Taken from the Aaron Speiser Acting Workshop

1. Misdirection or Mislead - Make the audience think you are leading them one way then go the other way (flip it).

2. Fast changes: A. Physical B. Emotional C. Vocal

3. The Unexpected - Surprises

4. Great Truth

5. Physical Comedy - Clowning, Pratfalls, Food, Mugging, Pain or Pleasure, anything to do with the body (itching, diarrhea, orgasm, blindness, deafness, stuttering, smells. etc.)

6. Comic Build

7. Running Gags

8. Reacting (can be funnier than anything) - Takes: Fast, Slow, Double, Spit (as in as spit take)

9. Pacing - comedy MUST move fast. It is like a stone skipping on the water. Once it slows down, it sinks. Each script has it's own rhythm.

10. Timing

11. Character

12. Jokes, Witticisms, Sarcasm, Irony, Puns, Gags.

The structure of a joke is:

a. Setup b. Slight Pause c. Punchline

Example: Take my wife...please!