Ric Walker is a performer, teacher, writer and director. As an actor he has appeared in numerous plays, independent films and television. Ric has worked as a corporate spokesman for companies such as Eli Lilly, Computer Associates and Oracle. He has improvised with and been a member of comedy troupes The Improvised Shakespeare Company, Comedy Sportz Chicago, The Second City and MCTD. He is also a member Emeritus of Second Story. Ric has designed and facilitated workshops on improvisation, public speaking and communications for corporations and organizations such as Coke, Pepsi, Starbucks and Northwestern University Law School. Ric is currently a Professor at Columbia College Chicago in the nation’s first BA in Comedy Writing and Performance.
RIC WALKER SHOW NOTES
- Teaching comedy at Columbia University
- Each semester culminates in a mini sketch show
- Around 225 students. A popular Major
- Is this how you want to represent yourself?
- Are you saying this because you think it’s a truth
- Your job as the performer is to illuminate something for the audience and show them a new way of looking at it
- Every day is an experiment
- It’s not about trying to do it perfect the first time
- Give yourself permission to say whatever
- Creating brave spaces
- Is your premise clear?
- Does your premise create a target assumption?
- Is there a simple way that you are changing that story with that punch line?
- Is the language sharp?
- Six filters to test your joke structure
- The ideal student
- It’s inexplicable how some people break and some people don’t
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SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT:
This episode is brought to you by Patreon supporter Donna Lewis and CLUB 52.
Club 52 is a one-year program designed to challenge you to get bigger, better and more bookable. You will be prompted to examine your material, performance and business practices via email each week.
You will define your stage persona, style and point of view. You will learn how to create expectations through your marketing, branding and introductions. From nailing your elevator pitch, to refining your value proposition, you will learn how to make it easier for bookers to hire you.
Meet comics from around the country during a quarterly online “hangout”. As a group, we tackle our top struggles and how to approach overcoming them. Think of it as your personal monthly mastermind group. Over the course of the year you will learn how to get more gigs, and leverage every opportunity that comes your way.
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Club 52 is available to anyone supporting the podcast through Patreon at $7 a month or more. To learn more about Patreon, just click here. Or go to SchoolOflaughs.com/Patreon
