ARTICLES BY LAURA S JAMES

There are quite a few clubs out there for comedians to join The benefit for a comedian in joining a club or several clubs is that he is then available to work gigs through the club's connections

What kind of routine you have during your comedy act will depend somewhat on the type of comedy you do Naturally, you want to grab attention at the start, but then you also want to keep the attention through the body of your performance

While many comedians work alone, many others find that a partnership is an excellent way of producing their show Stand-up is essentially a one-man show, but other forms of comedy such as improv are suited to a duo

Many new comedians wonder if they should really have an agent It all depends on how far you want to go with the comedian business

The best place to start your trip into the world of comedy is in front of your mirror Here you can practice your jokes and comedy routines until they are perfect, with no one to put you down or laugh in the wrong places

Comedy comes in several basic styles and each comedian usually concentrates on the particular style that suits them That is not to say they can't or don't dabble in the other styles, but sometimes a particular style is so suited to a comedian - and they get so used to it, that they prefer not to change

Many writers and comedians write their own material because they have a sense of humor that is unique It may be a warped sense of humor, but they have the ability to see humor in many situations that most people would never dream of

Different types of jokes have different structure The stand-up comic tells jokes that are brief and to the point

The performer gets a thrill out of being on stage and delivering his lines so that everyone laughs The writer may prefer to take time to get those funny lines just right