What is Stand Up Comedy?

Stand Up comedy is an entertainment format wherein a comedian performs for a live audience. The comedian generally performs a routine of jokes which have been developed beforehand and committed to memory, although aspects of the jokes may be improvised during a performance.

Depending on the comedian’s style, the jokes can take a number of forms: one-line jokes with a simple set-up and punchline, humorous stories and anecdotes, physical comedy, or any number of other formats. Stand Up is a dynamic format, and while the logistics of Stand Up comedy are fairly standardized – one comedian performing in front of an audience – the approach a comedian uses to perform jokes is bound only by the limits of his or her creativity.