We love comedy. Not only is it important to our acts, but it’s part of our core business philosophy! The very name of our business makes people smile, which is of course what we’re going for!
Let’s face it; all of us have times where we NEED to be funny. Whether you’re preparing a presentation or just need to diffuse a tense situation having a good sense of humor is important!
The question is how? Not everyone is “born funny”. Most of us tend to think that humor is a “gift”. Kind of like being blessed with a good singing voice or a high IQ.
I have good news. Humor is a skill you can learn.
To most people this comes as a surprise. They tend to think that comedy writers joke around all day and just write down the good stuff! There’s some truth to that, but a professional entertainer has to take it to the next level.
It’s one thing to be funny around the dinner table or with a few friends. It’s quite another when your rent money depends on it. Too make things even more difficult we add the complexity of arts like magic and storytelling. It’s enough to make any professional entertainer sweat!
We get sick, we have bad days, and our cat’s vomit on the carpet. We have to work when we don’t feel like it just like everyone else!
In other words, we have to be funny even when we don’t “feel” like being funny!
That’s where understanding the science of humor comes in to play. Just like going to the gym every day will make you healthier, knowing the science of humor will make you funnier!
I should warn you though… If you study it long enough you’ll never look at comedy the same way again. When everyone else is laughing in the movie theater you’ll be analyzing the structure of the joke!
Over the next few posts we’ll be looking at why we laugh, the basic structure of humor, and the way we’ve applied those principles to our own performances!
These posts aren’t intended to provide you with a comprehensive comedy education. Entire books have been written on this subject. My goal here is to give you a few basic principles so that next time you “need” to be funny under pressure, you’re prepared!
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