10 Comedy Terms Every Actor Should Know

10 Comedy Terms Every Actor Should Know

As an actor and a stand-up comedian, I’ve learned how to live in both worlds of entertainment. What I have noticed is that comics often perform very well on sitcoms and films because most of what is asked for in the script they do on stage nightly. As an actor, you should be just as knowledgeable and prepared as your comedian counterparts. Here are some of the terms that every actor should know when they step onto a sitcom or comedy film set:

Improvisation: When you, as an actor, are given a scenario and a setting, then asked to create a scene with no lines. Or when you’re asked to do more with a scene than the lines that are written.

Storyline: The plot or narrative of the sitcom or play. For a comedy, this is the road map from which all the comedic situations will arise. In a sitcom, there are usually an A, B, and C storylines for the characters, which are intertwined into the main theme of the show.

Slapstick: A show or movie based on deliberately clumsy and humorously embarrassing events. Not necessarily high-brow comedy, usually filled with pratfalls, spit-takes, and physical comedy

Satire: A show or sketch that uses humor to ridicule the views of a person’s stupidity or vices, usually a political figure or person in a high-ranking position. “Saturday Night Live” has been the preeminent network show when it comes to this type of sketch comedy.

Sketch: A short, funny play or filmed performance usually consisting of one scene. Sketches are based on a funny premise then filled with numerous comedic outcomes. Many up-and-coming comics are filming their own sketches to showcase their abilities on YouTube.

Parody: A film or show meant to poke fun at another project with a serious theme. The Wayans family has created an entertainment dynasty by making parodies of horror films, and love stories. Parodies can never be too silly or too big in their comedy or the performances.

Dramedy: A film or TV show that combines both drama and comedy, usually in real storylines with the absence of a laugh track or studio audience.

Button: A joke on a sitcom that ends a scene. The button joke is often designed to get the biggest laugh as it will come right before a hard cut to another scene or commercial.

Callback: A joke based on something that happened earlier in the scene or show. This joke can also be used as a button and can be utilized over several episodes if the event it’s based on is strong enough.

Double Entendre: A pun that can have two meanings, usually sexual and playful. Often, the actors do not play the sexual meaning or if they do, it’s not over the top to the other character but lets the audience in on the joke.

COMEDY TERMS AND PHRASES

Some fun Comedy Terminology which is used in the industry all over the world by agents and comedians

Any that are missing or if you can think of ones begining with Q, U, V, W, X, Y or Z, then let me know.

Ad-Lib - to make up a joke within a scripted show.

Agent - The one you should worship and adore, these guys make you money - well the good ones

Alternative Possibilities - a list of meanings or functions of the connector that are not the same as that of the decoy assumption, one of which will become a reinterpretation.

Assumption - 1.) the audience's expectation that the 1st story will continue along the predicted line of thought.

2.) everything one is not experiencing with one's senses in the present.

Badgers & Jam - Refers to comics who garner laughs from the surprise inclusion of ‘random’ objects and animals in their set.

Beat - a pause; to take a break for the purposes of comic timing.

Behavioral Jokes - jokes constructed with the nonverbal connectors of character, emotions/state of mind, body language/actions, and sound effects.

Bit - a section of a stand-up comedy show or routine, also a short routine or a section of a routine.

Blue Material - jokes using graphic sexual overtones, scatological (toilet) references, and swear words.

Bomb (see also die) - to perform a comedy show which gets no or few laughs.

Booker - a person who hires and/or pays comedians to work in nightclubs.

Callback - a joke that refers back to another joke performed earlier in the show; often presented in a different context.

Capper - an antiquated term for the final in a series of jokes on the same subject matter which ends the routine with the biggest laugh.

Catch Phrase - a common phrase said in a extraordinary manner which becomes the trade make of a particular comedian. For instance Steve Martin's "Excuse me." or Billy Crystal's "You look marvelous."

Character POV - the perceptual position achieved when pretending to be someone or something else.

Closing Line - the final joke of a stand-up comedy show which should get a huge laugh.

Comedian - someone who makes his or her living being funny by means of an amusing character.

Comic - someone who makes his or her living being funny by telling jokes.

Connector - at the center of a joke, the one thing perceived in at least two ways. One way of perceiving it constitutes the decoy assumption; the second way of perceiving it reveals the reinterpretation.

Critic Spot - a location designated for evaluating one's show; separate from the Rehearsal Space.

Corporates - Very well paid private events, but sometimes bizarre

Cotton mouth - A peculiar symptom of a bad gig where a comic will start to lose all moisture in their throat and therefore the reason why most comics take a drink on stage…unless they are simply rampant alcoholics.

Decoy - a shorter term for decoy assumption.

Decoy Assumption - the misdirecting assumption in a joke's setup which creates the 1st story and is shattered by the reinterpretation.

Double up - Doing two gigs in one night

Die - A comedy gig get no laughs that night. NB: if death is particularly bad,it may be described as "Dying on your arse" (On your hole in Ireland)

Dying Continuiously - Perhaps its time for a career change

Edinburgh - Clown School, Every August!

Flop Sweat - the over abundance of perspiration one experiences from a panic reaction to bombing.

Flopping - bombing; not getting laughs.

Gag File - a joke file.

Gag - a joke.

Gag Hag - a male comedians groupie

Gig - a show business job.

Graphing - a scaling device with dots on paper for evaluating the effectiveness ofjokes to determine their proper placement within a routine or show.

Green Room - Any area where comedians are expected to prepare for a show. This can range from custom built flats with showers and satellite TV to toilet cubicles and, sometimes, smackhead’s bedrooms.

Hack - from the British word hack-neyed. Over used and thus cheapened, trite.

Hammocking - a technique for placing weaker material or improvisation between two strong comedy bits.

Headliner - the third and last comedian considered the star of a standard stand-up comedy show.

Heckler - an audience member who talks and interrupts a show, usually by exchanging insults with the comedian.

Impressionists - Comedians who do immitations of other people for the majority of their act.

Improvisation - akin to ad-lib, but usually refers to the spontaneous making up an entire bit or the continual comedic conversing with audience members.

Improvisationalists - Comedians who spontaneously make up the majority of their act on stage or do continual comedic conversing with audience members.

Inside Joke - a joke referring to information only a select group of people have.

Jesus Pose - Refers to the double outstretched arms comics will often adopt having highlighted some injustice or folly, usually to indicate the all important ‘What’s all that about?’ Can also include a step back from the mike for additional emphasis.

Joke - a device for expressing humor that employs a setup which contains a decoy assumption to misdirect the audience into accepting a bogus 1st story; and a punch which contains a reinterpretation which creates a 2nd story that shatters the decoy assumption.

Joke Diagram - a visual aid for illustrating the structure of a joke.

Joke File - jokes organized and stored on index cards or in a computer.

Joke Map - the first part of the Joke Prospector Writing System starts with a topic, creates a punch-premise, forms asetup-premise, and concludes with writing setups.

Joke Mine - the second part of the Joke Prospector Writing System begins with a setup and explains the process of using the joke mechanisms of decoy assumption, connector, and reinterpretation, to write a punch.

Joke Prospector Writing System - a joke writing system consisting of the two part of the Joke Map and the Joke Mine.

Jokey - 1. a term used to describe such obvious jokes that one would expect to hear a rim shot following them.

2. a comic's groupie.

Kill, to - to give an excellent comedy performance. Also known as "rock","slay","storm"

Kermit - A comedian either sitting on the edge of the stage or on a stool.

Laughs Per Minute - a measurement for counting the number of laughs in a show. Also known as Gags per minute or GPM

Line-Up - a list of the comics slated to perform.

LPM - laughs per minute.

M.C. - Master or Mistress of Ceremonies; the person who introduces the performers.

Middle - the second comedian in the standard three comedian stand-up comedy show line-up.

Mic or Mike - abbreviation for microphone.

Milkshake Brigade - A term to refer to the growing band of newer, and some established comics, quitting the booze and enjoying more innocent pleasures.

Monologue - a speech for one person; in comedy, a stand-up comedy script for a solo comedian.

Mirth - Another word for laughter

Narrator POV - the perceptual position achieved when being an observer or non-participant of an experience.

Neuro-linguistic Programming - a behavioral model and set of explicit skills and techniques founded by John Grinder and Richard Bandler. Defined as the study and mapping of the structure of the mind.

NLP - Neuro-Linguistic Programming, a behavioral model and set of explicit skills and techniques founded by John Grinder and Richard Bandler. Defined as the study and mapping of the structure of the mind.

Observational Comics - Comics whose material is based on various life obvervations.

On The Road - continually working outside of one's city of residence.

One-Liner - a joke made up of only one or two sentences.

One-Nighter - a job which only lasts one night.

Open-Mike - a policy to allow anyone to get on stage and try to be funny.

Opener - the first of three comedians in a standard comedy club line-up.

Opening Line - the first joke of a stand-up comedy routine.

Open Spot - A chance to try your material in a view to securing bookings for the future

Over-running - The situation where a comedian exceeds their time slot by a margin which is likely to impact on the rest of the night. Two minutes can be forgiven, five minutes is on the unprofessional side…ten minutes or more is basically worse than touching kids.

Pause - to stop talking in a show to enhance the timing of a joke.

Padding - A technique used by comperes who have to take to the stage upon an assurance that the next act who is running late is now ‘Literally in the car park’. Will often result in lots of people being asked what they ‘do for a living’.

POV - point of view.

Premise - the central concept from which a series of jokes or a routine is written.

Prop Comics - Comedians who use props throughout the majority of their act.

Punch - the second part of a joke that contains a reinterpretation that creates a 2nd story that shatters the setup's decoy assumption.

Punch Line - the second part of a joke that contains a reinterpretation that creates a 2nd story that shatters the setup's decoy assumption.

Punch-Premise - a step in the Joke Map stating a negative opinion about a smaller aspect of the topic.

Physical Comics - Comedians who use physical movements (slapstick) throughout their act.

Preview - A chance to showcase a solo show

Regulars - comedians who appears frequently at a particular nightclub.

Rehearsal Space - a location designated for practicing one's show; separate from the Critic Spot.

Reinterpretation - an unexpected meaning or function of the connector that shatters the decoy assumption.

Red Light - Any light which indicates to a comic that they are coming towards the end of their time slot. Some red lights are expertly built in to the lighting rig at an angle which is impossible for the audience to detect. Most red lights are the sound man aiming one of those laser key ring things in your eye until you give him a relevant hand signal.

Reveal - within the punch, the pivotal word, phrase, or action that exposes or presents the 2nd story's reinterpretation.

Riffing - verbally bantering with the audience.

Rip Into or Ripping - to attack, insult, or verbally tear into an audience member or comic who has heckled or otherwise deserves the abuse.

Roll, On a - delivering a string of jokes so that the audience continues laughing for an extended period without interruption.

Routine - jokes all on the same subject or story that can be repeated on a regular basis.

Running Gag - multiple callbacks; a recurring joke within the same show.

Schtick - a Yiddish word meaning a comic scene or piece of business; often implying physical comedy.

Segue - a transitional sentence for purposes of leading from one joke or routine to another.

Self POV - the perceptual position achieved when performing as one's self while participating in an experience.

Set - a stand-up comedy show of any length.

Setup - the first part of a joke that contains a decoy assumption to misdirect the audience into accepting a bogus 1st story.

Setup-Premise - a step in the Joke Map stating the opposite opinion to that of the punch-premise from which setups are written.

Shatter - with reference to joke structure, the point at which the audience realized that their assumption is incorrect.

Showcase - to perform a stand-up comedy show for little or no compensation for the purposes of getting experience or being seen by a potential employer.

Showcase Club - a comedy club using a line-up of ten or more comics in a row.

Shoe horn - Contrived inclusion of a joke into a passage it had no natural place in. Exp. ‘…It’s funny that you used to work as a teacher because I drove past a school the other day on the way to LIDL…LIDL EH? What’s all that about?...’

Sight Gag - a physical joke meant to be watched.

Stage Time - the duration, in minutes, a comedian spends in front of an audience making them laugh.

Tag or Tag Line - an additional punch immediately following a punch that does not require a new setup.

Take - a comedic facial reaction. Like the long Jack Benny take to the audience.

Throw Away - to put little emphasis on a point usually considered important.

Time Slot - the specific spot a comedian occupies within a showcase club line-up.

Timing - the use of tempo, rhythm, pause, etc. to enhance a joke, or tailor it to an individual performing situation; African Dancing and Drumming.

Topic - the single and overall subject of a routine based on a problem.

Topical Comics - Comedians whose material is based on current events.

Topical Jokes - about current events.

Topper - an antiquated term referring to a joke playing off a previous joke; same as tag.

Triple up - Can be done, three gigs in one night - ask my acts

Stand-up comedy

Stand-up comedy is a comic style in which a comedian performs in front of a live audience, usually speaking directly to them. The performer is commonly known as a comic, stand-up comic, stand-up comedian or simply a stand-up. In stand-up comedy the comedian usually recites a fast-paced succession of humorous stories, short jokes called "bits", and one-liners, which constitute what is typically called a monologue, routine or act. Some stand-up comedians use props, music or magic tricks to enhance their acts. Stand-up comedy is often performed in comedy clubs, bars, neo-burlesques, colleges, and theaters. Outside of live performance, stand-up is often distributed commercially via television, DVD, and the internet.

Humor vs Comedy vs Jokes

To better understand what is humor, lets look at two other words most people relate to humor – comedy and jokes. The House of Random says Comedy is:

any comic or humorous incident or series of incidents. [2]

And a Joke is

something said or done to provoke laughter or cause amusement. [3]

Do you remember studying for the SATs and standardized tests and having to do those logic problems? They tested if you understood that all lions are cats, but not all cats are lions? That’s what the relationship of humor, comedy and jokes is like: all jokes are comedy, and all comedy is humor, but not all humor is comedy and certainly not all jokes.

So What is Humor?

As the definition states, humor is anything that causes amusement. The joke “A leader of an orchestra was recently electrocuted, proving after all, he was a good conductor” is humorous (to some at least), but so is a smile.

Humor in the workplace could be watching episodes of The Office during lunch or taking a break to play some foosball – it’s whatever can cause amusement.

The important thing to remember is that humor, in it’s many forms, is beneficial to the work and life. Office humor makes the “9-5” more enjoyable.

Humor and Laughter

Many people assume that in order for something to be deemed humorous, it must evoke laughter. And while stand-up comedians may use that as a measure of success, that’s not the case for humor at work. Anything that relaxes the body, gets people to breathe, causes a smile, or elicits happiness is humor.

In fact, the tendency in the corporate world is to suppress laughter. And as silly as it seems, there are a number of reasons why people don’t laugh at work. But the use of humor can help change that.

Humor At Work

With our new understanding of humor, you start to see how easy it can be to bring it into the workplace and have some fun at work. Fun at work? Isn’t that an oxymoron? First, don’t call me a moron, and second, of course not. As Dale Carnegie, author of How to Win Friends and Influence People, said

“People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing.”

Humor That Works has more resources on Workplace Humor

Now that you understand humor, its’ time to start using it to help yourself, your team, and your entire company. You can find some ideas to get you started under How-To Humor. If you’re still not sold on the benefits, check out our Start Here page to sign up for the Humor Newsletter and/or read our famous blogpost on the 30 Benefits of Humor at Work.

Comedy Lingo

Tweet: Stand-up comedy has a language all its own! Learn these words so you can sound like a real comic!
If you want to be a stand-up comedian, there are some terms that you should become familiar with. That way, if you get offstage and another comic tells you, “Man you just killed! Your bit about the English muffins had a great callback, but it was pretty blue,” you can intelligently respond to him or her. Enjoy this glossary of stand-up comedy terms.
Act: Your persona onstage. The type of comedian that you present yourself to be.
Bit: A routine, or a topic in your set.
Blue: This term refers to how clean the subject matter of your material is. Comics who are blue curse continually and talk about adult themes. Rated R.
To Bomb: You did badly. No one laughed.
Callback: When the comic recites a line that refers to an earlier joke in the set.
Clean: The opposite of blue. This would be rated G: for the whole family.
Closer: The last joke in your set. Always leave the audience wanting more.
Feature: A comic who performs anywhere from 20-30 minutes after the opener but before the headliner.
Headliner: The last comic to perform. A headliner generally performs 45-60 minutes of comedy.
To Kill: You did a great job. The audience is in stitches.
MC aka Opener aka Host: Master of ceremonies: the person who is first onstage, opens with 5-10 minutes of material and introduces the acts.
One Liner: A joke within a single sentence or phrase.
Punch line: The surprise line at the end of the joke that completes the joke and makes the audience laugh.
Room: This is the venue.
Set: The set consists of all the jokes you told during your time onstage.
Set up: The first part of the joke in which the premise and attitude is established.
Tag: An extra line at the end of a punch line that pertains to the topic. An extra joke.
Learning these terms will not only help you communicate with those around you, but will also help you understand the theory behind stand-up comedy.

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