Beat (Comedic Timing)

See also: Beat (In Relation to Game)

A beat is also a unit of comedic timing - like a musical pause, a moment of stillness or a breath.

It’s the space you give for something to land. Often, the laugh lives in the beat after something happens.

Performers use it to:

• Let the audience catch up and laugh.

• Create tension before a reveal.

• Emphasise a reaction or turn.

Examples:

• A clown trips, lands and waits a beat before crying.

• An improviser delivers a killer line, holds a beat to bask in the silence, then adds the twist.