The Cambridge Companion to Stand-Up Comedy

Diverse academics explore stand-up accessibly from multiple angles, accompanied by sections of amusing, insightful statements by comedians.

Oliver Double (Edited by)

9781316518571, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 4 September 2025

322 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.9 cm, 0.633 kg

'An interesting read for anyone interested in the nuts and bolts of the art, and how it emerges from and reflects the society in which it sits.' Steve Bennett, Chortle

Stand-up comedy is one of the simplest theatre forms in existence. The comedian stands on a (usually) bare stage, talking straight to the audience in the hope of getting laughs. Yet it has never been more popular, with national scenes developing across every continent except Antarctica. In this insightful and accessibly written volume, diverse chapters explore the subject from many angles, ranging from national scenes, live venues, and recordings to politics, race, sexuality, and the question of offensiveness. Chapters also consider the performance dynamics of stand-up in detail, examining audience, persona, and trauma. Interspersed throughout the chapters are a series of originally commissioned interviews with comedians from nine different countries, including Maria Bamford, Jo Brand, Aditi Mittal, and Rod Quantock, providing rare insights into their craft.

Introduction Oliver Double
Comedians' Insights: what do you do to prepare to go onstage?
Part I. Time and Place: 1. Stand-up in the United Kingdom Oliver Double and Neil Washbourne
2. Comics, minstrels, satirists, and hacks: a history of stand-up comedy in the US Beck Krefting
Comedians' insights: the audience you attract
3. Where stand-up happens Morten Nielsen
4. Recorded stand-up from radio to Netflix Brett Mills
Comedians' insights: a particular performance technique you use in your act
Part II. Interpretation and Meaning: 5. Stand-up comedy and gender Ellie Tomsett and Rosie White
6. Stand-up comedy and sexuality Joanne Gilbert
7. Laugh no limit: Black stand-up comedy J Finley
8. Jewish American stand-up comedy Debra Aarons and Marc Mierowsky
9. Stand-up comedy, disability and social justice Sharon Lockyer
10. Stand-up comedy and offence Simon Weaver
11. Stand-up and politics Sophie Quirk
Comedians' insights: your writing process
Part III. Performance Dynamics: 12. Audience Ian Brodie
Comedians' insights: who are you onstage?
13. Persona Oliver Double
14. Stand-up comedy and trauma: Hannah Gadsby's Nanette Mary Luckhurst
Comedians' Insights: why do you do stand-up?

Subject Areas: Theatre studies [AN]