Every industry has its jargon. Australian stand-up comedy is no different. For those new to stand-up, or for those visiting Australia, here’s a stand-up comedy glossary that will help you on the stand-up comedy circuit.
A
- Act: The comedian’s performance, which includes their material and stage presence.
- Adelaide: The go to Australian capital city, that is an easy target.
B
- Bit: A short, cohesive piece of material on a specific topic or theme.
- Blue Material: Profane or risqué comedy.
- Bomb: When a comedy set goes poorly, but not so bad that you ‘died’.
C
- Callback: A reference to a joke or line from earlier in the set.
- Clean: Material that isn’t considered crude.
- Closer: Pronounced, ‘clothes-er’. This is the final joke or routine in a set, which is intended to be strong and memorable.
- Crowd Work: Engaging directly with the audience through questions and banter. This is not as common as you’d expect, as most stand-up comedy is highly scripted.
D
- Dark Comedy: Comedy that touches on morbid topics, like death.
- Delivery: The way a comedian presents their material, which includes timing, tone, and body language.
- Die: To perform so poorly that not only do you want to die, but you think the audience would help.
- Double Act: A comedy performance involving two comedians working together. Think Scared Weird Little Guys and the Nelson Twins.
E
- Emcee (MC): The host of the comedy show, who is responsible for introducing performers and maintaining the flow of the show.
F
- Frankston: A Melbourne outer (outer!) suburb that is free game to be joked about.
G
- Gag: A joke or a humorous phrase.
- Gig: A performance slot, ranging from a Tight Five to a Headline spot.
- Gigme: An app to book, pay and promote comedians and other live performers.
H
- Headliner: The last performer on the nigh, who is usually the most experienced and often famous.
I
- Impro or Impro : Short for improvisation, this is a form of comedy where material is made up on the spot.
K
- Keystone: The last word, or words, that reveal the joke. For example, “I am a child of divorce. I was only 6 when I was left by my…wife.”
- Kill: To perform extremely well, receiving strong positive reactions from the audience.
L
- Laughs Per Minute (LPM): A measure of how frequently a comedian gets laughs from the audience.
- Lead Laugher: An audience member who is generous and quick with their laughter and in doing so encourages those around them to also laugh. They appear naturally and are not a stooge.
- Line-up Show: A comedy show featuring multiple comedians, each performing for around 5 to 20 minutes each. Often the comedians are decided on the night, so may be a surprise to the audience.
M
- Material: The written jokes, stories, and routines a comedian performs.
- MC: Also known as a host. This person has the ability to build up a cold room at the beginning of the night, and rebuild up the energy again after a crap comedian.
- Mic (Microphone): Essential equipment for amplifying the comedian’s voice.
- MICF: Stands for Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
N
- Newbie: A comedian who is new to the scene, often performing at open mics and small shows.
O
- On the bill: Having your name on the list of comedians who will be performing.
- Open Mic: A type of show where anyone can sign up to perform, often used by new comedians to practice.
- Open Mic-er: A person who is new on the comedy scene and who isn’t ready to get a paid gig.
- Opener: The first comedian to perform, warming up the audience for the main act.
- Organiser: Someone who organisers a comedy show. If they do it regularly then they are also considered a ‘Room Runner’ or ‘Booker’.
P
- Punchline: The final part of a joke, designed to elicit the laugh.
- Premise: The initial idea or concept of a joke.
R
- Raw Comedy: Australia’s largest amateur stand-up comedy competition, held each year from January to April.
- Room: The venue or space where the comedy show takes place.
- Room Runner: A person who runs a comedy room and selects the comedians. They may or may not own the venue itself. In some countries they are called a ‘Booker’.
- Routine: A sequence of jokes or bits that form a part of the comedian’s set.
S
- Set: The total material a comedian performs in one stint on stage.
- Stage Time: The amount of time a comedian spends performing on stage.
- Setup: The part of the joke that leads up to the punchline.
- Signups: Used to describe a ‘Room’ that allows people to sign up on the night.
T
- Tasmania: The go to Australian State to take the piss.
- Tight Five: A five-minute set that has a high laughs per minute ratio and is well rehearsed.
- Timing: The rhythm and pace at which jokes and stories are delivered.
- Topper: Sometimes called a ‘tag’. An additional joke that is related to the last joke, that keeps the joke going.
V
- Voice: This is a particular style of performance that becomes characteristic of your set. A voice can be specific side of you, an exaggerated version of you, or a completely different character.
W
- Warm-Up: A brief performance to get the audience ready for the main acts.
- Wit: Clever and quick humor.
Is something missing? Add your Australian stand-up comedy jargon below in the comments.