Welcome to the 200th episode of the School of Laughs podcast! What an amazing journey this has been. Two hundred? Yes indeed. We made it. To be perfectly honest there were many times where I thought about moving onto something else. The amount of time invested in this show was preventing me from doing some…
Aspiring comedians huddle up after a stand-up comedy writing class to ask a variety of questions about pursuing stand-up. From writing and performing to horrible road gigs – we cover a lot of ground! Questions include: Is there a line that you cannot cross in comedy? What was my worst heckling situation? When writing jokes with…
This episode is all about YOU. That’s right. I opened the mail bag and found a bunch of great questions and some jokes that … well, you wanted fixed. Join me as we answer the following questions … Do you have any tips on writing every day? Specifically, is there a place or web site…
NEW AT COMEDY? YOU MIGHT BE WONDERING … Do you have beginning comedy questions about stand-up? Are you just dipping your toes in the waters of writing and performing? Today I am joined by three current writing students in this “after school special”. They each bring forth a slew of excellent questions. I am willing…
Have you ever had a few joke ideas collecting dust in your notebook? Former student and YouTube star Kate Spellman and Gavin Miller join me at the writing table to pitch a couple of joke ideas that need to see daylight. We all offer up two potential premises and decide on one each. Then we brainstorm on…
– Rik Roberts | www.SchoolOfLaughs.com Many aspiring comedians don’t feel welcomed in their own town. The most common complaints are: “I can’t get any spots.” “It’s like a good ol’ boys club.” “They ain’t letting nobody else in.” I hear ya. We’ve covered this topic a little bit in the past. (See: “Cracking the Comedy Clique”)…
Martha Bolton is a joke-writing machine! As a staff writer for Bob Hope for over fifteen years, Martha developed the comedic muscles to crank out an incredible amount of comedy material. Many others including Phyllis Diller, have hired Martha to produce comedy gold. Check out this episode! In this interview, Martha walks us through the…
Like it or not, part Of the job of a comedian is “sales”. You are constantly selling your act, selling your professionalism, selling yourself to bookers, owners, managers, agents and audiences. If you can’t spend some time to develop that skill, you will struggle. It’s plain, and simple. Check out this episode! Whether you represent…
You may feel like you are making huge strides in your comedy career, but are you? Most performers find a comfortable little comedy “safe place” and never wander beyond it. We all know comics who could be SO MUCH BETTER. Maybe, that comic is yourself. This episode gives more than 23 actionable tips you can…
At some point you will discover that your jokes appeal to a certain type of audience. Hopefully, that group will be full of people you enjoy performing for. When this happens, you have found your “Ultimate Audience”. Check out this episode! Early on, I don’t want you to get to hung up on finding out…