Overview

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.

Full Product Details

Author:   Oliver Double (University of Kent)
Publisher:   Cambridge University Press
Imprint:   Cambridge University Press
ISBN:  

9781316518571

ISBN 10:   1316518574
Pages:   322
Publication Date:   04 September 2025
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.

Table of Contents

Introduction Oliver Double; Comedians' Insights: what do you do to prepare to go onstage?; Part I. Time and Place: 1. Stand-up in the United Kingdom Oliver Double and Neil Washbourne; 2. Comics, minstrels, satirists, and hacks: a history of stand-up comedy in the US Beck Krefting; Comedians' insights: the audience you attract; 3. Where stand-up happens Morten Nielsen; 4. Recorded stand-up from radio to Netflix Brett Mills; Comedians' insights: a particular performance technique you use in your act; Part II. Interpretation and Meaning: 5. Stand-up comedy and gender Ellie Tomsett and Rosie White; 6. Stand-up comedy and sexuality Joanne Gilbert; 7. Laugh no limit: Black stand-up comedy J Finley; 8. Jewish American stand-up comedy Debra Aarons and Marc Mierowsky; 9. Stand-up comedy, disability and social justice Sharon Lockyer; 10. Stand-up comedy and offence Simon Weaver; 11. Stand-up and politics Sophie Quirk; Comedians' insights: your writing process; Part III. Performance Dynamics: 12. Audience Ian Brodie; Comedians' insights: who are you onstage?; 13. Persona Oliver Double; 14. Stand-up comedy and trauma: Hannah Gadsby's Nanette Mary Luckhurst; Comedians' Insights: why do you do stand-up?

Reviews

'This book is an essential guide to the wonderful, rich, wild, silly world of stand up. Josie Long, Multi-award winning comedian

Author Information

Oliver Double is Reader in Comic and Popular Performance at the University of Kent, where he established the British Stand-Up Comedy Archive. His books include Stand-Up! On Being a Comedian (1997), Getting the Joke (2005, 2014), and Alternative Comedy (2020). A former professional comedian ('Surprisingly Funny' – Guardian), he currently compères Funny Rabbit Comedy Club.

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