Stand-Up Comedy

Stand-up comedy is one person, a microphone, and a room full of people - ideally laughing. It’s the most direct form of comedy: just you and the audience, face to face, with nothing to hide behind (except maybe a well-crafted punchline or two).

In stand-up, the performer typically plays a version of themselves - delivering jokes, stories, observations, rants, or musings straight to the audience. It’s personal, punchy, and often draws from real life. But it doesn’t have to be autobiographical - as long as it feels authentic, anything goes.

Some stand-ups are one-liner machines. Others are storytellers, philosophers, or mischief-makers. The only rule? Be funny.

Key features

• Solo performance (usually)

• Direct audience address - no fourth wall

• Material is pre-written, but can feel conversational or improvised

• Jokes may be structured around set-up and punchline, callbacks, act-outs, or personal storytelling

• Often performed in clubs, open mics, theatres, festivals, or TV specials

Styles of stand-up

• Observational — finding humour in everyday life

• Storytelling — weaving long, personal or absurd tales

• One-liners — quick, sharp jokes in rapid succession

• Dark or political — tackling heavier themes through comedy

• Absurdist — playing with logic, language, or expectation

• High character — some stand-ups perform as heightened versions of themselves or even fictionalised personas (blurring into Character Comedy)

How it's different from...

• Character Comedy: In stand-up, the performer is typically themselves; in character comedy, they’re someone else entirely.

• Sketch: Sketch is scene-based with multiple characters. Stand-up is direct and solo.

• Improv: Improv is spontaneous and collaborative; stand-up is scripted and solo (though skilled comics may riff or interact with hecklers).

• Clown: Clown leans into presence, failure, and audience sensitivity. Stand-up leans into control, timing, and writing.

Examples

• Jerry Seinfeld talking about socks in the laundry

• Hannah Gadsby blending stand-up with personal storytelling in Nanette

• James Acaster delivering layered absurdity with surgical precision

• Billy Connolly, Ali Wong, John Mulaney, Lenny Bruce, Josie Long