9781422287071

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Creating Comedy

TYPES OF COMEDY Comedy comes in different forms. You may think one kind of comedy is hilarious, while another one is boring or not very funny at all. Some of the types include: • Slapstick. Slapstick involves physical humor and often getting hurt. People laugh when someone slips on a skateboard or falls off a ladder. Comedy movies often contain slapstick humor. • Satire. When a comedic performance makes fun of a big idea or current events, it’s satire. A comedian might make fun of politi- cians, war, or school. Satire does more than make fun of things, though—it also points out things that the comedian thinks should be changed to make the world a better place. • Irony. An ironic situation is one in which the opposite of what you expect to happen actually happens. • Sarcasm. A comedian who is sarcastic insults someone or some- thing in order to make fun of the person or an idea. Sarcasm can be mean, but it can also be funny. • Screwball. Screwball comedy contains situations that would never happen in real life. The actors or comedians involved in the situ- ation respond in ways that usually just make the situation worse. • Stand-up. A stand-up comedian may use any of these kinds of comedy while performing in front of a live audience. She might have a theme, like race or gender, or she might cover a whole range of things. Comedians might specialize in one kind of comedy over another. The Three Stooges are the classic example of slapstick comedians, as they bungle their way through situations by poking and punching each other. John Stewart’s The Daily Show is a good example of satire, since he pretends to seriously deliver the news but is actually making fun of society and the media.