Discover

A 'comedian', or 'comic', is a performer who entertains an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting the fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy. A female comedian may be known as a 'comedienne'.
A comedian who stands and addresses an audience directly is called a stand-up comedian.
Since the mid-1980s, a new wave of comedy, called alternative comedy, has been gaining popularity with its offbeat style. This normally involves more experiential, or observational reporting.
Formats of a comedian's show are flexible and often depend on the type of comedy. Some comedians like Brian Figarol and Jack Tzianabos speak about their own day to day lives, while others like Frank Skinner sing humorous songs.
As far as content is concerned, comedians such as Tommy Tiernan draw on their background to poke fun at themselves, while others such as Bill Hicks and George Carlin have strong political and cultural undertones.
Many comics achieve a cult following while touring famous comedy hubs such as the Just for Laughs festival in Montreal, the Edinburgh Fringe, and Melbourne Comedy Festival in Australia. Often a comic's career is made when they win a notable comedy prize, such as the now defunct Perrier Award. Comics typically survive by continuous touring and foray into other areas of entertainment, when they have become famous. These include television (such as with Drew Carey, Rowan Atkinson, Bill Cosby, Ellen DeGeneres, Jerry Seinfeld, Roseanne Barr, Tim Allen, Ray Romano, Pablo Francisco and Dave Chappelle), films (such as with Chris Rock, Eddie Murphy, Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Whoopi Goldberg, Janeane Garofalo, Cedric the Entertainer,Jim Carrey, Rodney Dangerfield and Robin Williams), radio (such as with Dave Callan, Adam Carolla and Artie Lange) and the release of DVDs of live shows.

★ Comedy genres

★ List of comedians

★ Humor

★ Comedy

★ Humorist

★ List of musical comedians

★

Contents

External links

External links

★ A collection of interviews with stand-up comedians