Stand-up comedy  

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Stand-up comedy is a comic style in which a comedian performs in front of a live audience, usually speaking directly to them. The performer is commonly known as a comic, stand-up comic, stand-up comedian or simply a stand-up. In stand-up comedy the comedian usually recites a fast-paced succession of humorous stories, short jokes called "bits", and one-liners, which constitute what is typically called a monologue, routine or act. Some stand-up comedians use props, music or magic tricks to enhance their acts. Stand-up comedy is often performed in comedy clubs, bars, nightclubs, neo-burlesques, colleges, and theaters.

Jester's privilege

Jester's privilege

Audiences enter into an unspoken contract, suspending the normal social rules and allowing unexpected, controversial or scandalous subjects. Their ability to understand the premise and appreciate it determines whether a joke produces a laugh or scathing disapproval.

Stand-up differs from most other performing arts in that the comedian is usually the only thing on-stage, is addressing the audience directly as a combined entity or as a group of individuals, the material while pre-written should be perceived as a spontaneous conversation, the performance only fully succeeds if these interactions are correctly balanced while both discouraging heckling and creating a sense of intimacy.

Part of the appeal for an audience is in the appreciation of the skill of the comic's performance, as for most people the idea of standing on stage is extremely daunting. Similarly the shared communal experience of being part of an audience, the sense of intimacy, sharing an exclusive and unique event is a compelling and enjoyable aspect of the comedy show.

The audience is integral to the experience of live comedy, both as a foil to the comedian and as a contributing factor to the overall quality of the experience, The use of canned laughter in television comedy reveals this, with shows often seeming dry or dull without it and may be filmed in front of a live audience for the same reason.

See also

See also




Unless indicated otherwise, the text in this article is either based on Wikipedia article "Stand-up comedy" or another language Wikipedia page thereof used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License; or on research by Jahsonic and friends. See Art and Popular Culture's copyright notice.

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