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  3. The Cambridge Companion to Stand-Up Comedy
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    • Publisher:
      Cambridge University Press
      Publication date:
      21 August 2025
      04 September 2025
      ISBN:
      9781009000635
      9781316518571
      9781009009737
      DOI:
      https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009000635
      Dimensions:
      (229 x 152 mm)
      Weight & Pages:
      0.62kg, 322 Pages
      Dimensions:
      (229 x 152 mm)
      Weight & Pages:
      0.468kg, 322 Pages
      • Subjects:
      Literature, British Theatre, American Theatre, Drama and Theatre: General Interest, Drama, Theatre, Performance Studies
      Series:
      Cambridge Companions to Theatre and Performance
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    • Selected: Digital
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    Subjects:
    Literature, British Theatre, American Theatre, Drama and Theatre: General Interest, Drama, Theatre, Performance Studies
    Series:
    Cambridge Companions to Theatre and Performance
    Information

    Book description

    Stand-up comedy is one of the simplest theatre forms in existence. The comedian stands on a (usually) bare stage, talking straight to the audience in the hope of getting laughs. Yet it has never been more popular, with national scenes developing across every continent except Antarctica. In this insightful and accessibly written volume, diverse chapters explore the subject from many angles, ranging from national scenes, live venues, and recordings to politics, race, sexuality, and the question of offensiveness. Chapters also consider the performance dynamics of stand-up in detail, examining audience, persona, and trauma. Interspersed throughout the chapters are a series of originally commissioned interviews with comedians from nine different countries, including Maria Bamford, Jo Brand, Aditi Mittal, and Rod Quantock, providing rare insights into their craft.

    Reviews

    ‘This book is an essential guide to the wonderful, rich, wild, silly world of stand-up.’

    Josie Long - multi-award-winning comedian

    ‘An interesting read for anyone interested in the nuts and bolts of the art, and how it emerges from and reflects the society in which it sits.’

    Steve Bennett Source: Chortle

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    Contents

    Page 1 of 2

    Contents
    • Introduction
      pp 1-12
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    Page 1 of 2

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