Stand-Up Comedy Writing
Stand-Up Comedy Writing is a 10-week workshop, which includes lectures, exercises, and the critiquing of student projects. It’s for beginners or anyone who wants to brush up on the fundamentals. Farther down, you can view a syllabus for this course. As a bonus, the course culminates with an optional performance at an NYC comedy club.
Comics say it’s the greatest high. You step into the light, take a swig of water, pick up the mic, then reduce a crowd of people to a mass of helpless laughter. Sure, the risks are great—silence, heckling, humiliation—but on a good night a stand-up feels richer than Notaro and Rock combined.
You “kill” or “die” depending on your material. Here you will learn techniques for writing and performing stand-up comedy, as well as how to market yourself.
Whether you favor shtick or sophistication, we’ll show you how to write standup material that makes ‘em laugh, and laugh some more.
Even if you never want to do stand up, this class is uplifting and light and a chance to laugh.
Christel Cothran
writer
Upcoming Classes
Check back soon. You'll likely see options when we finish our next schedule.
Syllabus
This course gives you a firm grounding in the basics of stand-up comedy writing and gets you putting together a five-minute set, which you may perform in a club on a “class night in NYC.” Course components:
Lectures
Writing exercises
Workshopping and rehearsing material
Week 1
What is a Joke?: Joke analysis. Subject/point of view/twist. Information part/funny part.
Week 2
Point of View 1: Understanding point of view. Working on material for established comics to practice point of view.
Week 3
Ways to Improve a Joke 1: Editing. Repetition. Shock. Choosing the best words.
Week 4
Ways to Improve a Joke 2: Joke dissection. Adapting to circumstance. Adding relevance.
Week 5
The Audience: Knowing your audience. How to appeal to a particular audience.
Week 6
The Performer: Discovering your persona. Communicating your persona. Timing.
Week 7
Point of View 2: Find out what others think is funny about you. Refine your persona.
Week 8
Prepare for Show 1: Assemble your act. Microphone and stage technique. Working on delivery. Rehearsal.
Week 9
Prepare for Show 2: Continuation of above.
Week 10
Prepare for Show 3: Continuation of above.
Note: Content may vary among individual classes.
