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Comedy and Improvisation

This section contains essays and videos about writing and performing comedy and improvisation. A great introduction to the topic is Matthew McMahan’s essay “Laughing Matters: How Comedy Tells Us Who We Are.”

The Latest

On Between Two Knees, or About Other Futures
Essay
On Between Two Knees, or About Other Futures
by Sebastián Eddowes-Vargas
17 April 2024
NO SUMMARY: Comedy as a Form of Solidarity and Resistance
Video
NO SUMMARY: Comedy as a Form of Solidarity and Resistance
A Conversation with Artists and Students of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and Columbia College Chicago
Friday 14 April 2023
United States
Reflecting on the Timeliness of Polish Theatre at Kraków’s Divine Comedy Theatre Festival
Essay
Reflecting on the Timeliness of Polish Theatre at Kraków’s Divine Comedy Theatre Festival
by Howard Shalwitz
2 March 2023
One Man, Two Guvnors
Essay

One Man, Two Guvnors

When farce meets satire

28 February 2017

Anđela Vidović critiques the relevance of a Croatian adaptation of Richard Bean's One Man, Two Guvnors.

Sexism and Spunk Duel Masterfully on Stage at DC’s Keegan Theatre
Essay

Sexism and Spunk Duel Masterfully on Stage at DC’s Keegan Theatre

3 November 2016

Patricia Davis on Keegan Theatre’s production of What We’re Up Against by Theresa Rebeck, directed by Susan Marie Rhea.

Neil Simon’s Legacy has Spoiled his Best Plays for Millennials
Essay

Neil Simon’s Legacy has Spoiled his Best Plays for Millennials

29 September 2016

Ricky Young-Howze writes about Neil Simon’s influence on pop culture comedic tropes.

Reconstructing and Reimagining
Essay

Reconstructing and Reimagining

Noah Diamond and the First Marx Brothers Musical

9 July 2016

David Levy discusses Noah Diamond’s adaptation and revival of I’ll Say She Is, the musical debut of the Marx Brothers. 

The Goodman Theatre revives Thornton Wilder's The Matchmaker
Essay

The Goodman Theatre revives Thornton Wilder's The Matchmaker

6 May 2016

David Dudley interviews members of the creative team behind the Goodman Theatre’s recent production of Thornton Wilder’s The Matchmaker.

The Dangerous Old Ladies of David Lindsay-Abaire’s Ripcord
Essay

The Dangerous Old Ladies of David Lindsay-Abaire’s Ripcord

19 April 2016

Ellen Mareneck on David Lindsay-Abaire’s Ripcord, directed by David Hyde Pierce at Manhattan Theatre Club in New York. 

The Gainesville - Chicago Improv Connection
Essay

The Gainesville - Chicago Improv Connection

6 February 2016

Andrew Bailes describes the unlikely link between the Gainesville, Florida and Chicago, Illinois improv communities.

Logo for Dramatists Guild.
Joe Toplyn on Comedy Writing for Late Night TV
Video

Joe Toplyn on Comedy Writing for Late Night TV

Thursday 13 November 2014
New York City, NY, United States

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). 

Logo for the Torch Theatre Book Club.
"Improvised Book Club" & Asking Your Audience to Do Homework
Essay

"Improvised Book Club" & Asking Your Audience to Do Homework

25 July 2013

Alice Stanley Jr. describes her experince at The Toch Theatre's "Improvised Book Club" and writes about how an audiences' preparation affects their involvement.

Logo for Dramatists Guild.
A Craft Workshop: Improvising Your Play with Jeffrey Sweet at The Dramatists Guild
Video

A Craft Workshop: Improvising Your Play with Jeffrey Sweet at The Dramatists Guild

Tuesday 23 October 2012
New York, NY, United States

Dramatist Guild of America presented a workshop on improv techniques with Jeffrey Sweet livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Tuesday 23 October at 2:30 p.m. PDT (San Francisco)/ 4:30 p.m. CDT (Chicago) / 5:30 p.m. EDT (New York) / 21:30 GMT / 10:30 p.m. BST (London).