Comedian shares tricks of the trade in new book

LouiseLouise
Louise
How to be a Comedian and Smash your first Gig is a serious guide to stand-up with content that’s been tried and tested over the last ten years with Brighton Comedy Courses.

Louise Stevenson is CEO of Brighton Comedy Course and the author of the book.

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She said: "This book will help aspiring comedians create, write, and edit their material to its best. It will provide the know-how to write a killer set, take the stage and make an audience laugh.

"There are plenty of tips on performance, delivery, timing, and confidence that will also appeal to public speaking enthusiasts. It’s a practical book with writing, editing and performance exercises and tasks throughout.

"There are insights from both well-known comedians and real-life stories from Brighton Comedy Course graduates, who share their own comedy journeys."

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Louise performed her first stand-up gig in 1999 in New Zealand, she has worked alongside the likes of Jimmy Carr, Alan Carr, Rich Hall and Steven K Amos.

She said: "This is the book I wish I’d picked up twenty years ago before my first stand-up performance. Comedy has been such a big part of my life that this stage makes sense."

As for comedians she enjoys watching she said: Kevin Bridges, Amy Schumer, Dara O’Briain and Micky Flanagan.

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Louise's top tips include: "Don’t leave it too long, if you want to make people laugh, give it a go. Immerse yourself in stand-up, read books, watch stand-up or go on a comedy course to give yourself the best chance of success.

"Confidence plays a key part of being a comedian. Keeping nerves under wraps and embracing nervous energy is a sure way to engage any audience. And don’t worry about the hecklers, they’re easy to handle, when you have the know-how."

The book has been published independent publisher, Funny Bones Publishing. It is available on Kindle or paperback format from Amazon.

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The next beginner’s course starts in September, Corona permitting. There are a few spaces available. There’s also the 2-day Comedy weekend course for those want to dip their toe in the comedy waters, book on www.brightoncomedycourse.com

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