Stand-up: it's the ultimate solo art form. Yet, behind the scenes, you will increasingly find the shadowy figure of a director. For comics themselves and for those who support them, this is the first book to give the director's perspective on creating and performing stand-up comedy. Drawing on his own experience of directing stand-up alongside speaking to comedians and their directors, Chris Head produces a revealing perspective on the creative process, comic persona, writing stand-up, str...

The Complete Comedy Script Toolkit is a highly practical and inspiring collection of creative tools for funnier sitcoms, comedy dramas, sketches, short films, and screenplays.Chris Head, a seasoned comedy director and writing coach, takes a profound plunge into the art and craft of comedy scriptwriting. With insightful examples from iconic comedies, you'll discover how to create compelling and comedically flawed characters, craft jokes, create comic dialogue and ac...

This accessible and engaging text covering sketch, sitcom and comedy drama, alongside improvisation and stand-up, brings together a panoply of tools and techniques for creating short and long-form comedy narratives for live performance, TV and online.Referencing a broad range of comedy from both sides of the Atlantic, spanning several decades and including material on contemporary internet sketches, it offers all kinds of useful advice on creating comic narratives for stage and scr...

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...

From one of Australia’s most successful comedians comes The Cheeky Monkey, a practitioner’s guide to the art of comedy writing. Both insightful and practical, The Cheeky Monkey explains the principles of sitcom writing and guides the reader in how to apply them. Seeded with exercises to aid the developing comedy writer, this book will help you to:- Write jokes- Create funny stories- Build comic characters- Develop a sitcom- Sell your si...

LEARN HOW TO WRITE AND PERFORM STAND UP COMEDY.A new edition of Be A Great Stand-Up, now fully revised and updated with new material on setting up and running a comedy night and mining almost any subject for jokes.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 creative streak and your ...

The Secrets to Writing Great Comedy will show you how to unlock yourinner anarchist and write fantastic comedy, using a combination ofpractical exercises and creative inspiration. Whatever your preferredgenre, from sitcom to sketch show, you will fi nd guidance on everythingfrom wordplay and visual humour to plots, characters and differentstyles. There is even detailed coverage of how to submit, copyright and,most importantly, get your work noticed...

Everyone loves - and hates - sitcom. On TV it's the goldmine genre, the one watched by millions. There's a special place in our hearts for Fawlty, Frasier, Blackadder and Brent. An absurd predicament, witty banter, a group of hilariously dysfunctional people: it all seems so easy. But is it? If you've ever said 'I can do better than that', then this is the book for you. How to be a Sitcom Writer will encourage, test and pull you through the comedy boot camp that is writing narrative-led ch...

"Brodie is whip smart; merging pop-culture references with vulnerable, personal experiences to create a collection that reads like a hilarious catch-up call with an old friend. What a pleasure to hear from this fresh, extremely relevant point of view." Abbi Jacobson, CO-CREATOR / WRITER / STAR of BROAD CITY"I wish Brodie was the voice of my inner monologue; narrating me through life with her fierce intelligence and never-ending pop culture references. Inste...

Learn how to write comedy that makes people laugh.Masterclass: Writing Comedy will reveal to both beginners and experienced writers the distinctive features that mark out comedy from other forms of creative writing. Having identified these, it will help you then to unlock your inner anarchist, and explore the different elements of comedy, using a combination of practical exercises, insight and creative inspiration. Whatever your preferred comic genre, you will find guidanc...

From the bestselling, cancer-vanquishing Love Your Sister team, and edited by the indefatigable Samuel Johnson, comes Dear Lover, a funny, revealing and soul-stirring collection of letters written by notable Australians like Turia Pitt, Samuel Johnson, Susie Youssef, Hilde Hinton, Stuart Coupe, Jacqui Lambie, Larry Emdur, John Paul Young, Mandy Beaumont, Rhett Davis, Adam Harvey, Mark Brandi and Kate Mildenhall, to name a few, just in time for Valentine's Day.What would so...

A smart, witty and accessible guide to the rewarding and joyful practice of improvisation.Classic improv games and variationsTelling stories and creating charactersUsing improv to make theatre and comedy, from monologues to full-scale productionsAn asset to students and teachers of improvisation in schools, drama schools, higher education and theatre groups, both professional and amateur. It will also be of benefit to organisations and individual readers who w...