About this item
This entertaining and sharply written guide - for both beginners breaking into comedy and professionals seeking to improve their sets and advance their careers - examines the work of great comedians such as Louis C.K., Jerry Seinfeld, Eddie Izzard, Moms Mabley, Hannibal Buress, Sarah Silverman, Richard Pryor, and more as a means of illustrating the most important techniques of performing and writing stand-up. Here, Stephen Rosenfield lays out a clear plan for achieving success, candidly explaining what works, what doesn't, and why. Including a 12-item "Successful Comedian's To-Do List," Rosenfield states, "Get undeniably good at each of these and you can kiss your day job good-bye. You will be a pro." The New York Times heralded Stephen Rosenfield as "probably the best known comedy teacher in the country." His alumni include some of today's most prominent comedians and comedy writers, such as Lena Dunham, Jim Gaffigan, Eric Slovin, and Jessica Kirson. Rosenfield has directed, coached, and/or written for these and hundreds of other comedians. As a pioneer in the field of teaching comedy, he founded the American Comedy Institute, the premier stand-up comedy school in the United States, in 1989.
About the Author
Stephen Rosenfield is the Founding Director of the American Comedy Institute. The New York Time's heralded him as "the best known comedy teacher in the country. " Marc Breslin, owner of the Yuk Yuk's, the largest chain of comedy clubs in Canada, said "Stephen Rosenfield is the best standup comedy teacher in North America. " Starz produced and aired the mini-series, Standup or Shutup, about his standup comedy workshops. His workshops were also the subject of a NPR documentary, hosted by Sara Fishko. His students have gone on to major comedy careers in the U.S. and around the world. His students have performed standup on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon, Conan, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Late Show with David Letterman, The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Lopez Tonight, Comedy Central, HBO, NBC, CBS, FOX, Netflix, PBS, OWN, Bravo, FX, Starz, MTV, VH1, JLTV, Televisa and Univision. Among the TV shows in which they appear in starring and principle roles are: Saturday Night Live, Girls, Silicon Valley, The Daily Show, Inside Amy Schumer, Louie, Portlandia, Key and Peele, Orange is the New Black, The Jim Gaffigan Show, Fargo, Bob's Burgers, Broad City, Girl Code, Family Guy, Boardwalk Empire, The Jack and Triumph Show, High Maintenance, The View, 30 Rock, The Office, Last Comic Standing, Wanda Sykes Presents Herlarious, Royal Pains, Es De Noche y ya Llegue, Enlisted, Best Week Ever, I Love the 1980's, Rescue Me, Flight of the Conchords, Gotham Comedy Live, The Chris Rock Show, My Boys, That 70's Show, 24, Ellen, and Seinfeld. They have appeared in such films as Ghostbusters, The Comedian, Drunk Parents, The Heat, Spy, Other People, Mascots, This is 40, Happy Christmas, It's Kind of a Funny Story, Morning Glory, Away We Go, The Love Guru, Love Actually and 13 Going on 30. They have written for Saturday Night Live, Girls, The Jim Gaffigan Show, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, The Late Show with David Letterman, The Chris Rock Show. They have written and starred in their own one-person shows off-Broadway and at Carolines on Broadway, Gotham Comedy Club and the New York International Fringe Festival. The one-person shows Stephen Rosenfield has co-written and directed include: A Complete Performer, now in its eighth year off-Broadway, For Kingdom and Fatherland produced by the New York International Fringe Festival, American Radical, and the MAC award winning, The Rock Albers Show. For three years he produced, directed and wrote for Rubber Feet, the sketch comedy group that appeared regularly at The Comic Strip. He coaches and directs performers ranging from beginners to Emmy and Tony Award-winning and Oscar-nominated star talent. He directed and co-authored the Obie Award-winning musical comedy review, The Present Tense. He has directed plays at the Roundabout Theater, The Ensemble Studio Theater, The Actor's Studio, Manhattan Class Company and the Intiman
