Game for a laugh

KNOW THERE’S a funny person hiding away behind your straight-faced interior but unsure how to let it out? Then drop in to the Comedy Club Bangkok on Sukhumvit Soi 33/1 tonight, look for Canadian funnyman Drew McCreadie and ask him about the next improv comedy workshop he’ll be hosting. 

An actor, playwright, director and improviser, McCreadie has an impressive CV. He’s a member of TheatreSports in Vancouver, The Second City, Urban Improv and Rock Paper Scissors and has taken the stage in comedy clubs throughout Canada and the US. The winner of the Canadian Comedy Award for Best Male Improviser made his way to Bangkok and co-founded Bangkok’s first English language comedy venue in September 2012 and continues to bring in globally renowned comedians to perform every weekend while raising the bar of the local comedy scene with open-mic sessions and improve comedy workshops. 

We had a chat with him about how to be funny.

 

SO COMEDY CAN BE LEARNED?

Nope! There is nothing that can be done if you are not funny. Humour is a natural instinct, you either have it, or you were a good-looking child. But what can be taught is how to do funny things on stage! Improv is a team sport, and as such, there is a built in surprise that comes from the fact that you don’t know what the other player is going to say next. And comedy is all about surprise, so if you do certain things on stage, the amount of surprise is heightened, and the chances that something funny will drop out of your unfunny mouth increases.

 

WHAT DO YOU TEACH IN THE WORKSHOP?

The improv workshops are as much about unlearning as they are about learning. There are things we do in our normal, boring, non-improv lives, that are very useful for getting through the tedium that is the average non-improviser’s banal existence. However, those same things often get in the way of making us exciting, interesting, and ultimately funny people when we get on stage. We like to block ideas in real life, say ‘No’ to things first, and then allow life to convince us that we should have said ‘Yes’. It is a natural habit that most of us have. On stage you need to do the exact opposite. You need to say ‘Yes’ first. That is way more interesting. 

 

WHAT IS IMPROV COMEDY? 

Improv comedy is a group form of comedy, where a team of improvisers will take a suggestion from the audience and turn it into a hilarious scene. It differs from stand-up which is one person on a mic, telling a bunch of pre-written jokes. Improv involves the audience in a totally different way than stand-up. Improv is non-combative. The performers and the audience work together to create the fun. That’s why I love it so much. 

 

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Improv comedy is about ‘being in the moment’, which means listening to what has just been said, not trying to force a pre-planned story, reacting to what has just happened, not worrying about how things will be perceived or received the split second after you say something. Being in the moment is letting go of all fears by focusing very, very intently on the current moment, forgetting any judgement about the past, and not worrying about how you will be judged in the future. You get to a place where you can trust that something funny will come out of your mouth.

 

WHO ARE YOUR STUDENTS?

Students for improv workshops fall into three very clear categories. There are those who are interested in becoming performers, those who want to work on their self-confidence and public speaking skills, and those who just want to have fun. The good news is that it is fun for everyone. And you learn a lot without even feeling like you are learning! 

 

WHAT WOULD THEY BE LIKELY TO PULL OFF AFTER ONE WORKSHOP?

One workshop will open your eyes to behaviours that you have that you were not even aware off. You will notice how often you say “no” to things as a first response. You will also have a clearer understanding of why certain people are funny. You will begin to see the things they do that make them funny and interesting.

 

HAVE ANY OF THE STUDENTS MADE IT TO PROFESSIONAL LEVEL SO FAR?

Almost all of the performers at the Comedy Club Bangkok have come up through the workshops. And now they are performing regularly in front of a live audience.

 

WHAT DO YOU THINK MAKES A GOOD COMEDIAN?

A good comedian makes you see something that you have seen a thousand times before in a completely new way. A good comedian can see the absurdity of life, and make the tangential connections that we all have made subconsciously, but were not aware of. A good comedian is also great in bed – just saying.

 

Joking Apart

- Find out more at www.ComedyClubBangkok.com.