Customer Reviews

Comedy College How-To-Handbook

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In many ways, success in comedy is achieved in the same way that it is in other fields. It takes persistence, practice, creativity, imagination and the continuous improvement of the craft. In this book, veteran comedian Gavin Jerome takes the reader through a series of lessons in how to get the original idea for a joke, how to test and modify it and then how to deliver it in front of a live audience.
Success in comedy is a difficult thing, more difficult than many other areas. It requires a stage presence and the ability to adapt on the fly, depending on the reaction of the audience. There are times to move and there are times to simply keep quiet. As Jerome so aptly points out, some of the greatest laughs the great Jack Benny ever received were the consequence of a beautifully timed pause.
If you have ever entertained the idea of trying your hand at stand-up comedy, then this book is a good place to start. Jerome is straightforward in his advice, there are worksheets, tasks and exercises to work through as you take an idea and polish it into a good joke. This book will also have value if your only goal is to be able to tell a joke to a few of your co-workers.

Gavin Jerome's "How-To" Handbook is an "at your finger tips" handy resource for speakers and communicators in all professions offering tips for making all sorts of writing and communicating more compelling and more interesting. Jerome offers ways to create create humor and to utilize it effectively while taking the risk out for those who are sure they just"aren't funny". Even if you don't want to use his step-by-step approach to writing humor, the grounding provided by the book is a must for those who want to add a creative dimension to their speeches, articles, memos and letters. A plus for the volume is that it is just plain fun reading. The book is worth the price of admission just for the smiles. Thanks, Gavin!