Living Art
Out Of The Borders
Making jokes is an exercise of responsibility
by Roberto Gentile
Writing, thinking, doing stand up comedy: behind the writing process. “I went to a restaurant that serves ‘breakfast at any time’. So I ordered French Toast during What is stand-up comedy? the Renaissance.” Stand-up comedy is a comic style in which a coSteven Wright made this joke, and it works well median performs in front of a live audience, usually speaking directly to them. It is a comedian who for two reasons: tells funny stories through comedic performances. the premise is straightforward and clear: “I went to a restaurant that serves ‘breakfast at any The comedian usually recites a fast-paced time’; And the punchline - So I ordered French succession of humorous stories, short jokes called “bits”, and one-liners, which constitute Toast during the Renaissance is impressive. what is typically called a monologue, routine For years I have found stand-up comedy a fas- or act. Stand-up comedians perform in comedy cinating art: making people laugh is like being clubs, bars and theaters. a magician: you speak and tell a story, leading the listener to look for a direction and expect What does stand up comedy mean a solution, and suddenly PUNCH! PUNCHLINE! to me? With a sudden swerve, you abruptly interrupt Excellent question, thank you, Roberto. the beliefs of those who listen to you. Words Writing comedy for me is one of the many that sound like a punch. Precisely. Before going into too much detail, maybe I should answer a few questions:
valuable ways to explore my sensitivity because doing stand-up does not mean only making people laugh. Or rather, it only means this for people sitting at the table of a pub or in the most comfortable theater chairs, but for the writer, for those who have to stage the jokes, doing stand up means much more.
I will give a concrete example to clarify the con-
Steven Wright
cept: there are different ways to write comedy, techniques and rules from which you can start, and with time and experience, each person finds their unique method, often imbued with designs and styles different.
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