If there is one thing that I’ve learned throughout almost a decade of taking professional acting classes and working as a professional comedic actor it is understanding how explore your comedic side off script. While performing a comedy script within itself will draw a few laughs, true humor comes from performers who have a solid understanding of their comedic self.
Exploring your inner comedic side requires studying comedy as an art form. Many comedic actors claim that the best way to do this is to enroll in comedy acting classes. While studying this art form through classes is vital for all performers, obtaining a true grasp of comedy acting requires out-of-class and off-script work.
Exploring your comedic self is an individualistic journey. However, I have cultivated several tips to help guide you throughout this path. When you’re first starting out, you should watch as many comedic films, TV shows and stand-up comedians as you can. There is nothing more inspiring than watching true professionals engaging in their craft. Throughout your observations, you must ask yourself several questions such as:
“What makes them funny?”
“What does their voice do during integral comedic points?”
“How is their body language?”
“Are they realistically funny, or do they engage in ‘character’ acting?”
After watching actors perform their craft, you can then begin to study your own style. More than likely you are engaging in comedic acting because you are funny within your day-to-day life. I began comedic acting because I always seemed to make my friends and family laugh, even without trying.
Once I began to dissect myself, I discovered that my true humor was delivered through my facial expressions and how I delivered words. After you have found what truly makes you funny, you can then integrate these findings into your script.
A true comedy actor has a solid understanding of what makes him funny. A true understanding of his body movements and his facial expressions; however, finding out this information is only done through hours of self-exploration outside of the confines of a script. I personally feel that if you want to become a truly successful comedy actor, you must first explore and discover exactly what makes you funny, what sets you apart and what drives your comedy. Only then can you truly commit to a comedy script and character with devotion.