Comedy

Clowns are entertainers and have skills that are geared towards making an audience laugh or become happy. There’s more to being a clown than just dressing up in a colorful, silly outfit and...

Comedy improv is short for comedy improvisation, which is one method stand-up comedians often employ in their routines. Despite of the meaning of the word, not all comedy routines are...

Getting people to interact is often a challenge. An audience participation skit that deals with common interests is one of the best ways to break the ice. Here are a few tips to get you started...

Creating fresh jokes involves maintaining interest and keeping each joke alive and new for the audience. Get the audience excited about new and old material alike with great tips from a television...

All over the internet I see people giving advice on how to write jokes for stand-up comedy. Much of this advice, however, I've learned from personal experience, is horrible and will mislead so...

Who says you need to make the audience laugh to have a good stand-up comedy set? And making the audience feel comfortable on stage? What is that about?

Writing an entertainment speech, or roast, can be broken down into three sections: telling your audience what your speech is about, the speech proper and closing the speech with an ending...

Twin pillars challenges performers to make sense of information given by audience members. Learn how to do jump and justify games in improv in this free theater video.

Choose two audience members to play your pillars. Learn how to do jump and justify games in improv in this free theater video.

Blind line uses quotes from songs, movies or other places that are written down by the audience. Learn how to do jump and justify games in improv in this free theater video.

Laughter is the best medicine. It's an old saying that speaks the truth. Laughter has a way of being infectious. You can be miserable in a room full of people laughing and it won't be long before...

Use these few steps to make your friends laugh. I'll even give you a joke to start with.

Some actors spend a lifetime studying Shakespeare. Volumes have been written on Shakespearean acting technique. This brief article won't replace all that. It will outline an approach to his works...

The improv game "Sportscaster" combines zany pantomime and verbal wit to put an absurd twist on an everyday activity.

"Action Replay" is a fast-paced, high-energy improve game in which one pair of players tries to recreate a one-minute scene that was performed by another pair of players. The catch: they...

Add some razzle-dazzle to your improv show with "Scene From a Musical." The goal in this game is to improvise a song in a scene based on an audience suggestion.

"Lines From a Hat" is an improvisational comedy game in which two or more players perform a scene incorporating sentences provided by the audience.

The object of this improv game is to create a scene in which each line of dialogue starts with the letter immediately following the letter that started the one before it. Got it?

If you want to start an improv troupe, or you're looking to build your acting skills and confidence, or you just want a fun and challenging hobby, this article can get you started in...

Improv has evolved significantly to include a wide variety of approaches and methods. Not all improv groups apply the same style, and it is quite likely that an improv class will not resemble the...

Improv, or improvisation, is the art of acting without a script. Creating dialogue or scenes on the spot can be both fun and challenging. You can catch an improv show at your local comedy club...

Improv has become a popular form of entertainment in theaters and comedy clubs, as well as at parties. In addition, teachers often use improv games to help with lessons. The improv game...

Improv is the art of acting on the spot. It has become a very popular form of entertainment in theaters and comedy clubs. It is used in classroom settings to enhance performing skills and played...

Improv games are played in a variety of venues, from theaters to parties to comedy clubs and classrooms. The game "Emotional Quadrants" is best played by actors with a least a little experience,...

Improv is the art of creating dialogue (and sometimes entire scenes) on the spot. It is performed in comedy clubs and theaters everywhere. Classroom instructors have even started using improv to...

Nothing is more amazing than watching a group of actors stand in front of an audience and make up a story from beginning to end out of virtually nothing ... except, perhaps, if that same activity...

Improv is the art of acting without a script--hopefully resulting in hilarious comedy. Improv (short for "improvisation") is performed in theaters and comedy clubs in front of live audiences. It...

Skits and short plays are a great way to spice up a church service or Sunday school class. Religious teaching can be emphasized with funny parables or anecdotes that keep an audience's attention...

Improv is short for improvisation. Improv comedy has become a popular training tool for actors, as well as popular entertainment, on both television, and live theaters around the world. Improv...

Improv comedy has become popular since the inception of the TV show, "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" In improv, scenes or stories are made up on the spot and performed for an audience, usually based...

Producing any form of theater is a challenge, but producing comedy is no joke. You'll need to arm yourself with a budget, savings to dig into and your strongest sense of humor. It's going to be a...

Impending Doom is an improv game that takes great advantage of dramatic irony. The premise of the game is that the audience knows that one (or both) of the characters in the scene is going to die...

There is nothing quite in the world like delivering a well-written, properly timed punch line to a live audience. There is a real satisfaction that comes with receiving an overtly positive...

Put together your own act today! This free video gives you tips for how to apply jokes to yourself and work the audience in your act or show.

Put together your own act today! This free video gives you tips for how to choose the right material for your audience.

Learn how to prepare for an audience during a stand up comedy routine from a professional comedian in this free online video series for stand-up comics.

Learn how to deal with an audience during a stand up comedy routine from a professional comedian in this free online video series for stand-up comics.

First Line Last Line is a fairly simple improv game that is often used to get your audience to feel as if they are part of the action by contributing to the scene without being actually put on...

"Actor's Nightmare" is actually a play written by Christopher Durang, in which an actor doesn't know what his lines are nor what play he is in. This idea is the impetus behind the Actor's...

Learn some valuable tips on how to explain the improv comedy game 'Uncle Vanya' in this free video clip on improvising on the fly in theater and performance.

Learn some valuable tips on how to explain the improv comedy game 'New Choice' in this free video clip on improvising on the fly in theater and performance.

Learn some valuable tips on how to explain the improv comedy game 'Interpreter' in this free video clip on improvising on the fly in theater and performance.

Learn some valuable tips on how to explain the improv comedy game 'Hesitation' in this free video clip on improvising on the fly in theater and performance.

Learn tips on how to warm up an audience in an improv comedy show in this free video clip on improvisational games.

Learn tips on how to explain a game in an improv comedy show in this free video clip on improvisational games.

Learn tips on how to take audience suggestions at an improv comedy show in this free video clip on improvisational games.

Secrets is an improv game for two or three players, and involves a little bit of subtle acting. Unlike Party Quirks, where the point of the scene is for one player to guess the secrets of all the...

Story Story Die is a quick improv game that can be used either during rehearsals or as a performance piece. It doesn't require much in the way of specialized skills from your players, since rather...

Coffeehouse is an improv game which, not surprisingly, is designed to simulate a coffeehouse atmosphere. For audiences familiar with a coffeehouse, this can be an entertaining way to get them into...

Sportscaster is yet another obscure improv game that should be played by more improv troupes and used in more theatre classes. It is a game that requires a quick wit and attention to detail for...