Freeze Game

The Freeze Game is a popular game in improv shows, often used as a high-energy end to a set. A group of players – usually between 4 and 10 – lines up at the back of the stage. Two people, A and B, come forward, ask the audience for a suggestion for an...

He Said, She Said

“He Said, She Said” is an improv game where two players control each other’s actions. The basic idea of the game is easy enough. One player delivers a line of dialogue. The other player then adds the words “he said” (or “she...

Parodying the film noir detective film

The film noir detective film, with its hard-boiled detectives and gorgeous, backstabbing dames, is a great genre to parody, whether as a comedy sketch, a sequence in a movie or sitcom, or an improvised scene. I’m going to discuss a few quick’n’dirty...

The sketch comedy monologue

If you’re writing sketch comedy, the monologue is a real time-saver. A sketch comedy monologue usually involves one actor talking directly to the audience in character. The comedy comes from the character, and will usually have a story to it. It’s...

Writing Tips: Bathos

One of my favourite comedy words is “bathos”. Bathos is a technique which many experienced writers use instinctively, but most don’t know by name – which means you can throw the word around and sound cleverer than they are. Bathos is humour that comes from an...