Stand-up comedy is a comedy performance to a live audience in which the performer, known as a comedian, comic or "stand-up", stands on a stage and delivers various humorous and satirical monologues, and occasionally also physical acts, typically involving no other props except a microphone and a stool. The performance is usually a rhetorical sketch with rehearsed scripts, but many comics employ live crowd interaction as part of their routine.
Sir Kenneth Arthur Dodd was an English comedian, singer, and occasional actor. He was described as "the last great music hall entertainer", and was primarily known for his live stand-up performances.
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foolish, or employing prop comedy. A comedian who addresses an audience directly is called a stand-up comedian.
Brian Joseph Regan is an American stand-up comedian who uses observational, sarcastic, and self-deprecating humor. He is known for incorporating body language and facial expressions into his act. His performances are often described as clean as he refrains from profanity as well as taboo subject matter. Regan's material typically covers everyday events, such as shipping a package with UPS, mortgages, and visits to the optometrist. While he does not define himself as youth-oriented, Regan makes frequent references to childhood, including little league baseball, grade school spelling bees, and science projects.
Just for Laughs is a comedy festival held each July in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1983, it is the largest international comedy festival in the world.
Dane Jeffrey Cook is an American stand-up comedian and film actor. He is known for his use of observational, often vulgar, and sometimes dark comedy. He has released six comedy albums: Harmful If Swallowed (2003), Retaliation (2005), Vicious Circle (2006), Rough Around the Edges: Live from Madison Square Garden (2007), and Isolated Incident (2009).
David Norris Brenner was an American stand-up comedian, actor and author. The most frequent guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in the 1970s and 1980s, Brenner "was a pioneer of observational comedy." His friend, comedian Richard Lewis, described Brenner as "the king of hip, observational comedy."
Make Me Laugh was an American television game show in which contestants watch three stand-up comedians performing their acts, one at a time, earning one dollar for every second that they could make it through without laughing. Each comedian had sixty seconds to try to make the contestant laugh for a maximum of $180.
David Adkins, better known by his stage name Sinbad, is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He became known in the 1990s from being featured on his own HBO specials, appearing on several television series, most notably as Coach Walter Oakes in A Different World (1987–1991) and as David Bryan on The Sinbad Show (1993–1994). He has also appeared in films such as That's Adequate (1989), Coneheads (1993), Houseguest (1995), Jingle All the Way (1996), Crazy as Hell (2002) and Planes (2013).
Jon Joel Richardson is an English comedian. He is known for his appearances on 8 Out of 10 Cats and 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown and his work as co-host with Russell Howard on BBC Radio 6 Music. He presented Jon Richardson: Ultimate Worrier, and also features with his wife Lucy Beaumont in the TV show Meet the Richardsons.
Christian comedy is a subgenre of comedy where the material presented is aimed towards a Christian audience. The performances are typically held on church grounds or at off-site, church-sponsored venues.
Bethany Black is an English stand up comedian, actress and writer. As a comedian, Black is described as "managing to balance dark-tinged comedy with being warm and chatty". As an actress, she is the first trans person to play a trans character in a British TV series and also the first openly trans actor in Doctor Who.
Mark Thomas Little is a Canadian actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He is best known for his appearances on the CBC Television sitcom Mr. D, playing Simon Hunt, the Xavier Academy science teacher, and his work with Picnicface.
Chad Daniels is an American comedian. His albums have reached the top 10 on the Billboard comedy charts three times: No. 2 for 2017's Footprints On The Moon, No. 6 for 2019's Dad Chaniels, and No. 7 for 2014's Natural Selection. As of 2019, his albums have been streamed more than 700 million times. Footprints on the Moon also reached No. 1 on the iTunes comedy chart.
Jason Love is a standup comedian from Thousand Oaks, California.
Jeffrey Allen Mishler, known professionally as Jeff Allen, is an American comedian best known for his film Happy Wife, Happy Life, Revisited. He is also known for his starring roles in several full-length comedy films, including: Bananas, Thou Shalt Laugh, Apostles of Comedy, and Apostles of Comedy: Onwards and Upwards.
Joanna Firestone is an American actress, comedian, and television writer. She played Sarah Conner on the television series Joe Pera Talks with You.
Robert Baril is a stand-up comedian and radio talk-show host from Minneapolis, Minnesota. He has released two albums on Stand Up! Records, Sex and Politics and TMI, both produced by Grammy winner Dan Schlissel. He was the host of Laughing Matters on AM950 in Minneapolis.
Daniel Lobell is a Los Angeles–based American stand-up comedian, podcaster, and comic-book writer best known for his podcast Modern Day Philosophers. Comedian Marc Maron credits him with creating the first podcast focused on stand-up comedy, Comical Radio.
Lisa Alvarado is an American stand-up comedian, born to Peruvian immigrant parents and raised in Chicago, Illinois.
