Stand up comedy: could ya do it ?

[cocheese 0]

Looks aren't everything , What does it take to be funny
?
Can comedy be taught ?

[towerrat 0]

no, comedy can't be taught. It is a gift, not unlike singing, playing an instrument well or anything else.
Some people are just funny.

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes!

[VanillaSkyGirl 6]

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Looks aren't everything , What does it take to be funny?
Can comedy be taught ?

Not really. Some people are just freaking hysterical, and that's all there is to it. Being consistantly funny takes a quick wit, good timing and that special something that is elusive to so many. For every one truly funny person, there are a whole lot of wanna-be comedians/actors who are constantly trying to be funny...and, sadly, only succeeding in looking and sounding like a jackass.

That said, a truly gifted stand-up comedian is rare, but incredible to watch perform.

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[Evelyn 0]

I would love to do stand up comedy and even have some stuff rehearsed, but don't have the nerve to try it out. My daughter has a friend who does comedy at the Ice House (a local comedy club in Pasadena where a lot of comedians got their start) and he is prettty funny. I think one of these days I will get the nerve to try my comedy, but probably not for a while since I'm really shy.

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing ~ Helen Keller

[RkyMtnHigh 0]

a naturally gifted comedian and dz.commer is definitely Laurel! I just told her this past weekend that she should consider standup comedy! The expressions she uses and the way she tells a story is off the charts hilarious!

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[aprilcat 0]

I think you have to be born with a 'certain something' to be a comedian. A strong acting ability, a sense of self-depreciation, and the guts to walk off the stage when you're dying and keep trying.

I have definite ideas about laughter in general...its a hostile act. A fun, but nevertheless hostile act.

Something gets broken--we laugh
Someone slips on a banana peel--we laugh (if its staged..if its real-life we ask if they are okay then we laugh.
Something always gets destroyed in the course of laughter. We don't laugh at the beautiful stuff. When someone says 'I love you' or gives you something special, there's no laughter. Let them do it while making a fart face, and its funny.

I don't think you can teach more than timing and some rehearsed material, but that ability to have people laugh at and with you comes from within and not everyone can do that professionally.~~April

Camelot II, the Electric Boogaloo!

[Kramer 0]

I have done it, and it's on video too!

I do some open mic night stuff at the clubs in Indy on occasion. It's exhilerating.

The FAKE KRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMER!!!!!!!!!

[RkyMtnHigh 0]

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I have done it, and it's on video too!

I do some open mic night stuff at the clubs in Indy on occasion. It's exhilerating.

pleez share some of your material!I'm in need of a good laugh

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[quade 4]

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Looks aren't everything , What does it take to be funny?
Can comedy be taught?

An amount of it -can- be taught; theory, writing, performance.

Anybody that says it -can't- be taught is either talking about the talent part (which is substantial) or just hasn't studied it.

And . . . it -can- be coached just like almost any other performance skill.

If you live in the right part of the country (ok, LA, Chicago or New York) you can find a number of places to take classes or join up in improv groups.

Does this mean you'll actually be creative and successful? Well, probably not any more so than buying a lottery ticket guarantees you'll win a million dollar jackpot, but you -can- probably do well at an open mic night and maybe even do some small gigs unless you're -really- pathetic (hell, even then).

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[Deuce 1]

Yeah.

Do it all the time.

You know what?

Time for open mike in SF.

[BGill 0]

In high school I took drama for 4 years, and in senior year we were given an assignment to write a stand-up routine. Everyone was thrilled about the excitement, but after about 2 weeks of writing their routines, we were all scared shitless because it was so much harder than we had originally thought. Even these 2 guys that were like comical prodigies (seriously, the 2 funniest people I had ever met, they were on a professional improv comedy team in high school) found it hard as hell.

Point of the story: Standup is a hell of a lot harder than most people think. Even if you're funny in real life and you tell great jokes, there's a lot more to stand-up than that like timing, transitions, flow, not laughing at yourself.

So in re: "can it be taught?" I think that for a truly funny person, yes you can teach them ways to make them presentable on stage, but you cant just take any random person and throw them up on stage. Even if you give them a hilarious bit on paper, they still won't be all that funny. This is why I have so much respect for stand up comedians.

Some of my favs: Mitch Hedberg, Dave Chappelle, Brian Regan, Robin Williams

[Kramer 0]

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Do it all the time.

That's cool.

The FAKE KRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMER!!!!!!!!!

[PeteH 0]

I did my first open mic set last spring.

At first I sent some material for a club organizer, who liked it and wanted me to do a trial set (offstage) and then if I'll do ok, I'd do my set onstage the next club evening.

When I went to the club, he said it's pointless to perform for a comedian. Just go onstage tonight.

That made me really scared, 'cos I wasn't prepared for it, but still did it and had great time. Made some people laugh too.

Will do some sets this year later (one confirmed, and other one almost sure) this year.

There are some elements in comedy that can be taught, but not everyone will be able to do it.

There are people who can write funny stuff, but won't be able to go on stage. And there are people who won't come up with any material, but they are great actors and perform a written script like it's their own improvising.

I've always been very creative so it's quite easy (still it's very hard work to write a 15 minute set) for me to come up with material.
Too bad that I'm very critic at myself, so most of the stuff I write I throw away or rewrite later, 'cos after few days they don't sound funny enough.

What it takes to be funny? I think most important thing in sense of humour is the ability to laugh at yourself. And world would be a better place if everyone could do that.