
Mastering Stand-Up
The Complete Guide to Becoming a Successful Comedian
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Narrated by:
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Stephen Rosenfield
About this listen
This entertaining and sharply written guide - for both beginners breaking into comedy and professionals seeking to improve their sets and advance their careers - examines the work of great comedians such as Louis C. K., Jerry Seinfeld, Eddie Izzard, Moms Mabley, Hannibal Buress, Sarah Silverman, Richard Pryor, and more as a means of illustrating the most important techniques of performing and writing stand-up.
Here, Stephen Rosenfield lays out a clear plan for achieving success, candidly explaining what works, what doesn't, and why. Including a 12-item "Successful Comedian's To-Do List," Rosenfield states, "Get undeniably good at each of these and you can kiss your day job good-bye. You will be a pro."
©2018 Stephen Rosenfield (P)2019 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
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“Don’t Wear Shorts on Stage…” is not only a complete guide to the previously unwritten rules of stand-up, but also a quick reference for the hundreds of questions that most comics don’t even think to ask. Durham points out mistakes most comics make before they even take the stage and continues his advice throughout the different levels of a comic’s career. His knowledge stems from over a decade of performing along with three years behind the scenes at one of America’s top clubs where he soaked up tips and anecdotes from some of the business’s biggest names like Dave Attell, ...
By: Rob Durham
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Born Standing Up
- A Comic's Life
- By: Steve Martin
- Narrated by: Steve Martin
- Length: 4 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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In the mid-70s, Steve Martin exploded onto the comedy scene. By 1978 he was the biggest concert draw in the history of stand-up. In 1981 he quit forever. Born Standing Up is, in his own words, the story of "why I did stand-up and why I walked away".
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Fantastic
- By Andrew on 11-30-07
By: Steve Martin
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The Upright Citizens Brigade Comedy Improv Manual
- By: Upright Citizens Brigade
- Narrated by: Upright Citizens Brigade
- Length: 13 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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The Upright Citizens Brigade Comedy Improvisation Manual is a comprehensive guide to the UCB style of long form comedy improvisation. Written by UCB founding members Matt Besser, Ian Roberts, and Matt Walsh, the manual covers everything from the basics of two person scene work (with a heavy emphasis on finding "the game" of the scene), to the complexities of working within an ensemble to perform long form structures, such as "The Harold" and "The Movie".
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Buy a Physical Copy Instead
- By Anonymous on 12-27-22
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How to Write Funnier
- Your Serious Step-by-Step Blueprint for Creating Incredibly, Irresistibly, Successfully Hilarious Writing: How to Write Funny, Book 2
- By: Scott Dikkers
- Narrated by: Scott Dikkers
- Length: 6 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Can you learn how to write comedy? Absolutely - anyone can. Scott Dikkers will tell you how. He's co-founder and longest-serving editor-in-chief of The Onion, the world's most popular humor publication, and founder of The Onion Training Center at the Second City in Chicago. He's also a number one best-selling humor author and winner of the Thurber Prize for American Humor. In How to Write Funnier, he tells you everything you need to know to start writing funny stories, how to write funny scenes, and how to write funny sketches.
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Great info on collaborative humor writing/revision
- By Jason on 05-10-23
By: Scott Dikkers
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The Elements of Humor
- By: Scott Dikkers
- Narrated by: Scott Dikkers
- Length: 3 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Are you ready to elevate your writing, speeches, and conversations with unparalleled wit and comedy? Look no further than The Elements of Humor by bestselling author and comedy writing legend, Scott Dikkers. This isn't just another book on humor—it's a transformative guide that stands head and shoulders above the rest, designed to make you the funniest version of yourself. The Elements of Humor is your key to making the people around you laugh. Perfect for enhancing presentations, content creation, or everyday conversations, this book will secure a prominent place on your library shelf.
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He puts it all together
- By Amber Morales on 04-22-25
By: Scott Dikkers
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The Improv
- An Oral History of the Comedy Club That Revolutionized Stand-Up
- By: Budd Friedman, Tripp Whetsell, Jay Leno - foreword
- Narrated by: Johnny Heller
- Length: 10 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1963, 30-year-old Friedman - who had recently quit his job as a Boston advertising executive and returned to his hometown of New York to become a theatrical producer - opened a coffee house for Broadway performers called the Improvisation. His goal? Simply to make a living, and if all went according to plan, to also make enough professional contacts to be able to mount his first Broadway show within a year's time. Later shortened to the Improv, its first West 44th Street location was in a seedy section of Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen.
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Shockingly tone deaf
- By JenniferW on 06-28-23
By: Budd Friedman, and others
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Do You Talk Funny?
- 7 Comedy Habits to Become a Better (and Funnier) Public Speaker
- By: David Nihill
- Narrated by: David Nihill
- Length: 4 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Public speaking can be terrifying. For David Nihill, the idea of standing in front of an audience was scarier than cliff jumping into a thorny pit of spiders and mothers-in-law. Without a parachute or advanced weaponry. Something had to change.
In what doesn't sound like the best plan ever, David decided to overcome his fears by pretending to be a comedian called "Irish Dave" for one full year, crashing as many comedy clubs, festivals, and shows as possible.
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A Textbook for a Take Action Program
- By Brian Ball on 03-07-16
By: David Nihill
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Is This Anything?
- By: Jerry Seinfeld
- Narrated by: Jerry Seinfeld
- Length: 6 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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Since his first performance at the legendary New York nightclub “Catch a Rising Star” as a 21-year-old college student in fall of 1975, Jerry Seinfeld has written his own material and saved everything. “Whenever I came up with a funny bit, whether it happened on a stage, in a conversation, or working it out on my preferred canvas, the big yellow legal pad, I kept it in one of those old school accordion folders,” Seinfeld writes. “So I have everything I thought was worth saving from 45 years of hacking away at this for all I was worth.”
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Joke, joke, joke. Boring, boring, boring.
- By ECMILLER on 10-11-20
By: Jerry Seinfeld
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Improv for Actors
- By: Dan Diggles
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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In this step-by-step guide, an actor and improvisational teacher brings his tested methods to the page to show how actors can take risks and gain spontaneity in all genres of scripted theater. Through 28 lessons - each of which includes warm-ups, points of concentration, and improvisation exercises - Improv for Actors provides insights into thinking and reacting with fluidity, exploring a character’s social status, using the voice and body as effective tools of storytelling, and more.
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Good Content, helpful resource
- By Buyer One on 04-30-14
By: Dan Diggles
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People Skills
- A Simple Guide to Reading People, Mastering Small Talk, and Getting People to Like You (Social Intelligence Training)
- By: Andy Gardner
- Narrated by: Alex Smith
- Length: 43 mins
- Unabridged
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The truth is, we all have a deep need to feel understood and connected to others. And yet, most of us do not know how to create those connections. Some may have given up all hope, but it does not have to be this way!
By: Andy Gardner
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Jim Gaffigan: Quality Time
- By: Jim Gaffigan
- Narrated by: Jim Gaffigan
- Length: 1 hr and 13 mins
- Original Recording
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Jim Gaffigan is in top form for his seventh comedy special. The four-time Grammy nominated comedian doesn’t understand why we aren’t more honest about the reasons we don’t want to attend events, while at the same time embraces lying to kids. From horses and dog birthdays to traveling and museums, Jim continues to impress. Get ready to sit back and enjoy some Quality Time with Jim Gaffigan!
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This is just one of his comedy shows
- By Virginia Snyder on 08-21-20
By: Jim Gaffigan
What listeners say about Mastering Stand-Up
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- Erich
- 07-05-19
Brilliant
This book starts with short chapters on the kinds of comedy available to you as a standup. Then it goes into writing jokes. The advice is very good. It even has sections on being an MC and overcoming self-criticism. The writer is deeply knowledgeable and experienced. The book is right up to date, talking about YouTube and social media. Start with this book and if you like it, go on to Greg Dean and Judy Carter and the other great writers about comedy. If, like me, you’ve hit a slump in your comedy performing this inspiring book will jolt you from your lethargy. You’ll need more than a book to get “undeniably good”.
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9 people found this helpful
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- Nathan
- 04-01-22
very helpful and confidence building
this book is extremely detailed and helpful. with this book and the work of Jerry Corley you'll be set up for your first open mic!
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- Monali Mahedia
- 03-06-25
One of most essential books.
This book is so comprehensive that if you digest it all, you would need a very little information to be a stand-up comic. It's a perfect book for anyone who wants start doing stand-up.
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- Robert Ö
- 05-27-19
Great book! Very slow reader.
This book was great! I've worked with performing variety shows for a long time, and this gave me many clear direct tips for adding more comedy elements.
My only critic was how very slow the reader spoke. I speed it up in the player and then it was no problem.
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6 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 04-22-20
Best book on stand up.
I’ve tried to get through several other books on stand up, and most of the time I find them preachy and restrictive. I don’t think anyone can tell an artist how to find their voice and be themselves, or tell them an exact process they need to go through. This book doesn’t try to do that, it gives great advice and sage wisdom.
I’m on my second listen, thanks to COVID-19 and it really is an awesome audiobook.
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1 person found this helpful
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- daniel chittenden
- 01-02-21
Never Knew I needed this book.
if it wasn't for this pandemic I never would've tried to look this way as a career. "The Voice" of my own immediately felt tiny once the chapter exposed it and the strength of nerves. Comedy helped me through the worst times, and this book just helped me realize how important it is to share those moments.
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- Erock
- 03-12-20
Wow. Great book!
If you are at all interested in performing comedy, buy this book. Mr. Rosenfield teaches how to do it in a personable manner with concepts that are easy to understand.
Now, to get back to writing comedy...
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- T. Russ
- 04-11-25
Great Book
This book seems comprehensive. I enjoyed it very much. It is very detailed on several elements of the art, business and science of stand-up comedy. I am very new to comedy but, it makes sense.
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- DDub
- 07-23-19
The greatest book I've ever read........on standup
I'm still a newbie to the standup scene. Shameless plug...check out the youtube of my first set at the DC Improv.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjXGiM3Rfe0
Anyway, this book was AMAZINGLY helpful, and continues to be. I've listened to it twice, read thru it twice, and I continue to read it and listen to it regularly. So many nuggets of helpful information in here. The secret about changing an emotion in a set to get a bit to work is worth the money all by itself!!!
DDub
https://www.facebook.com/ddub.comedy
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- Kindle Customer
- 01-07-21
an excellent intro to the industry and the craft
I have to admit there were times that I didn't want to listen to his voice anymore, but this is an excellent primer especially about the industry. The bits on the art and writing are just enough without being too prescriptive.
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