Be a Great Stand-up: Teach Yourself

Summary:
Is this the right book for me?

Logan Murray has successfully taught the techniques of stand-up comedy to thousands, and in this book he distills his years of experience into the essential skills for a great and enjoyable performance. He  will help you find your own creative streak and your funny side, build the confidence to deliver, and explain the finer details of stagecraft, from dealing with hecklers to coping with props. There is a full guide to the practicalities, from finding gigs to securing an agent, with plenty of valuable hints, tips and advice. Drawing on Logan's years of teaching and his own successful stand-up career, with top tips from some of the most well-known people in the business, it is guaranteed to bring a smile to both your face and that of your future audience.


Be a Great Stand-up includes:

Part one - Theory
Chapter 1: Where do jokes come from?
Chapter 2: Building a joke
Chapter 3: Comedy ground rules
Chapter 4: What sort of comic are you?

Part two - Practical sessions
Chapter 5: Unlocking your creativity
Chapter 6: Emotional exaggeration
Chapter 7: Creating material
Chapter 8: Stagecraft
Chapter 9: Microphone technique
Chapter 10: Hecklers and crowd control
Chapter 11: What other comics think
Chapter 12: Business
Chapter 13: Your first gig
Chapter 14: The future


Learn effortlessly with a new easy-to-read page design and interactive features:

Not got much time?
One, five and ten-minute introductions to key principles to get you started.

Author insights
Lots of instant help with common problems and quick tips for success, based on the author's many years of experience.

Test yourself
Tests in the book and online to keep track of your progress.

Extend your knowledge
Extra online articles to give you a richer understanding of the subject.

Five things to remember
Quick refreshers to help you remember the key facts.

Try this
Innovative exercises illustrate what you've learnt and how to use it.

• The only book available by both a well-known comic and performer who is also an active and successful tutor

• Offers hints, tips and insider secrets from top comics and known entertainers

• Suitable for any level of experience, whether you've played some gigs or are a complete beginner
  

Table of Contents:
introduction
part one: theory
where do jokes come from?
do we create funny ideas or do they come
and find us?
practical creative games
some modern theories of humour
what is a joke?
attitude, the comedian’s secret weapon
attitude games
building a joke
extreme attitudes to specific points can
lead to humour
always ask yourself: ‘what is the comedian’s
answer to this particular problem?’
finding the joke
afterthoughts
afterthought games
comedy ground rules
style or content?
kill little Mr/Ms social control in your head
stupid name game
what’s your attitude to the subject?
more attitude games
be specific
games to develop specific thinking
be concise
the longer the set up, the funnier the
punchline had better be!
if it doesn’t add, it detracts
detracting the audience verbally
detracting the audience with your body
language
avoid the temptation of burying your
routines in the past
always remember: start with your best stuff;
finish with your best stuff; let the middle
take care of itself
what sort of comic are you?
your persona
comedic flaws and how to use them
comic archetypes
mixing and matching
games to uncover comedic flaws
part two: practical sessions
unlocking your creativity
don’t worry about the result: just write!
writing activities
a word about emotional exaggeration
breaking the habits of a lifetime: be bigger,
be broader!
reasons why comics start exaggerating
their emotional responses…
reasons why new comedians might
overlook their emotional performance…
why comedians need to be more extreme…
activities to encourage emotional
exaggeration
creating material
workshop 1: the thank you list
workshop 2: building routines
workshop 3: putting your set together
pruning your material
‘less is more’ activities
workshop 4: the hate list
workshop 5: creating your own lists
workshop 6: joke forms
workshop 7: finding different voices
stereotype activities
creating a character act
stagecraft
think about your attitude to your audience
treat the audience exactly how you would
treat your friends
force yourself to look at the audience
try to ‘read’ the crowd
slow down!
speeding through your set means that
inevitably your timing will be off
how to deal with nerves
microphone technique
microphone mistakes
hecklers and crowd control
why a gig can go bad
how to make a gig better
hecklers
crowd control exercises
what other comics think
Milton Jones
Richard Herring
Steve Hall
Sarah Kendal
Pat Condell
Katy Bagshaw
Marek Larwood
Mark Maier
Robin Ince
Greg Davies
business
how to get started
learn to market yourself
publicity
phoning for work
etiquette
do your time on stage
building your set
compèring
beyond stand-up
competitions
festivals
agents and managers
your first gig
booking the gig
three or four days before the gig
the day before the gig
on the day of the gig
on the evening of the gig
on stage
after the gig
the future
appendix 1: group games
appendix 2: the fall and rise of stand-up comedy
taking it further
index
acknowledgements

About the Author(s):
Logan Murray is a comedian and Edi-nominated director. His 'Stand Up and Deliver' courses have taught the art of comedy to over 700 participants, many of whom have gone on to win awards.

Readership:
Those interested in learning how to successfully perform Stand Up Comedy

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