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$18

weekly
Class

The Science of Comedy: How To Be Funny!

Completed by 16 learners
Ages 13-17
Live Group Class
We'll study vaudeville, Saturday Night Live, Monty Python and other masters of comedy. Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin and the silent movie stars. Discover what makes funny things funny as we create and perform our own scenes, sketches, and parodies. It's acting, writing, and laughing in one spot!
Average rating:
4.8
Number of reviews:
(1,399 reviews)
Popular

Live video meetings
1x per week
4-10 learners per class
50 min

What's included

1 live meeting
50 mins in-class hours per week
Homework
1 hour per week. Students may be asked to review videos and scripts of performers who they find intriguing. They may also want to write material to bring in to the next week's class. All homework is optional.

Class Experience

What does it mean to be funny?

There's a science to comedy, and we can learn how to be funny by studying the masters who've come before us.

In this ongoing class, we'll examine the amazing creators of laughter from the past through today. Buster Keaton and the silent comedians. Vaudeville Masters. Lucille Ball. Laurel and Hardy. The Three Stooges. Andy Kaufman. The great Saturday Night Live characters. Monty Python. The list goes on and will be influenced both by student choice and teacher expertise.

We'll look at and analyze classic comedy routines and scenes from movies and television. We'll rehearse and perform hilarious scenes such as "Who's On First." We'll write jokes, sketch comedy, monologues, and scenes.  Students will be asked to look into the creators who inspire them and figure out what about them makes them laugh. And, then we can all create our own material inspired by it.

Each week will have a different but always laugh inducing focus, and students are welcome to join in at anytime.

Other Details

Parental Guidance
Material will be kept school appropriate. However, one can expect an inevitable amount of potty humor and bawdy vaudeville jokes.
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.

Meet the teacher

Joined April, 2020
4.8
1399reviews
Popular
Profile
Teacher expertise and credentials
Master's Degree in Music or Theatre or Arts from UC San Diego
I inevitably get hired to direct the comedies since I have developed a reputation for knowing how to direct funny stuff. I went to clown and commedia dell'arte school on top of my MFA. I've always been obsessed with physical comedy.

Please read my full biography, and let me know if you have any questions or concerns!

Reviews

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