Basics of Comedy

Honestly, most of what is taught in English class is pretty depressing. Why not liven things up with the basics of comedy? There are so many important comedies out there to explore with students.

What makes comedy…comedy?

There is a series of comedic structures and devices that recur throughout the form. Technically, some come from dramatic works, but are also frequently used in comedy. There may be some missing from this list, but these are good ones to start with because they are the most pervasive.

1. Puns
2. Farce
3. Satire
4. Parody
5. Verbal Irony
6. Dramatic Irony
7. Reversal
8. Shakespearean Comedy

Honorable mention: dandy characters, wit, and callbacks.

These are so fun to teach because you can bring in improv prompts and jokes to get students playing and laughing. You can invite students to bring in their favorite examples too!

Basics of Comedy Across Genres

Within comedy, there are many forms to study:

• sketch comedy
• stand-up comedy
• songs
• fake news & ads
• sitcom
• improv
• short stories
• poems
• plays
• novels & memoirs

I have taught comedy through short stories, memoirs (comedian memoir book clubs!), and most importantly, plays. What I love about teaching comedy is its potential for three-level learning:

1. Basics of comedy (a short introduction to master the devices)
2. Reading comprehension (applying to devices to comprehend a text where the devices are *essential* to comprehension)
3. Extension. Comedy projects are fun!

Comedy Play Examples

• My favorite classic comedy to teach is The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde. Comedies often involve mistaken identities and lies that make them hard for students to follow. Because the cast is smaller, this play becomes more navigable for teaching. The language is still advanced, but not quite as difficult as Shakespeare. Also, I love the movie!
• Almost, Maine by John Cariani. This is a newer play that would be fun to teach. It emphasizes the romantic element of comedy. There are school-staged productions on YouTube.
• Clue (High School Edition) by Sandy Rustin. This play is especially good for teaching farce. While it is still ridiculous, the mystery element might pull in students who don’t think school can be funny. There are school-staged productions on YouTube.
• Check with your school’s theatre director! They might have class sets of comedies that they have done in the past (and perhaps some key props or costumes).

Comedy Play by Shakespeare

There are several to choose from, so I’ll give you my recommendations.

• A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Complex, because there are four plots to track. There are many different movie versions, which can make for enlightening comparative study.
• The Comedy of Errors. One of my favorites! Has available stage recordings.
• The Taming of the Shrew. This could be taught with 10 Things I Hate About You to 11th or 12th grade to look at how a work is adapted. At this point, students could update the movie to reflect today.

Honorable mentions: As You Like It and Much Ado About Nothing. Both have good movies and all the standard Shakespearan comedy techniques. Of the two, I think Much Ado is the most straightforward (if you can really ever say that about a Shakespearean comedy). A case could also be made for a Twelfth Night/She’s the Man study.

Get Started with the Basics of Comedy

If students have a good understanding of the basics of comedy, they are in a better position to comprehend the story. This basics of comedy unit will introduce comedic devices in a fun way before reading any comedy. It includes

•lessons for 8 comedic devices that can be combined or taught one per day

•slides to introduce each device and guide students in making 3-column notes that can be applied to identifying the devices in plays or stories

•an activity for each device to get students talking and laughing

•links to video examples where possible to help students see the devices in action