Comedy Interdisciplinary Club

Comedy Interdisciplinary Club Course Description: This course is intended to outline the basics of standup comedy; how to write, and perform successfully on stage. We will concentrate upon different ideas and themes each week, work on skits, and write material daily. At the end of the semester, students will reach their first “five minutes” of material, and I encourage any student who is willing to participate in stand-up in front of an audience during open house and performances, which will occur during the last week of semester. Stand-up comedy will improve students’ creative writing skills, imagination, improvisation, and confidence. Course Resources: We will be pulling from various resources, movies, you tube clips, and several books. Cater, Judy. Stand-Up Comedy- The Book. New York: Delta Books, 1989. Murray, Logan. Teach Yourself- Stand-Up Comedy. London: McGraw-Hill, 2007. Spolin, Viola. Theater Games For The Classroom. Evanston: Northwestern University Press, 1986.

Course grading: Students will earn a maximum of twenty points a day, all of which will apply to student interdisciplinary grades. Participation is essential in this class. Come prepared to write, think, and share with your classmates. Course Calendar: The class will focus upon weekly themes of constructing comedic bits and routines. Workshops will be included in each week. The calendars will be constructed in quarter long segments. W eek

Activities

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Introduction to one another. Free thought and association word games. Fundamentals of stand-up comedy. Attitude finding exercise. Sarcastically angry letter. Workshop # 3 Negative Personality Traits. Workshop #4 Unique Characteristics. Workshop # 5 Outer Self. Workshop #6 Things You Hate. Workshop # 7 Things That Worry You. Workshop #8 Things That Frighten You. Ten things that make you happy activity. Tuesday: The Funny Test activity. Watch a few comedians, and take

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notes. Go over syllabi. Wednesday: Revisit ten things that make you happy. Workshop #9 Adding Attitude. 9/159/17

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Thursday: Workshop # 10 Talking With Mocking Insincerity. Tuesday: Workshop #11 Talking Pride Wednesday: Workshop #12 Mixing And Matching Attitudes Thursday: Workshop #13 Finding The Pearls Among The Schlock Monday: Formulaic work- set up & punch. Tuesday: Workshop #14 Setup/ Punch Identification Wednesday: Workshop #15 Punchlines Thursday: Workshop #16 Condensing Your Setups

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Monday: Workshop #17 Contrasting Punchline/ Setup Tuesday: Workshop #18 Using Sarcasm with outer-Self Items Wednesday: Workshop #19 Comparisons

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Thursday: Workshop #20 Similes Tuesday: Workshop #21 Observations Wednesday: Workshop #22 Mimicking Thursday: Workshop # 23 List Making Monday: Workshop # 24 Callbacks Tuesday: Style Wednesday: Workshop #25 The Opening

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Thursday: Workshop #26 Your Set List Monday: Workshop # 27 The Closing Tuesday: Rehearse Your Act Wednesday: Workshop # 28 Memorizing

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Thursday: Workshop # 29 Emotional Tags Monday: Getting up onstage Tuesday: Workshop #30 Bombing Wednesday: Get Feedback

Thursday: Workshop #31 Evaluating your Material