Great class on Monday everyone!!! It was nice that everyone could make it to class 🙂 A few matters of house keeping: Our Comedy Grad is Tuesday May 30. Everyone is performing a 7 to 10 minute set. The doors will open at 6:30. Showtime is 8:00 PM. Tickets are 10$ at the door.

REMEMBER: The contents of your set: STORY/FRAME TAGS.

In this blog I will be covering: RUNNING GAG and CALLBACKS.

Alright, I’ve told everyone in class: besides your punchlines making a POINT your punchlines also have to have more emotion than the PREMISE! If there isn’t a point or emotion in the punchline then the premise and the punchline are a wash. Ask yourself what you’re trying to say in the joke and then create the premise and then ask the questions that have emotion, the unspoken, taboo out of bounds and from other perspectives. Put the premise and the punchlines together until you like it.

REMEMBER: The jokes have to keep getting better in your set, more emotion and more well crafted toward the end of your set ending on your BEST JOKE! If you don’t do this, your set is a wash/ vanilla.

RUNNING GAGS. A running gag is a set of 3 or 4 jokes all making REFERENCE to the first joke. The gag should be based in your theme have something to do with core of your frame. A running gag makes reference more than once,

CALLBACK: A callback makes reference to ONE TIME to a previous joke. A callback helps to create HISTORY in a short set.

EXAMPLE: (My FRAME IS about being Norwegian.

(In my example I’m using Pirates as the running gag. A running gag helps to keep your set lose and keeps us as comedians lose and not take ourselves so seriously. We get to be silly while we’re building our set. It forces us to think outside ourselves.

My name is Paul Sveen. My last name is the sound a PIRATE makes when they pulls out their sword, (I make my name sound like a sword being pulled from a scabbard.)  “SVEEN!” Some day you’re going to be on a beach vacation and a swashbuckler’s going to stumble up and go, “SVEEN!” give me your treasure you land lubber! And you’re going to say, “relax everyone, we saw this guy at Yuk Yuks! He’s not threat. Sveen is Norwegian you ever here one of us talk? We could be talking about socks it sounds like we’re going to middle earth to battle the orcs! FIRST GAG: I’m not sure what I would do if I was accosted by a pirate. He’d walk up, “Give me your treasure you scurvy dog!” I’d say, treasure, you just stole my opening joke captain hack! ‘SVEEN! Norwegian food is the worst food in the world, “you want some fish soaked in battery acid?” No I’m good Klingon! SECOND GAG: I think the hardest part about being a Pirate on the prairies is trying to convince your magpie it’s a parrot!  Worst music in the world is Norwegian rap. I do a rap beat and then talk like the Swedish Chef. THIRD GAG. What would you do once you stopped being a pirate. You’d have to work on your people skills maybe getting a job as a Home Depot greeter. Could be awkward asking which aisle the saws were in to a guy with a peg leg an eye patch and a hook! Any way, great talking to you, I have to get some Duracell’s , I’m making fish! SVEEN! (CALLBACK)

1. Know your story 2) what’s the theme, write three jokes that makes reference to the theme. 3) Look at a joke in the middle of your set and crate a joke that makes reference to it. This will be your callback.
2. Have fun. Rehearse your set at least once a day. Listen to it on your headphones. Keep tagging your jokes and set. Make sure your jokes keep escalating in your set, starting with your second best joke and finishing on your best joke!!
3. I can be booked as a speaker and a comedian. I can share workshops with your group and also perform at your function. I also do ONE on ONE coaching if your’re interested.
4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izB5Wr33wCU

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