Short course
Creating Sketch Comedy Short Course
Course description
Course overview
Learn how to develop your own original comedy sketches with this inspiring short course. Through hands-on sessions, you’ll develop original comic characters, bring them to life through a series of playful, practical performance and improvisation approaches, and write your creations into new comedy sketches.
Award-winning performers began in completely different careers before deciding to create their own work. This course, delivered by the MA Comedy team at UAL, offers you the chance to do the same, taking the first step towards developing and shaping your voice as a comedy performer and creator. There will also be exercises outside sessions, so that you continue to develop your ideas between the workshops.
During the course, you will have the opportunity to test your ideas, take creative risks, and discover what your comic creations can do.
Who this course is for
This course is aimed at beginners with an interest in comedy performance and writing who haven’t started to create and write their own sketches yet. You will need to be comfortable performing in front of others as well as sharing your comedy writing.
Key information
Topics covered
- Comedy characters
- Improvisation and performance
- Approaches to writing
- Comedy sketches
Learning outcomes
- Apply approaches for testing out comedy characters and sketches
- Understand and utilise techniques for creating own comic characters
- Identify and apply the components of a good comedy sketch
- Create, write, evaluate, refine and perform own comedy sketches
- Digital badge and certificate of attendance
Materials
- Notebook and pen
- A laptop or tablet you can type on from the second class onwards
Tutor
Ciaran Clarke
Ciaran Clarke is an academic, researcher, and comedy theatre maker. His professional practice includes collaborating with a number of comedians on a range of projects as sound designer and co-creator, comedy programmes for BBC Radio 4 as performer, recordist and sound designer, and work with a range of theatre companies, including Kneehigh Theatre and Wildworks.
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