Stand-up comedy is a
comedic
Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...
performance to a live audience in which the performer addresses the audience directly from the stage. The performer is known as a
comedian, a comic or a stand-up.
Stand-up comedy consists of
one-liners, stories, observations or a
shtick
A shtick ( yi, שטיק) is a comic theme or gimmick. The word entered the English language from the Yiddish ''shtik'' (שטיק), in turn derived from German ''Stück'' and Polish ''sztuka'' (both ultimately from Proto-Germanic *''stukkiją'') ...
that may incorporate
props
A prop, formally known as (theatrical) property, is an object used on stage or screen by actors during a performance or screen production. In practical terms, a prop is considered to be anything movable or portable on a stage or a set, distinc ...
,
music
Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspe ...
,
magic tricks
Magic, which encompasses the subgenres of illusion, stage magic, and close up magic, among others, is a performing art in which audiences are entertained by tricks, effects, or illusions of seemingly impossible feats, using natural means. It ...
or
ventriloquism
Ventriloquism, or ventriloquy, is a performance act of stagecraft in which a person (a ventriloquist) creates the illusion that their voice is coming from elsewhere, usually a puppeteered prop known as a "dummy". The act of ventriloquism is ve ...
. It can be performed almost anywhere, including
comedy club
A comedy club is a venue—typically a nightclub, bar, hotel, casino, or restaurant—where people watch or listen to performances, including stand-up comedians, improvisational comedians, impersonators, impressionists, magicians, ventriloquist ...
s,
comedy festival
A comedy festival is a celebration of comedy with many shows, venues, comedy performers (such as stand up comics, sketch troupes, variety performers, etc.) and is held over a specific block of time. Normally, each festival has a diverse range of c ...
s, bars,
nightclub
A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music.
Nightclubs gener ...
s, colleges or
theatre
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...
s.
History
Stand-up as a
Western
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that id ...
art form has its roots in the
stump speech of American
minstrel shows
The minstrel show, also called minstrelsy, was an American form of racist theatrical entertainment developed in the early 19th century.
Each show consisted of comic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music performances that depicted people spec ...
, which featured an actor in
blackface delivering nonsensical monologue to the audience. While the intention of stump speeches was to mock African-Americans, they also occasionally contained political and social satire. The minstrel show would later influence theatrical traditions of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, such as
vaudeville
Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...
and
burlesque.
The first documented use of "stand-up" as a term was in ''
The Stage
''The Stage'' is a British weekly newspaper and website covering the entertainment industry and particularly theatre. It was founded in 1880. It contains news, reviews, opinion, features, and recruitment advertising, mainly directed at those wh ...
'' in 1911, detailing a woman named Nellie Perrier delivering 'stand up comic ditties in a
chic
Chic (; ), meaning "stylish" or "smart", is an element of fashion. It was originally a French word. Pronounced Chick.
Etymology
'' Chic'' is a French word, established in English since at least the 1870s. Early references in English diction ...
and charming manner', though this was used to describe a performance of
comedy songs
A novelty song is a type of song built upon some form of novel concept, such as a gimmick, a piece of humor, or a sample of popular culture. Novelty songs partially overlap with comedy songs, which are more explicitly based on humor, and ...
rather than stand-up comedy in its true modern form.
In ''
The Yorkshire Evening Post'' on November 10, 1917, the "Stage Gossip" column described the career of a comedian named Finlay Dunn. The article stated that Dunn was "what he calls 'a stand-up comedian'" during the latter part of the 19th century, although the term may have been used retrospectively.
Genres
![Bill-Bailey](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/Bill-Bailey.jpg)
Stand-up has multiple genres and styles with their own formats. Common ones include:
* Alternative: Intended to counter the established figures of mainstream comedy.
*
Character
Character or Characters may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk
* ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to The ...
: A fictional persona created by the performer.
* DIY: A "new alternative" to alternative comedy.
*
Musical: Humorous songs or musical parody sometimes without lyrics.
*
Observational
Observation is the active acquisition of information from a primary source. In living beings, observation employs the senses. In science, observation can also involve the perception and recording of data (information), data via the use of scienti ...
: Conversation on the absurdities of everyday life.
*
Satire
Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming ...
: Ridicule of celebrity, political figures, the establishment, religion or ideology.
Stand up performances
Opener, feature and headliner
![Joan Rivers at Udderbelly 09 (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a3/Joan_Rivers_at_Udderbelly_09_%28cropped%29.jpg)
The host, compere or
emcee "warms up" the audience and introduces the other performers. This is followed by the opener, the feature, then the headliner. The host may also double as an opener for smaller shows.
Proven comics can get regular bookings for club chains and comedy venues. Jobbing stand-ups may perform sets at two or more venues on the same day.
Open mic
Club and small venues often run
open mic
An open mic or open mike (shortened from "open microphone") is a live show at a venue such as a coffeehouse, nightclub, comedy club, strip club, or pub, usually taking place at night, in which audience members may perform on stage whether t ...
events; these slots may be booked in advance or left for walk-ins. Comedians use open mics to work on material or to show off their skills to get an opener slot. "Bringer shows" are open mics that require amateur performers to bring a specified number of paying guests with them in order to receive stage time.
Festivals
As well as being a mainstay of the comedy circuit,
festivals
A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival c ...
often also showcase up and coming acts, with promoters and agents using the festivals to seek out new talent.
Specials
Experienced comics with a popular following may produce a special. Typically lasting between one and two hours, a special may be recorded on tour or at a show advertised and performed specifically for the purpose. It may be released as a
comedy album
Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term origin ...
, video, or on television and
streaming services.
Comedy set
![Tiffany Haddish at Incirlik (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Tiffany_Haddish_at_Incirlik_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Routine
A stand-up defines their craft through the development of the routine or set. These are designed through the construction and revision of jokes and "bits" (linked jokes). The routine emerges from the arrangement of bits to build an interlinked narrative or overarching theme leading to the closer (the final joke that ties the themes of the show together in a satisfying or meaningful conclusion).
Most jokes are the juxtaposition of two incongruous things and are made up of the premise, set-up, and punchline, often adding a twist, topper or tagline for an intensified or extra laugh. Delivery relies on the use of intonation, inflection, attitude and timing or other stylistic devices such as the
rule of three, idioms, archetypes or wordplay. Another popular joke structure is the
paraprosdokian
A paraprosdokian () is a figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence, phrase, or larger discourse is surprising or unexpected in a way that causes the reader or listener to reframe or reinterpret the first part. It is frequently used f ...
, a surprising punchline that changes the context or meaning of the setup.
In order to falsely frame their stories as true or to free themselves of responsibility for breaking social conventions, comedians can use the
jester's privilege
A jester, court jester, fool or joker was a member of the household of a nobleman or a monarch employed to entertain guests during the medieval and Renaissance eras. Jesters were also itinerant performers who entertained common folk at fairs and ...
, the right to discuss and mock anything freely without being punished. "Punching up" and "punching down" describe who should be the "butt of the joke". This carries the assumption that, relative to the comedian's own
socio-political identity, comedy should "punch up" at the rich and powerful without "punching down" at those who are marginalized and less fortunate.
Joke theft
Appropriation and
plagiarism are considered "social crimes" by most stand-ups. There have been several high-profile accusations of joke theft, some ending in lawsuits for copyright infringement. Those accused will sometimes claim
cryptomnesia or parallel thinking, but it is difficult to successfully sue for joke theft regardless due to the
idea–expression distinction.
Audiences
![2007 Damon Wayans](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/2007_Damon_Wayans.jpg)
According to Anna Spagnolli, stand-up comedy audiences "are both 'co-constructors of the situation' and 'co-responsible for it'".
Audiences enter into an unspoken contract with the comedian in which they temporarily disregard normal social rules and accept the discussion of unexpected, controversial or scandalous subjects. The ability to understand the premise and appreciate the associated punchline determines whether a joke results in laughter or scathing disapproval.
Stand-up comedy differs from most other performing arts as the comedian is usually the only thing on stage and addresses the audience directly. The material should be perceived as spontaneous and only fully succeeds when the comic creates a sense of intimacy, while also discouraging
heckling.
Part of the appeal of stand up is in appreciation of the skill of the performer, most people find the idea of standing on stage extremely daunting; research on the subject has consistently found that the
fear of public speaking
Glossophobia or speech anxiety is the fear of public speaking. The word ''glossophobia'' derives from the Greek γλῶσσα ''glossa'' (tongue) and φόβος ''phobos'' (fear or dread.) The causes of glossophobia are uncertain but explanations i ...
is more intense than the
fear of dying.
The audience is integral to live comedy, both as a foil to the comedian and as a contributing factor to the overall experience. The use of
canned laughter
A laugh track (or laughter track) is a separate soundtrack for a recorded comedy show containing the sound of audience laughter. In some productions, the laughter is a live audience response instead; in the United States, where it is most common ...
in television comedy reveals this, with shows often seeming "dry" or dull without it. Shows may be filmed in front of a live audience for the same reason.
Terms
![BridgetChristieHoxtonHallColinHuttonedit](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7b/BridgetChristieHoxtonHallColinHuttonedit.jpg)
Beat: A pause specifically to create comic timing.
Bit: A section within a comedy show or routine.
Bombing: Failing to get laughs.
Callback: A reference to a joke earlier in the set.
Chewing the scenery: Being overly theatrical or "trying too hard" to get a laugh, especially when failing.
Chi-chi room: The ritzy room of a nightclub or a comedy club with niche performances.
Clapter: When the audience cheers or applauds an opinion that they agree with, but which is not funny enough for them to laugh at. Coined by
Seth Meyers.
Corpsing or breaking: When the comedian laughs unintentionally during a portion of the show in which they are supposed to keep a
straight face.
Crowd work: Talking directly with audience members through prewritten bits, improvisation or both.
Hack: A
clichéd or unskilled comic.
Killing and dying: When a stand-up does well, they are killing. If they are doing poorly, they are dying.
Mugging: Pulling silly faces to get a cheap laugh.
Punter: A member of the audience. Primarily a British term.
The room: The space where the performance takes place. Stand-ups can "read the room" to interpret signs from the audience or "work the room" by interacting with the audience directly.
Smelling the road: Claiming that one can "smell the road" on a comedian suggests they have compromised their originality or pandered to get laughs while touring.
Tight five: A five-minute routine that is well-rehearsed and consists of a comedian's best material that reliably gets laughs. It is often used for auditions and is a stepping stone to getting a paid spot.
Warm up: To warm up a "cold" audience during the opening act before the main show. Often used at the filming of television comedies in front of studio audiences.
Work out: The process in which brand new jokes are introduced and polished over time.
Records
Phyllis Diller
Phyllis Ada Diller (née Driver; July 17, 1917 – August 20, 2012) was an American stand-up comedian, actress, author, musician, and visual artist, best known for her eccentric stage persona, self-deprecating humor, wild hair and clothes, and ...
holds the
Guinness World Record for most laughs per minute, with 12.
Taylor Goodwin holds the Guinness World Record for most jokes told in an hour with 550.
Lee Evans sold £7 million worth of tickets for his 2011 tour in a day, the biggest first-day sale of a British comedy tour.
Peter Kay
British comedian
Peter Kay
Peter John Kay (born 2 July 1973) is an English actor, comedy writer and stand-up comedian. He has written, produced and acted in several television and film projects, and has written three books.
Born and brought up in Bolton, Kay studied ...
currently holds multiple records for his 2010-2011 show
The Tour That Doesn't Tour Tour...Now On Tour on a 112 date UK & Ireland arena tour.
*Longest individual run at the
Manchester Arena
Manchester Arena, currently referred to as the AO Arena for sponsorship reasons, is an indoor arena in Manchester, England, immediately north of the Manchester city centre, city centre and partly above Manchester Victoria station in air rights s ...
performing 20 nights.
*First ever stand-up comedian to play 15 sold out nights at The O2, London.
*The only British artist to ever play 20 consecutive nights at an arena.
*Over 1.2 million tickets sold in arenas across the UK and Ireland, making it the biggest stand-up comedy tour of all time.
See also
*
Macchietta
Macchietta (literally "little spot"; Plural: macchiette) is a form of comedy act which was common in Italian theatre between the late 1800s and the second half of the 1900s.
Style
The "macchietta" consisted in comic musical monologues caricatur ...
, 19th-century Italian comedy
*
Rakugo, Japanese one-man comedy
*
Manzai
is a traditional style of comedy in Japanese culture comparable to double act comedy or stand-up comedy.
usually involves two performers ()—a straight man () and a funny man ()—trading jokes at great speed. Most of the jokes revolve aro ...
, Japanese
double act comedy
*
Owarai
is a broad word used to describe Japanese comedy as seen on television. The word ''owarai'' is the honorific form of the word ''warai'' (by adding o- prefix), meaning "a laugh" or "a smile". ''Owarai'' is most common on Japanese variety show ...
, Japanese stand-up comedy
*
The Clown's Prayer, a poem or prayer that comedians use for inspiration
*
Xiangsheng
Xiangsheng (), also known as crosstalk or comic dialogue, is a traditional performing art in Chinese comedy, and one of the most popular elements in Chinese culture. It is typically performed as a dialogue between two performers, or rarely as ...
, Chinese stand-up comedy
References
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Stand-up comedy
Comedy genres
Comedy theatre
Humour
Live stand-up comedy shows
Show business terms
Stage terminology
Narrative techniques
Narratology