Stand Up and be Graded (Part 2) - by Sophie Terry
It is midday, the sun is shining, and I am seated in the Stripe Studio Room at The University of Winchester, ready to interview BA Comedy undergraduates Rhodri, Dave, and Sam, who will be performing as part of ‘Stand Up and Be Graded’ at Winchester Theatre Royal on March 12th.
So, the first question is: Why did you decide to study BA Comedy?
Rhodri: I originally applied to study Street Arts: Performance and Production at Winchester, but there wasn’t enough uptake to study the course. However, I wanted to do comedy as I had a passion for it, so I switched to [that] instead.
Dave: I did drama a lot as a kid and as I grew up, I kind of drifted more towards the comedic side. So, I decided to do a course on comedy because I thought it would be a unique experience and I was interested in it.
Sam: I previously heard about it in college. But the degree was for Salford University in Manchester. Instead, I decided to look around and do a bit more research, and I eventually found that Winchester offered the Comedy course too. I’ve also been playing comical roles since I was young.
Were you previously aware that there was a BA Comedy degree at The University of Winchester?
Rhodri: Yes, I was aware. One of the University’s lecturers, John Lee, gave a talk at my college and mentioned the comedy degree. He was talking about how he’d like to start up the course himself and I became quite interested.
Dave: Not at first, but after some digging, I found out about it.
Sam: Yeah, through college. I found the same course but at a different university.
Let’s talk about the event. Why did you decide to participate in ‘Stand Up and Be Graded?’
Rhodri: It’s a course requirement. But I would’ve said yes to the opportunity anyways, because it’s a good chance to try stand up.
Dave: It gave me a good opportunity to perform at the Theatre Royal in Winchester and it’s exciting to be a part of it too.
Sam: It was just in the module criteria, but I would’ve said; “yeah, go on then” anyways.
What are you most looking forward to about this event?
Rhodri: I’m looking forward to having a chance to share things with our degree. We get an awful lot of questions, especially about what we do when we perform. It means people can get a chance to see what I do, and it’s an opportunity for me to create laughter too.
Dave: It’s my first proper stand up gig and so I’m really excited to just give it a go and see what happens. Not many people know about our course either, so I think it really gives us our time to shine and put our names out there.
Sam: It’s also my first time doing stand up and only two of our friends have seen us do anything with our course. We don’t have any special trips or placement with our degree, so this really gives us other opportunities to shine.
Have you performed Stand-Up before an audience previously? If so, what was it like?
Rhodri: I’ve performed a couple of times in front of an audience. I’ve performed twice at church, once at an open mic and once in the Vault, for the SU Volunteering Showcase. Some of my friends from busking have also seen me perform and they’ve enjoyed it. I think that performing stand up is a good way to test out material – the experience was definitely encouraging.
Dave: I’ve only performed in lectures, so just to the rest of the class and my lecturers.
Sam: I’ve not performed in front of a proper audience, no.
How do you write or practice your stand-up routine? Do you record it? Or do you write them down?
Rhodri: I practice my material just by sitting down and writing. I create tasks to go with them and then mix the two together. Also, I think hanging out with people is a good way to get ideas and to practice. Simon and Dave are great springboards for trying stuff out. Also, just going outside in general helps to shift the material into my routine, and it’s useful to have a lecturer who does stand up too to get advice. Overall, I just find it easier to try it out in front of people
Dave: For me, it’s a mixture of all sorts. I get my inspiration from everyday things and jot them down. I have a composing routine too, where I get ideas and expand on them to get them out there. And because the lecturers are helpful and relaxed towards everything, there is no pressure for me to practice or develop my ideas if I’m not ready.
Sam: My routine is quite simple. I just write it out and then do it. If it sounds alright, then I keep it. Otherwise, I’ll remove the material. My lecturer’s advice is; don’t try and be funny – just write it.
Have you experienced any challenges with ‘Stand Up and Be Graded’, or with the degree as a whole?
Rhodri: Hm. Interesting. I’d say finding my feet would have to be one them. I didn’t really know my comic voice in the beginning, nor did I have the confidence to try stuff out. It’s always going to be trial and error as you go along. But after a while, you end up knowing what angle or joke you’re going to make. Another problem is trying to come up with new material. There is the pressure to be the same as everybody else and we get asked ‘how’ we are using comedy. You’ve either got to sketch it or stand up. There is a lot of change as well. Some people changed from puppetry to theatre, to movement or stand up. It wildly fluctuates.
Dave: Most of us on the course face the challenge of creating work to make the audience laugh. That’s our aim and it varies from other courses, which is just to create a piece of work. Sometimes it can be hard to find new ways to make an audience laugh or find humour in the situation.
Sammy: When I first heard that we had to do stand up, my reaction was: ‘Oh, no.’ Because there is always the pressure of having to make the audience laugh.
Would you encourage others to try stand up?
Rhodri: Yes, definitely. When I tried it at church, it went down OK the first time, even though it went terribly the second. But that’s great, because if no one really laughed then I sit down and see what didn’t work. The good thing about comedy is that it gives you the freedom to sort of say, or express things that you might not be able to do in person and it helps you come out of your shell more.
Dave: Yes, but if you’re going to do it then you have to have some form of passion. You have to want to do it, otherwise if you show people that you don’t – they will know. If you’re definitely interested in comedy, do it. I’m intrigued of where it will take me and where it has been taking me so far. So, I’d definitely recommend it. You just have to be persistent and know that some will go well, and some won’t. But you can pick apart what went wrong, at the end.
Sam: I’d say just give it a go at least. There’s no harm in it and if you feel like you can do it, then try. If it doesn’t work for you, then that’s fine too.
Information: Stand Up and Be Graded: Winchester Theatre Royal Winchester, Tuesday 12th March 2019 @ 7.30pm. Tickets are available through the Theatre Royal website.
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