The Upright Citizens Brigade Comedy Improvisation Manual (2013) (8/10) by Matt Walsh, Ian Roberts, and Matt Besser

·         The Upright Citizens Brigade is an improv and sketch comedy group that emerged in Chicago in 1990.

·         This manual explains the way that the group manages to formulaically achieve comedy in their shows, and it offers a lot of insights into what makes things funny in general.

·         Their first step is to establish an agreed upon base reality. The base reality should be understandable and specific. The base reality should be created quickly and specifically by establishing names and relationship of the characters, the location, and what the characters are doing.

·         Once the base reality is established, the Game can add some absurdity and in effect, some humor. The Game is essentially something happening that refutes the expectations of a character in the base reality. Comedy then arises between the friction between the crazy character and the “straight man.”

·         Once the game is established, it should be heightened (what else is true), explored (what is the logical basis for the game), and reacted to by the straight man.

·         Actors should also be playing at the top of their intelligences to create the best possible performances.

·         I found reading this manual to be extremely helpful in answering the question of what makes something funny. My works tend to delve into “crazy town” and as a result there is no base reality to be uprooted by the absurdity. Humor is lost in this way.