRUCTION. Using Improvisation to find Joke Premises
As a standup, you know the importance of strong, focused premises. But coming up with great ideas can be difficult. Taking a tip from improv can help spark new premises in a low-pressure, creative way. The format “Armando” asks an improviser to give a truthful, autobiographical monologue about a word …
JOKE RACK SIMILES. Comparing unlike things.
Write original punchlines using comparisons to random objects. Fill In The Blanks with an object, and then write your own punchline. Sex with me is like a (blank). We will choose ‘meeting’ for this example.. Now write your own punchline. It lasts too long and 80% of the people don’t …