by Duncan McKenzie | Feb 21, 2011 | Improv
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...
by Duncan McKenzie | Nov 2, 2009 | Improv
“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...
by Duncan McKenzie | Oct 17, 2009 | Writing
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...
by Duncan McKenzie | Aug 28, 2009 | Writing
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...
by Duncan McKenzie | Aug 19, 2009 | Writing
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...
