The smoothest comedians out there do their act and make it sound as if it's off the top of their heads. But some comedians, in the course of their act, do come up with stuff on the spot. That's called "riffing," a term that originated in music, but comedians adopted and bastardized. According to a Wikipedia entry,
Use of the term has also misleadingly been extended to comedy where
riffing is used to mean the verbal exploration of a particular subject, thus moving the meaning away from the original jazz sense of a repeated figure over which the soloist improvises, to instead indicate the improvisation itself: that is, improvising on a melody or progression as one would improvise on a subject by extending a singular thought, idea or inspiration into a
bit, or
routine. (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riff#Riff)
Let's not get hung up on terms. Suffice to say riffing is what makes stand up comedy a living, breathing thing, and why Rooster T Feathers believes live stand up comedy is the best stand up comedy.
We also believe
Joe Klocek is one of the
best riffing comics out there, and really thought his workshop would be a great addition to the Rooster's class schedule.
Riffing: The Tools, Tricks and Techniques
Riffing. You have all seen it. The comic says something perfect in the moment and kills harder than their best written joke. It is an incredible feeling for the audience and the comic. These moments don’t have to be random. There are simple tools every comic can learn, apply and use to stand out in a show. Riffing is the most important tool to have for live performance.
Saturday January 29, 2011
1pm-4pm, $80
Rooster T Feathers
157 W El Camino Real
Sunnyvale CA 94087
 |
| Joe Klocek |
This is a 3 hour workshop lead by San Francisco stand-up comic,
Joe Klocek.
Regardless of your goal or skill level, studying comedy at Roosters is a fun way to network with new people and expand your public speaking skills.
Use Roosters One-on-One Direct Feedback sessions to take your development as a comedian to the next level. One-on-One sessions are designed to focus on any topic in which you have the most interest, be it stage performance, product management, material development or performance review. Sessions are held with Heather Barbieri, owner and booker of Rooster T. Feathers and stand up comedy veteran of 15 years. One hour session is $100.
Connect with Roosters!
Twitter: @RoosterTF
Yahoo Groups: RoosterComedyInfo
