A lot of friends ask me if stand-up and improvisation (or improv) are the same. While I’m still learning about how comedy works given my musical theater background, I’ve learned that stand-up and improv are different comedy genres.
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Both stand-up and improv aim to have the audience laughing out loud after every performance, but it does not work the same way. It is also true that there can be crossovers between improv and stand-up. But people, especially actors, should know the distinction between these two comedy techniques.
Stand-up comedy can happen even with just one performer. We’ve seen Kevin Hart and Chris Rock do their stints, but did you know that stand-up is built on minimal script? With stand-up, comedians must know where the joke is going, and they should also stick to certain lines in their script. However, they can play with the script to make the skit funnier.
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Improv, however, is different. With improv, the act depends on how the situation goes. Actors can use the audience’s reaction as well as their co-actors’ response to how the flow goes.
Some comedians do both improv and stand-up comedy. While many people are still battling as to which is the better form of comedy, it is safe to say that both can give us good, hearty laughs at the end of each skit.
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