Step by Step to Stand-Up Comedy - Revised Edition by Greg Dean

Author:Greg Dean [Dean, Greg]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: How to write and perform stand-up comedy
Publisher: Be Funny Inc.
Published: 2019-02-20T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter 8

Greg Dean's Rehearsal Process

Now that I’ve explained my numerous reasons for designing this Rehearsal Process, I’d like to introduce you to it. It consists of three phases: Preparation, enacting the experience, and performing the material based on remembering the experience.

The steps are marked as to whether you should be in your Critic Spot indicated by the symbol or your Rehearsal Space signified by the symbol . As you go through the steps, look for these symbols and move accordingly.

Phase One: Preparation

DESIGNATE A CRITIC SPOT

AND A REHEARSAL SPACE

CHOOSE A JOKE OR ROUTINE TO REHEARSE

IDENTIFY THE EXPERIENCE THAT INSPIRED THE JOKE

“What experience would have happened in order for me to respond with this joke?”

EXPLORE THE DETAILS OF THE EXPERIENCE

“Who is or is implied to be in this experience?” “Where is this experience taking place?”

DECIDE HOW TO ENACT THE EXPERIENCE

“How do I want to enact this experience?”

Phase Two: Enact the Experience

PORTRAY SELF POV

“What role did I play within this experience?”

EVALUATE

“Did I enact my role in a way that allows me to respond with this joke?”

PORTRAY CHARACTER POV

“How did other person(s) or thing(s) within this experience behave?”

EVALUATE

“Did I portray Character POV in a way that allows me to respond with this joke?”

PORTRAY NARRATOR POV

“How do I want to describe what happened?”

EVALUATE

“Have I played all of the POVs in a way that allows me to respond with this joke?”

Phase Three: Practice Performing

DECIDE HOW TO COMMUNICATE THE EXPERIENCE

“How do I want to portray the POVs to perform this joke?”

PERFORM THE JOKE OR ROUTINE

EVALUATE THE PERFORMANCE

“Did I communicate the experience concisely and still keep the joke structure?”

This may seem like a lot to cover, but don’t worry. Like the other techniques described in this book, these steps are much simpler to do than to explain. Once you understand how it all fits together, you’ll whiz through your rehearsals and, in the process, acquire a vivid, long-lasting sensory memory of the material from several multiple perspectives.

Let’s Go Through the Rehearsal Process

Your goal in rehearsing is turning your material into sensory experiences from all relevant POVs as though it is actually happening to you, then you can remember your show as you would a story about a real experience you had. The effect this will have on your audience is they will not just watch you tell jokes, but rather enter the movie of your show.

Unlike my other techniques described previously, this Rehearsal Process is not a step-by-step procedure but rather a series of interactive phases. It requires you to evaluate the experience within the joke and then decide, based on that evaluation, how to enact the experience and perform the joke. To do this you may need to move back and forth between the steps as a means of coding the experience in such a manner that will make it easy for you to respond with the joke.

Feel free to customize this process. For instance, the steps have questions that are designed to help you get to the core of each step, but if different questions work better for you, by all means use them.

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