Stand Up In Theatre

For as long as there has been someone valiant enough to grace the stage, there have been people willing to stop and watch. Though this stage has evolved over the centuries and become a metaphor, alluding to new media such as television and the radio, there is no form of entertainment more direct and authentic than that of the original platform. Thus being where the experience is live and therefore more direct. Although this can quite clearly be said for theatre, this essay will look to argue that of all the live experiences there is no experience more natural than that of the stand-up comedian, which is why clear when you examine the relationship between the performer and their audience.

To consider where stand up comedy hails from is to reiterate its authenticity in comparison to other forms of entertainment. Stand up comedy is rooted from the likes of Vaudeville, which as a form advocated the active audience. It removed the presence of the fourth wall in entertainment. Like stand up comedy Vaudeville is performer centred entertainment and features a series of

Although it is initially presented live, we often view stand-up on our televisions and this could perhaps alter its authenticity. The disparity of viewing platforms, whether it be live or pre recorded makes for varied audience dynamic as live stand up is completely uncensored. Obviously through watching pre-recorded stand up in our homes, we are eliminating the ‘risk’ of being an audience member at a stand up gig, the risk of being selected by the comedian and used as a pawn to benefit their performance. It could be argued that as an audience member you should be entitled to sit and watch the entertainment without fear of being selected to answer prompting questions, however it is almost certain that the audience member would laugh at the expense of someone elses’