Test Your Stand-Up Comedy Knowledge

Stand-Up Comedy: A Brief Introduction

• Stand-up comedy is a live comedic performance where the performer addresses the audience directly.
• It consists of one-liners, stories, observations or a shtick that may incorporate props, music, magic tricks or ventriloquism.
• Stand-up has its roots in the stump speech of American minstrel shows, which featured an actor in blackface delivering nonsensical monologue to the audience.
• The first documented use of "stand-up" as a term was in The Stage in 1911.
• Stand-up comedy performances can be divided into opener, feature, and headliner.
• Club and small venues often run open mic events, which can be booked in advance or left for walk-ins.
• Experienced comics with a popular following may produce a special that may be released as a comedy album, video, or on television and streaming services.
• A stand-up defines their craft through the development of the routine or set, which is designed through the construction and revision of jokes and "bits".
• Audiences enter into an unspoken contract with the comedian in which they temporarily disregard normal social rules and accept the discussion of unexpected, controversial or scandalous subjects.
• Stand-up comedy differs from most other performing arts as the comedian is usually the only thing on stage and addresses the audience directly.
• The audience is integral to live comedy, both as a foil to the comedian and as a contributing factor to the overall experience.
• Stand-up comedy has its own set of terms, including beat, bit, bombing, callback, and punter.