1,721,013 research outputs found
Punk rock as popular theatre
Full text linkPunk rock performance consciously draws on popular theatre forms like music hall and
stand-up comedy, as exemplified by the occasion when Max Wall appeared with Ian Dury
at the Hammersmith Odeon. Oliver Double traces the historical and stylistic connections
between punk, music hall and stand-up, and argues that punk shows can be considered a
form of popular theatre in their own right. He examines a wide range of punk bands and
performers- including Sex Pistols, Iggy Pop, Devo, Spizz, The Ramones, The Clash, and
Dead Kennedys- and considers how they use costume, staging, persona,
characterisation, and audience-performer relationships, arguing that these are as
important and carefully considered as the music they play. Art movements like Dada and
Futurism were important influences on the early punk scene, and Double shows how, as
with early 20th Century cabaret, punk performance manages to include avant garde
elements within popular theatre forms. Oliver Double started his career performing a
comedy act alongside anarchist punk bands in Exeter, going on to spend ten years on the
alternative comedy circuit. Currently, he lectures in Drama at the University of Kent, and
he is the author of Stand-Up! On Being a Comedian (Methuen, 1997) and Getting the
Joke: The Inner Workings of Stand-Up Comedy (Methuen, 2005)
Teddy Brown and the Art of Performing for the British Variety Stage
No full textBritish variety theatre has been largely ignored by theatre historians, in spite of its huge popularity in the early twentieth century. Here, Oliver Double examines variety through its exemplification in the work of one performer, Teddy Brown, a virtuoso xylophone player whose career coincided with the heyday of the variety stage between and just after the two world wars. The key historical and stylistic aspects of the form typified by Brown's success included the development of a stage persona, novelty, skill, participation, a distinctive musical style, and the ability to exploit the complex relationship between variety and the other types of popular entertainment of the time, notably cinema, revue, and radio
Persona
No full textThis chapter examines the thorny issue of persona in stand-up comedy, and in particular how it relates to the comedian's offstage identity. It starts by demonstrating the ambiguity of persona by analysing a moment from a performance by Mae Martin when somebody in the audience reveals that they know the person Martin is talking about. It then examines how Sarah Millican's persona creates a warm, powerful connection with her audience. This is followed by a comparison between how two comedians who have been accused of wrongdoing (Louis CK and Aziz Ansari) have dealt with these accusations in their acts. It finishes by discussing the recent phenomenon of 'dead dad shows', in which comedians create full-length shows about traumatic experiences they have had. The origins of this trend are traced back to early alternative comedians like Tony Allen, and the chapter finishes with an analysis of Russell Kane's show Smokescreens and Castles
Laughing all the way to the bank? Alternative comedy in the provinces
No full textMetropolitan snobbery and the logistics of scale both militate against the success of comedians working in the regions. Yet, as Oliver Double here argues, the scene has been a lively one, often daring in its style and range alike – at least until the absorption of its big names into the London circuits by the agencies which increasingly control most of the bookings and much of the talent. Oliver Double, himself a working comic, describes the distinctive characteristics of regional alternative comedy, and the now very real dangers of stagnation, illustrating his argument from interviews with leading comics on the regional circuits – Nick Toczek, Stu Who?, Roger Monkhouse, Malcolm Bailey, Anvil Springsteen, Adam Caveleri, Kevin Seisay, Henry Normal, and John Simmit. Offering some hopes for the future, he points out the relatively low audience figures required to ensure a vigorous growth – if only emerging talent can be nurtured rather than condemned to still birth
Britain Had Talent: A History of Variety Theatre
No full textIn the first major academic work to examine British variety theatre, Double provides a detailed history of this art form and analyses its performance dynamics and techniques. Encompassing singers, comedians, dancers, magicians, ventriloquists and diverse speciality acts, this vibrant book draws on a series of new interviews with variety veterans
Saint Pancreas
No full textThe show is based on my experiences as a parent of two diabetic children, and includes material that would normally be considered too difficult and traumatic for comedy. Whilst devising and rehearsing, the effect of working with such material on the creative process was explored. In performance, the effect of the material on the audience's responses and how the performer connected with this was a particular focus. Throughout the project, contextual research was carried out into other comedians who have dealt with traumatic subjects (including interviews with key performers e.g. Mark Thomas, Andre Vincent), as well as relevant theories of comedy and theatre (e.g. Freud, Bergson, Stanislavski). The project has been documented on DVD, reflecting and thus interrogating professional industry practice: commercial DVDs are the predominant means for documenting stand-up, and often include performance analysis in the extras. The DVD includes a complete film of the show and multiple reflections on the project
Characterization in stand-up comedy: From Ted Ray to Billy Connolly, via Bertolt Brecht
Full text linkStand-up comedy is often distinguished from straight acting by its apparent lack of characterization-the comedian appearing onstage apparently as him or herself. But within gags and routines, comics often briefly take on the voice and posture of the characters they describe. Here Oliver Double contrasts the approach of two comedians of different generations-Ted Ray and Billy Connolly-to this technique of 'momentary characterization.' He notes the links between Connolly's conversational approach and Brecht's notions of acting, and goes on to examine the broader questions of comic personae, representation of the self, and the changing performance conventions within British stand-up comedy
Break a Leg
No full textA 95-minute stand-up comedy show written and performed by Oliver Double.
Venue: The Gulbenkian Theatre, Canterbury
Date: Sunday, 6th December 2015
Audience: 176
Description: A show about the recovery process following a broken femur, exploring such themes as ageing and mortality. There is also an associated podcast about the making of the show, entitled Breaking a Leg, available on iTunes
- …
