The Cambridge companion to stand-up comedy / edited by Oliver Double.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Double, Oliver, editor.

Series:

Cambridge companions to theatre and performance.

Cambridge companions to theatre and performance

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Stand-up comedy.

Comedians.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xiii, 306 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2025.

Summary:

Stand-up comedy is one of the simplest theatre forms in existence. The comedian stands on a (usually) bare stage, talking straight to the audience in the hope of getting laughs. Yet it has never been more popular, with national scenes developing across every continent except Antarctica. In this insightful and accessibly written volume, diverse chapters explore the subject from many angles, ranging from national scenes, live venues, and recordings to politics, race, sexuality, and the question of offensiveness. Chapters also consider the performance dynamics of stand-up in detail, examining audience, persona, and trauma. Interspersed throughout the chapters are a series of originally commissioned interviews with comedians from nine different countries, including Maria Bamford, Jo Brand, Aditi Mittal, and Rod Quantock, providing rare insights into their craft.

Contents:

Introduction / Oliver Double

Comedians' insights : what do you do to prepare to go onstage?

Stand-up in the United Kingdom / Oliver Double and Neil Washbourne

Comics, minstrels, satirists, and hacks : a history of stand-up comedy in the US / Rebecca Krefting

Comedians' insights : the audience you attract

Where stand-up happens / Morten Nielsen

Recorded stand-up from radio to Netflix / Brett Mills

Comedians' insights : a particular performance technique you use in your act

Stand-up comedy and gender / Ellie Tomsett and Rosie White

Stand-up comedy and sexuality / Joanne Gilbert

Laugh no limit : black stand-up comedy / J Finley

Jewish American stand-up comedy / Debra Aarons and Marc Mierowsky

Stand-up comedy, disability and social justice / Sharon Lockyer

Stand-up comedy and offence / Simon Weaver

Stand-up and politics / Sophie Quirk

Comedians' insights : your writing process

Audience / Ian Brodie

Comedians' insights: who are you onstage?

Persona / Oliver Double

Stand-up comedy and trauma : Hannah Gadsby's Nanette / Mary Luckhurst

Comedians' insights : why do you do stand-up?

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 25 Aug 2025).

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

1-009-00742-4

1-009-00819-6

1-009-00063-2

OCLC:

1531950103