From Charlie Chaplin to Victoria Wood, Britain has produced some of the best comedians in the world. Whether you’re hoping to star in Mischief Theatre’s next hit show or land your first role in a great British sitcom, some (unofficial) rules of comedy acting – plus techniques and tips for how to get into it – will help sharpen your funny bone.
1. Work out what makes you funny.
First things first: “Identify what’s funny about you – not on a surface level but on a deeper level,” recommends Amalia Vitale (Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare’s Globe; Big Mood, Channel 4). If you can really lean into the darker recesses of who you are as a person, and if you can be vulnerable and expose those parts of yourself, then that’s where you just might find the funny. “Clown classes are very good at really confronting yourself [about] who you are” – and discovering what it is about you that makes other people laugh, she adds.
2. Watch – and try – as much comedy as you can.
From slapstick to satire, Owen Jenkins (The Play That Goes Wrong, West End) recommends that aspiring comedy actors “see as much as [they] can.” The more comedy you consume, the more you will get a sense of what style of comedy excites and inspires you most. Experiment with different types of comedy classes too, such as standup, clowning, and improv; see them as playgrounds to develop your technique and material.
3. Make your own work.
“If you’re feeling courageous, it’s really good to make your own work,” Vitale recommends. There are so many ways to create your own comedy, whether it’s getting on stage to do standup or filming a sketch to put on TikTok. “There’s nothing like learning the beats of comedy, then trying to scribe your own, and seeing what works and what fails,” she says.
4. Find your people.
“There’s this notion of ‘the industry’ as important people who sit behind desks and say ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ but try to redefine ‘the industry’ as the people you are starting out with,” advises Jenkins.
Vitale, who spent a decade “doing sketches and short bits” with Camilla Whitehill before getting her break with Big Mood, advises those who want a career in comedy acting to “do play readings and sketches for friends.” Keep the relationship alive with people you enjoy making comedy with, because you never know where it will lead. Look at Ellie White, who met Jamie Demetriou at Bristol University doing sketch comedy. Almost a decade later, she was starring in his BAFTA-winning Channel 4 series Stath Lets Flats.
5. Forget the laughs and commit to the stakes.
“Acting in a comedy is not that different to acting in a drama. Comedy comes from playing the truth of a situation, [so] forget about the laughs; you must play the truth of the scene,” says Jenkins.
“Good comedians commit,” Vitale adds. “Anyone who plays under the bar, or who takes their foot off the gas, tends to flop. Have the courage to commit to the stakes, and possibly even go too far, trust[ing] that the people working with you will pull you back if it’s too much.”
When auditioning via self-tape, Vitale recommends: “Do zero fat, half fat, and full fat.” This means delivering one take where everything is more internal (pitched more to screen), another that totally pushes the caricature and physical comedy, and another that sits halfway between the two. This gives the casting director and director three takes at noticeably different pitches to offer them a range of options.
6. Timing is everything.
Good comedy has pacing. There’s an energy to it because “audiences are smart, so you need to be one step ahead if you’re going to surprise them,” says Jenkins.
“Laughter comes from surprise, and surprise comes from both speed and dexterity,” Vitale adds. Surprise doesn’t only come from how you deliver your lines. It’s also about where you choose to pause – for example, before delivering a line of dialogue that’s in direct conflict with what you’ve just said – in order to catch the audience unawares.
7. Use the “rule of three.”
A classic convention of comedy, “the rule of three” is defined as “establish, reinforce, surprise,” and it hinges on setting up a pattern and then subverting it with something that surprises the audience.
8. Connect with your scene partner – and audience.
We’ve all heard the saying “acting is reacting,” and it applies as much to comedy as it does to drama. “Remember to take inspiration from the person you’re in the scene with. Listen to them and the ‘funny’ they're giving you,” Vitale advises. The relationship with your audience is also key in comedy, particularly in live comedy. “You’re essentially building in-jokes together,” Vitale says, “and you can do that very quickly if you genuinely engage with your audience.”
Make eye contact and tune in to what they are laughing at so that you can “call back” to it or heighten the joke. Whilst you can’t engage directly with your audience onscreen, ensuring you are wearing your reactions on your face is a must.
9. Remember to breathe.
“Even though comedy is played at pace, you as a person need to be able to ‘drive the car,’” Vitale cautions. “Allow yourself to breathe and hold the space, particularly in an audition. It’s a lot of pressure to be funny on the spot, so take [a moment] to step into what you’ve got to do.”
10. Embrace the mischief and have fun.
“You have to enjoy it,” adds Vitale. “That’s the only thing that really matters. You’ll meet loads of people with different rules, [but] don’t forget mischief! Most people I know in comedy break the rules and are a bit naughty…and they keep the fire alive as a result.”