I write comedy. The best advice I can give is understand what your character wants and say your lines understanding that motivation. If you read the lines in character, and the writer has created a funny situation, you will be funny. You don't have to rely on accents or gestures outside the play. Those can be funny too but learn your lines and don't flub a great line cause you didn't study enough.
The other suggestion is give time for the audience to get the joke and to laugh. Don't rush on to the next line. Even a reaction from you can be funny. So your partner says something funny and you look at him and tilt your head. The audience identifies with you and they laugh at your reaction. You might begin a sentence and then stop cause you are just now understanding what was said. There is comedy that's can come from reactions and silences.
In one of my plays, a young woman is rubbing another young women's hands because they are cold. It wasn't written in the script, but the first woman stopped dialogue mid sentence and looked down at her hands which were being rubbed vigorously. It got a big laugh
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Leon Kaye
Playwright for the Ages
Lhk@koa1.com------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 01-07-2021 08:42
From: Nancy Lomas-Reynolds
Subject: comedy
I am looking for resources to help improving comedy skills in my ensemble. Any ideas, articles etc would be appreciated
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Nancy Lomas-Reynolds
Director and Theatre Coordinator
Voorhees High School
Glen Gardner, NJ
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