Stand-Up Comedy

77-5928-00S

Module Guide

2013

Module Leader

Jon Bridle

Contact Details

Email: j.bridle@shu.ac.uk

Telephone: 0114 225 622

Module Tutor

James McNicholas

Contact Details

Email: j.mcnicholas@shu.ac.uk

Telephone: 0114 225 6227

Student Administrator

Contact Details

Rachel Walker

Email: owen11and9@shu.ac.uk

Telephone: 0114 225 6194

Introduction

Welcome to the stand-up comedy module. This is the fourth year that this module has

run and experience so far has shown it to be a fun, challenging and very rewarding

experience. In the module we will analyse a wide range of comedy performance styles

and sub-genres with a view to informing and developing your own five-minute routine.

The practical outcome of the module is a performance informed in some way by

humour/comedy, and you will be taking part in a series of workshops and

masterclasses from people who have made comedic work as writers and performers.

Although the term ‘stand-up’ appears in the module title, we are using the concept of

stand up in its loosest sense – here it encompasses all forms of live comedy

performance, including comedy monologue, sketch comedy, mime, slapstick, comedy

songs and others as will be introduced over the course of the module. Many students

have previously chosen to perform comedy sketches or to do some physical clowning; it

is up to you. The sessions will comprise practical exercises with screenings of comedy

performances, but you will also be expected to read academic books and articles about

writing for and performing comedy.

The styles and aspects of comedy performance explored over the course of the module

will include:

Contemporary Stand-Up Comedy

Historical Comedic Forms (including Clowning)

Comedy on Television (including Sketch Shows)

Modes and Methods of Comedic Performance

Joke Writing and Script Writing

Module Aims

To introduce students to various forms of comedy performance, both onstage

and onscreen.

To equip students with the ability to differentiate between comedic forms -

slapstick, burlesque, political, 'alternative', etc.

To enable students to devise and develop a comedy persona.

To facilitate students in crafting and performing a short piece of comedy

performance.

Learning Outcomes

Analyse the technique and persona of a number of contemporary stand-up

comedians.

Create a comedy persona.

Devise a five-minute comedy script.

Deliver a comedy performance.

Assessment

Comedy Performance (70%)

There are several performance options for your 5 minute routine:

A monologue, either in character or as yourself.

Physical comedy/mime.

Comedy music/songs.

Stand-up comedy routine in any style (songs may be included).

5 minutes’ worth of sketch comedy material, featuring up to two additional

actors.

A combination of any of the above.

The performance will take place in a live setting with an audience.

You will also need to submit, on the day of the performance, the script of your 5

minute performance.

Reflective Account (30%)

A 2000 word analytical account of the development process and outcome - identifying

sources used, comedic influences and outcomes achieved.

The account is 2000 words and can include images and diagrams if relevant. Your

account must include both a contextual account of the comedic and theatre and

performance styles used in relation to your artistic influences, and also a critical

reflection on your writing and rehearsal processes, and final performance.

Students must also include critical concepts and vocabulary related to existing research

in the area of comedy performance, referencing both theory and practice. You will be

guided towards relevant texts during sessions, but you are also advised to make full use

of the library facilities and conduct your own research outside of session time. A set of

guidance notes will also be made available on the module Blackboard site.

Notes on Assessments

You will each be assessed individually on your performances, just as in your performances on

other modules.

Assessment dates are to be found on Assignment Manager and must continually be checked for changes. Further guidance notes will be available via the module Blackboard.

Teaching and Learning

The students will co-organise (with both peers and tutors) and deliver a comedy performance

taking account of stylistic integrity, originality and the importance of working the audience.

Following this, students will then present to their tutors an analysis of their performance and

creative process experiences in the form of a supporting file. Students will explore different

performance and presentation styles and demonstrate their ability to present ideas in a lively,

informative and engaging manner. The sessions will cover three key areas in order to develop

the required assessment skills: writing comedy and character development, approaches to

professional stand-up, physical and observational comedy and working the audience.

Using online resources The internet can be a very useful tool for the study of Performance, offering resources such as company or band websites, clips and performance dates. However, please note that using material from websites without citing the source is plagiarism, which carries heavy penalties. See the section on Plagiarism, below, for details. To avoid academic misconduct, always cite your source. Check the guidance notes for details on how to reference websites. In your bibliography you should always cite your web source with the name of the website, the full URL and the date you accessed it. This is standard academic protocol. It is not an option. Remember there is a hierarchy of sources, and the better the rank and authority of your sources, the better and more authoritative will be your essay. Academic books are top of the food chain – especially those on the reading list! Every subject area on which you are asked to write will have been discussed in major and respected academic texts (which may well debate with each other). You should show that you know of these texts and their major theories or arguments. Academic articles, from academic journals or academic journals online, are also reputable and can be the backbone of a good academic essay. All other web sources should be regarded with caution. Wikipedia Books and articles in academic journals go through a process of editing and peer review. In other words, several experts have read them before they are published, so the arguments and information within them have been checked and validated. The internet, by contrast, is unregulated. This means that anyone can publish their own material, without it going through any checks for accuracy. Most internet sites therefore offer no guarantee that their information is correct. Wikipedia is no exception. The very nature of a “wiki” is that anyone can contribute an entry. It may look and seem authoritative, but there is no system in place to ensure the information in an entry is accurate.

Wikipedia is many people’s first port of call for information, and it is an acceptable source for general ideas about a subject, but nothing you read there should be accepted at face value and every fact should be rechecked. For these reasons, Wikipedia is not accepted as a valid academic source in academic essays and students are not permitted to use or quote Wikipedia in their assignments. If you do believe that a specific Wikipedia article is of genuine use and validity to your work, ask your module leader to approve it. Plagiarism Plagiarism is academically disreputable and intellectually dishonest and, for these reasons, will be severely dealt with when it occurs. Plagiarism is defined as follows: presenting the work of another as one's own without proper acknowledgement. It includes: Using published and unpublished sources, including the work of other students, without proper acknowledgement Reuse of your own work (auto-plagiarism) It is also plagiarism to submit another student’s essay and pass it off as your own or to have someone else substantially (re)write an essay presented as yours. It must be emphasised that it is failure to acknowledge that constitutes plagiarism. Quoting from or referring to good sources is essential, but you must not pass off such material as your own. Where plagiarism is conscious and deliberate, this is, in effect, an act of intellectual theft which also involves a conscious intent to deceive. However, students should also be careful not to plagiarise accidentally, either because of an inability to summarise source materials properly or through an ignorance of proper referencing conventions. Plagiarism, whether intentional or unintentional, carries severe academic penalties, including the termination of your registration on the degree. Some ways to avoid plagiarising: Seek advice. If you are not sure when or how to cite other work, ask for advice. Citation and Bibliographies. Pay attention to the conventions for citation and list the sources you have used at the end of your work, in a bibliography. Web sources. Always quote the web address of any material you use as well as date, title, author, etc. Quotations. If you quote word for word from another source (published or unpublished) always use quotation marks and cite the source.

Summaries and paraphrases. If you summarise or paraphrase source materials do not use quotation marks but always cite the source. Use the names of authors or originators of ideas. One of the best ways of avoiding plagiarism is to remember to include the name of the author or originator of the material you are using. For example, you might write ‘Einstein developed the theory of relativity and first published his ideas in 1904’ or ‘The theory of relativity is an important stepping stone in our understanding of quantum theory (Einstein, 1904)’. What should I acknowledge? You should always acknowledge quotations, summaries

and paraphrases, but it is not necessary to cite the sources of every piece of minor factual

information. Deciding where originality and new ideas start and where plagiarism ends is

not easy and your tutors will help you to do this, but always err on the side of caution.

Employability Skills

During the course of this module, your studies and your assessments will allow you to utilise the following core employability skills:

Communication Skills

Information and Communication Technology

Numeracy Skills

Teamwork

Problem Solving

Analytical Abilities

Self-Directed Learning and Initiative

Harvard Referencing

A guide to Harvard Referencing, for the purposes of referencing and citation in your written

assignments will be uploaded onto the module Blackboard site. Further guidance will also be

given during lectures and as part of tutorials. You are also encouraged to email your tutors with

questions at any time.

Assessment Criteria

Comedy Performance (70%)

Pre-Production: This will include an assessment of your individual contribution to the

rehearsal process. You will need to provide evidence of outside work and preparation,

planning and research into both the influences and methods drawn upon in the making

of your devised performance. Your commitment to the process is key in any successful

ensemble performance work.

Communication (Group): Group communication includes your contribution to a sense

of ensemble during both the studio workshops and the final performance. This criterion

also assesses your ability to share the rehearsal studio and performance space with

others effectively, establishing and displaying an ability to engage with a sense of

rhythm within an ensemble.

Communication (Audience): The consideration of audience communication includes

an understanding of character/persona, stage presence, eye contact and use of pace and

rhythm. An important element of audience communication is physical and vocal clarity,

and in this module, an ability to sustain the sense of character and tone as is appropriate

to your routine.

Technical Ability: This includes both physical and vocal range and command of

intention, technique and style as is relevant to the demands of the particular theatrical

styles you are using within your devised performance. Your approach to psychological

and emotional states will also be assessed against your chosen style of performance. The

intentions of your piece and individual character will need to be clearly understood and

then creatively expressed to your audience.

Ambition: The ambition of your performance refers to the overall achievement in

relation to your original intentions/ambitions and your personal contribution to the

final performance. This criterion also assesses your overall development from

rehearsals through to final performance, focusing on whether or not you have

sufficiently sought to and attained a development of your skills over the course of the

module.

Reflective Account (30%)

Research & Source Material: This includes background research and evidence of

reading to support your supporting file, including appropriate referencing and

bibliography relating to theories, methods and companies/practitioners related to your

devised performance. If using web or audio-visual materials, these must also be

relevantly selected and discussed.

Methodology: Methodology refers to your chosen research and writing methods, which

also means reading and citing academic texts and not just descriptive reflections on

performances. This criterion also assesses your ability to develop an argument

coherently and with relevant use of quotes, where you are also balanced in your

approach to considering the full range of perspectives upon the topic you are

researching.

Structure: The structure includes the logical progression of your ideas and argument.

You may use relevant headings (i.e. Introduction, Rehearsal Process, Final Performance)

if appropriate and will to allow for an adequate amount of words shared between

introduction, development and conclusion. The conclusion particularly, needs to

summarise your learning on the module in terms of both theory and practice.

Content: The content refers to the quality of information and analysis showing

understanding of the source material where appropriate. You will also be expected to

have covered all of the required areas of discussion as detailed in the guidance notes

that will be available on the module Blackboard site.

Literary Style: Your literary style includes the fluency of your expression and the

appropriate use of critical vocabulary in relation to both performance terminology and

vocabulary used in academic articles/ books. Careful attention to sentence and

paragraph structure is also expected, and you are therefore advised to always 'have your

reader in mind' during the writing process.

Notes on Assessments

You will each be assessed individually on your performances, just as in your performances on

other modules.

The essay also needs to written in a clear and accessible style, and needs to be both

single-sided and word-processed using Arial size 12.

Assessment dates are to be found on Assignment Manager and must continually be checked for

changes.

Further guidance notes will be available via the module Blackboard.

Module Schedule

Wk Day/date Key Focus Workshops 1 Thursday

3rd October Introduction to module Module outline

Introductory games Watching comedy performances

2 Thursday 10th October

Comedy writing I: jokes and sketches

Joke writing Sketch writing

3 Thursday 17th October

Stand-Up comedy masterclass

Masterclass with Susan Hanks

4 Thursday 24th October

Comedy writing II: jokes and sketches

Joke writing Sketch writing

5 Thursday 31st October

Clowning and physical comedy I

Improvisation Jacques Lecoq Comedic movement

6 Thursday 7th November

Clowning and physical comedy II

Improvisation Jacques Lecoq Comedic movement 7 Thursday

14th November Tutorials

Discuss your comedy routine with tutors

8 Thursday 21st November

Begin workshopping ideas for final performance

Ideas development Group discussions

9 Thursday 28th November

Routine rehearsals I Ideas development Tutor feedback Group discussions

10 Thursday 5th December

Routine rehearsals II Ideas development Routine sharing Tutor feedback

11 Thursday 12th December

Performance Submission of script Performance of routine

12 Thursday

19th December Debrief Module Review

Guidance on written work

*N.B. Masterclasses are still to be organised and so there might be a variation in the

exact dates that these happen.Further Viewing

There are so many artists both past and present that it would be impossible to list them

all here! Below is a selection of notable performers however, that you may wish to

investigate further, either through the web, DVDs or finding out where their next gig is

and going along.

Stand-Up Comedians and Comedy Performers

Armando Iannucci Bill Bailey Freddy Starr

Frankie Boyle Jo Brand Russell Brand

Rob Brydon Jimmy Carr Jasper Carrott

Billy Connolly Barry Cryer George Carlin

Alan Carr Jo Caulfield Louis C K

Steve Coogan Tommy Cooper Jack Dee

Ellen DeGeneres Chris Morris Ben Elton

Lee Evans Tina Fey Milton Jones

French & Saunders Joyce Grenfell Natalie Haynes

Larry David Richard Herring Bill Hicks

Harry Hill Russell Howard Andy Kaufman

Peter Kay Shappi Khorsandi Daniel Kitson

Denis Leary Stewart Lee Sean Lock

Ricky Gervais Lee Mack Jason Manford

Steve Martin Michael McIntyre Max Miller

Sarah Millican Tim Minchin Shazia Mirza

Reeves & Mortimer Dylan Moran Chic Murray

Ardal O’Hanlon Lucy Porter Richard Pryor

Joan Rivers Chris Rock Jerry Sadowitz

Alexei Sayle Sarah Silverman Tim Vine

Victoria Wood Steven Wright Gina Yashere

TV Sketch/Comedy Shows

A Bit of Fry and Laurie

Alas Smith and Jones

Big Train

Bottom

The Catherine Tate Show

Dave Allen At Large

Harry Enfield and Chums

Jam

The Kevin Bishop Show

The League of Gentleman

Little Britain

Flight of the Conchords

Facejacker

I'm Alan Partridge

Dinnerladies

Fawlty Towers

Seinfeld

Curb Your Enthusiasm

The Day Today

The Armando Iannucci Show

The Mighty Boosh

Monty Python’s Flying Circus

Not the Nine O’Clock News

Smack the Pony

Snuff Box

That Mitchell and Webb Look

Tittybangbang

The Two Ronnies

The Fast Show

The Armstrong and Miller Show

Vic Reeves’ Big Night Out

Victoria Wood on TV

We Are Klang

Reading List Bent M (2009) The Everything Guide to Comedy Writing: From Stand-up to Sketch - All

You Need to be a Success in the World of Comedy USA: Adams Media Corporation

Bergson H (2008) Laughter: An Essay on the Meaning of the Comic Maryland: Arc Manor

Carr J, Greeves L (2007) The Naked Jape: Uncovering the Hidden World of Jokes London:

Penguin Books Ltd

Chiaro D (1992) The Language of Jokes: Analysing Verbal Play USA and Canada:

Routledge

Cook W (2001) The Comedy Store London: Little, Brown

Critchley S (2002) On Humour: Thinking in Action London, USA and Canada: Routledge

Double O (2005) Getting the Joke: The Art of Stand-up Comedy London: Methuen Drama

Double O (1997) Stand-up! On Being a Comedian London: Methuen Drama

Hall J (2006) The Rough Guide to British Cult Comedy London: Rough Guides

Holloway S (2010) The Serious Guide to Joke Writing London: Bookshaker

Jacobi S (2005) Laughing Matters: From Reclusive Writer to Stand-up Comic in Three

Months London: Century

Lecoq J (2000) The Moving Body London: Methuen

Lecoq J (2006) Theatre of Movement and Gesture USA and Canada: Routledge

Murray L (2007) Teach Yourself Stand Up Comedy London: Teach Yourself Books

Murray S (2003) Jacques Lecoq London and New York: Routledge

Peacock L (2010) Serious Play: Modern Clown Performance Bristol and USA: Chicago

University Press

Perret G (1994) Successful Stand-up Comedy: Advice from a Comedy Writer USA: Samuel

French Trade

Sankey J (1998) Zen and the Art of Stand-up Comedy London and New York: Routledge

Simon E (2010) The Art of Clowning New York: Palgrave MacMillan

Stott A (2004) Comedy London and New York: Routledge

Wright J (2006) Why is That So Funny? A Practical Exploration of Physical Comedy

London: Nick Hern Books