Be a Great Stand-up: How to master the art of stand up comedy and making people laugh

: introduction: part one: theory01: where do jokes come from?: do we create funny ideas or do they come: and find us?: practical creative games: some modern theories of humour: what is a joke?: attitude, the comedian’s secret weapon: attitude games02: building a joke: extreme attitudes to specific points can: lead to humour: always ask yourself: ‘what is the comedian’s: answer to this particular problem?’: finding the joke: afterthoughts: afterthought games03: comedy ground rules: style or content?: kill little Mr/Ms social control in your head: stupid name game: what’s your attitude to the subject?: more attitude games: be specific: games to develop specific thinking: be concise: the longer the set up, the funnier the: punchline had better be!: if it doesn’t add, it detracts: detracting the audience verbally: detracting the audience with your body: language: avoid the temptation of burying your: routines in the past: always remember: start with your best stuff;: finish with your best stuff; let the middle: take care of itself04: what sort of comic are you?: your persona: comedic flaws and how to use them: comic archetypes: mixing and matching: games to uncover comedic flaws: part two: practical sessions05: unlocking your creativity: don’t worry about the result: just write!: writing activities06: a word about emotional exaggeration: breaking the habits of a lifetime: be bigger,: be broader!: reasons why comics start exaggerating: their emotional responses…: reasons why new comedians might: overlook their emotional performance…: why comedians need to be more extreme…: activities to encourage emotional: exaggeration07: creating material: workshop 1: the thank you list: workshop 2: building routines: workshop 3: putting your set together: pruning your material: ‘less is more’ activities: workshop 4: the hate list: workshop 5: creating your own lists: workshop 6: joke forms: workshop 7: finding different voices: stereotype activities: creating a character act08: stagecraft: think about your attitude to your audience: treat the audience exactly how you would: treat your friends: force yourself to look at the audience: try to ‘read’ the crowd: slow down!: speeding through your set means that: inevitably your timing will be off: how to deal with nerves09: microphone technique: microphone mistakes10: hecklers and crowd control: why a gig can go bad: how to make a gig better: hecklers: crowd control exercises11: what other comics think: Milton Jones: Richard Herring: Steve Hall: Sarah Kendal: Pat Condell: Katy Bagshaw: Marek Larwood: Mark Maier: Robin Ince: Greg Davies12: business: how to get started: learn to market yourself: publicity: phoning for work: etiquette: do your time on stage: building your set: compèring: beyond stand-up: competitions: festivals: agents and managers13: your first gig: booking the gig: three or four days before the gig: the day before the gig: on the day of the gig: on the evening of the gig: on stage: after the gig14: the future: appendix 1: group games: appendix 2: the fall and rise of stand-up comedy: taking it further: index: acknowledgements