Joe Toplyn on Comedy Writing for Late Night TV

The Dramatists Guild of America in association with Harvardwood presented Joe Toplyn on Comedy Writing for Late Night TV, moderated by Jane Condon,  livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Thursday 13 November at 3:30 p.m. PST (Los Angeles) / 5:30 p.m. CST (Chicago) / 6:30 p.m. EST (New York) / 23:30 GMT (London). 

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Four-time Emmy winner Joe Toplyn was a writer for Late Night with David Letterman from 1983 to 1990. He then became the co-Head Writer for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno from 1993 to 1995, and followed this with the positions of writer and Head Writer for Late Show with David Letterman from 1995 to 2001. He has lots of other credits as well, including co-Head Writer of The Chevy Chase Show, and writer/producer on Monk.

In his new book Comedy Writing for Late-Night TV, Toplyn looks back on his years of one of late night TV's most successful writers, giving an insider's view of the range of techniques that underlie writing for Late-Night, from job-hunting to joke writing to structuring a monologue. If you've ever dreamed of a job in Late-Night Television, or if you'd just love to hear what it's like behind the scenes of your favorite shows, this is an essential evening.

One of the smartest and funniest comics working today, Jane Condon, will interview Toplyn. Condon was the 2004 Grand Prize winner of Ladies of Laughter, and in 2007 she won "Audience Favorite—NY" on NBC's Last Comic Standing. She was the 2011 Commencement Speaker at Wellesley College and has recently appeared on the Today Show.

About HowlRound TV

HowlRound TV is a global, commons-based peer produced, open access livestreaming and video archive project stewarded by the nonprofit HowlRound. HowlRound TV is a free and shared resource for live conversations and performances relevant to the world's performing arts and cultural fields. Its mission is to break geographic isolation, promote resource sharing, and to develop our knowledge commons collectively. Participate in a community of peer organizations revolutionizing the flow of information, knowledge, and access in our field by becoming a producer and co-producing with us. Learn more by going to our participate page. For any other queries, email [email protected], or call Vijay Mathew at +1 917.686.3185 Signal/WhatsApp. View the video archiveof past events.