How To Approach Comedic Text - 6 Week Course

Comedic Text Masterclass | 1 SESSION PER WEEK (3 Hours) for 6 weeks

Unleash your inner Mischief Maker and dive into the world of comedic text with Mischief!

Led by Peter Pan Goes Wrong and Magic Goes Wrong director Adam Meggido, this course takes you through the Mischief method of working with comedic text. Each week, you'll explore key comedic techniques. From understanding the classic clown archetypes (Auguste, Bizarre, Naive) to mastering status dynamics, using scenes from Peter Pan Goes Wrong to help illustrate the power of status shifts in comedy. Alongside these core concepts, you'll explore the art of masking, audience interaction, and the importance of timing, learning how to facilitate comedic moments even when you’re not delivering the punchline.

Each week, we’ll explore a new area of study, equipping participants with a diverse set of skills to deepen their understanding of comedic text brought to life in a supportive, playful environment, where making mistakes is part of the fun. Ideal for actors and performers looking to develop their confidence and ability to interpret and perform comedic text.

Who should take this course?

This course is ideal for aspiring performers currently in, or soon to be entering, the performance industry. To be eligible, participants must meet one of the following criteria:

• Be a member of Spotlight or Mandy
• Be professionally represented
• Have completed or be currently enrolled in a higher education acting/performance program (e.g., University or accredited Drama School)

All participants must be 18 or over at the start of the course.

Course Location:

Dance Attic Studios, 368 North End Rd, London, SW6 1LY

Course Schedule

Every Thursday, from October 23rd to November 27th, 18:00 - 21:00. See below for the full schedule:

Thursday 23rd October -18:00-21:00

Thursday 30th October -18:00-21:00

Thursday 6th November -18:00-21:00

Thursday 13th November -18:00-21:00

Thursday 20th November -18:00-21:00

Thursday 27th November -18:00-21:00

About the Instructor

Adam Meggido (Director)Adam is an Olivier Award-winning director who has been working with Mischief since 2008. He is the director of Peter Pan Goes Wrong, Magic Goes Wrong, and was consultant director on A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong, and Mischief Movie Night. He is also the co-creator and director of Showstopper! The Improvised Musical and a number of other improv projects worldwide.He taught at LAMDA from 2004 (teaching all of the Mischief team members along the way!) and has also taught at Birmingham University, University of Alberta, Italia Conti, Mountview Theatre School, the London Film School and LSDA.

Questions?

Feel free to explore our FAQ's section for answers to out most commonly asked questions.

For further assistance, please contact:
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A member of the Mischief Workshops team will respond as soon as possible.

Info: In this first session, participants will explore the three classic clown archetypes most commonly found in Mischief’s work: the Auguste, the Bizarre, and the Naive. Developing the ability to analyse a text and identify which clown archetype best suits each character or scene is an invaluable skill when working with comedic text

Info: Using scenes from Peter Pan Goes Wrong, participants will explore the role of status in comedy. This week will focus on understanding the concept of "status" in comedic scenes—how to identify clues in the text that reveal a character’s status, and why manipulating status is a powerful comedic tool. We’ll discuss the impact of status shifts and how to effectively play with it in performance.

Info: Mastering the art of "masking" is a wonderful skill for a comedic actor to have in their toolbox. The ability of an actor/ character to adopt and drop a mask quickly is a technique often employed by Mischief in their work. Alongside masking, this week will also introduce participants to the important relationship between the actor and audience in comedy, exploring how the audience influences a performance and how actors can play with this dynamic.

Info: In this session we will explore the importance of being a comedic facilitator. When working in comedy, or in a comedic scene, you may not always be the person delivering the laugh out loud line. However just because you’re not to one delivering the punchline it doesn't mean you don’t play a critical role in the success, or failure of a joke or set piece. Being able to understand how to facilitate the set up or the highlighting of a joke is a critical part of being a great comedic performer.

Info: This week, participants will tackle the challenge of auditioning with comedic material. Working in a mock audition environment, they’ll receive feedback and notes from the workshop leader. Additionally, we’ll explore improvisation within character, asking participants to use clues from the text to make an informed choice on how their character may behave within a rehearsal environment.

Info: Comedy is often described as a science, and this week will focus on honing the precision and specificity of your comedic performance. Through this rehearsal-style session, participants will work closely with the workshop leader to explore the timing of beats and actions, within specific scenes to highlight how precision and specificity can be the key to consistently hitting a gag for an audience.

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