Comedy Masterclass

Danielle Krage interviews Lynne Murphy, Professor of Linguistics at the University of Sussex. Lynne has a fabulous alter-ego as Lynneguist, with an award-winning blog ‘Separated by a Common Language’.

Lynne is also the author of ‘The Prodigal Tongue: The Love-Hate Relationship between British and American English’. In this interview, she generously shares a lot of the tools and approaches that helped her develop the voice of the book, get useful feedback, and make the writing funny and memorable. Plus practical recommendations for other writers who want to bring more humour to their non-fiction work.

You can find out more about Lynne Murphy at:

https://theprodigaltongue.com/

https://separatedbyacommonlanguage.blogspot.com/

https://twitter.com/lynneguist

https://www.facebook.com/lynneguist/

https://staging.bsky.app/profile/lynneguist.bsky.social

And you can sign up for her newsletter here:

https://mailchi.mp/30d0ffd3a48e/separated-by-a-common-newsletter

Or by following the links in her Twitter bio.

You can find the transcript at:

https://comedymasterclass.com

And Danielle’s socials here:

https://twitter.com/daniellekrage

https://www.instagram.com/dekrage

Danielle Krage interviews Adam Courting, a highly curious creative whose experience spans improv, devising, performing Shakespeare and more.

Adam has brilliant insights into improv comedy culture - what needs to change, and what we can learn from it. This includes how we can use improv to reshape how we think about traditional roles, and engage audiences in unique ways.

You can find out more about Adam's work here: https://www.instagram.com/adamcourting/?hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/dtrscomedy/?hl=en

https://www.acaprov.com/

You can find the transcript at:

https://comedymasterclass.com

And Danielle’s socials here:

https://twitter.com/daniellekrage

https://www.instagram.com/dekrage

Danielle Krage interviews writer Michelle Gallen, whose book ‘Factory Girls’ won the Comedy Women in Print Prize 2023.

Michelle has wonderfully honest and practical takes on the craft and business of writing – from developing the voice and point of view of the book, to successfully pitching it to agents and editors.

The interview also delves into the opportunities of the adaptation process, and is laced with great real-world advice for writers and comedy lovers.

You can find out more about Michelle and her work at:

https://www.michellegallen.com

You can find the transcript at:

https://comedymasterclass.com

And Danielle’s socials here:

https://twitter.com/daniellekrage

https://www.instagram.com/dekrage

Danielle Krage interviews Kevin Tomlinson, theatre maker and Co-Founder of Kepow Theatre Company.

Kevin’s extensive training and live experience in so many forms of improvisation (including with Keith Johnstone, Philippe Gaulier, and John Wright) leads to a rich conversation about diverse aspects of long-form improv – both verbal and physical.

You can find out more about Kevin Tomlinson’s work here: http://kepowtheatre.co.uk

https://twitter.com/KevinxTomlinson

https://www.facebook.com/kevintomlinsonuk

You can find the transcript at:

https://comedymasterclass.com

And Danielle’s socials here:

https://twitter.com/daniellekrage

https://www.instagram.com/dekrage

Danielle Krage interviews comedian and screenwriter, Tim Ferguson. They dig into his wonderfully practical book, Cheeky Monkey: Writing Narrative Comedy, to talk about characters, conflict, situation, and simplicity.

Tim has so much comedy experience, and wonderfully forthright ways of distilling it down to what matter most if you want to write narrative comedy.

You can find out more about Tim and his work at:

https://www.cheekymonkeycomedy.com

You can find the transcript at:

https://comedymasterclass.com

And Danielle’s socials here:

https://twitter.com/daniellekrage

https://www.instagram.com/dekrage

Danielle Krage interviews poet, writer and broadcaster Ian McMillan about how he approaches humour in his work - whether it’s his poetry collections or his beautiful memoir, My Sand Life, My Pebble Life.

It’s a conversation rich with insights and stories, delivered in Ian’s unique and delightfully resonant style. Vivid, funny and so inspiring, it’s a truly human way into poetry, storytelling and language.

You can find out more about Ian and his work at:

http://ian-mcmillan.co.uk

https://twitter.com/IMcMillan

You can find the transcript at:

https://comedymasterclass.com

And Danielle’s socials here:

https://twitter.com/daniellekrage

https://www.instagram.com/dekrage

Danielle Krage interviews actor, writer and comedian Holly Hall about the process of making her live solo show, ‘You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.’

Holly was first on the show back in episode 3, sharing her process of going from award winning online sketch ‘When podcasts go wrong’… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHg4za15W9o

….to her commissioned short film, ‘It’s what she would have wanted.’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkrkASc4J9s

Holly has such an encouraging take on comedy and making work, and shares a great mix of advice and practical suggestions for other creatives.

You can follow Holly Hall and her work here:

https://www.instagram.com/hollyhallcomedian

https://www.tiktok.com/@hollyhallcomedian

You can find the transcript at:

https://comedymasterclass.com

And Danielle’s socials here:

https://twitter.com/daniellekrage

https://www.instagram.com/dekrage

Danielle Krage interviews Ryan North - writer of games, comic books, non-fiction books and more. They dig into considerations for comedy, including Ryan’s experience of writing The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl and Danger and Other Unknown Risks.

This fun conversation covers – timing, collaboration, translating comedy, crafting jokes, originality, and entrepreneurial approaches. There’s even a bonus joke from ancient Greece!

You can find out more about Ryan and his work at:

 http://www.ryannorth.ca

You can find the transcript at:

https://comedymasterclass.com

And Danielle’s socials here:

https://twitter.com/daniellekrage

https://www.instagram.com/dekrage

Danielle Krage will be back with regular weekly episodes on Wednesday 2nd August.

Danielle Krage interviews comedy expert Steve Kaplan about tools from his most recent book, ‘The Comic Hero’s Journey’.

The conversation covers: ways to create your main character and supporting cast; what to do when your ending isn’t working; and common comic character mistakes (plus how to fix them!).

You can find out more about Steve and his work here:

https://twitter.com/skcomedy

https://www.facebook.com/KaplanComedy

https://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Tools-Comedy-Serious-Business-ebook/dp/B00GPCF84K/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1684642840&sr=1-1

You can find the transcript at:

https://comedymasterclass.com

And Danielle’s socials here:

https://twitter.com/daniellekrage

https://www.instagram.com/dekrage