Comedy comes in many forms, each with its own history and style. And while it may be subjective, there's still some surprising science that makes comedy what it is today. This week on the Curiosity Podcast, we talk to long-time performer and teacher Lilly Allison, an expert with a firm grasp on the history and psychology of comedy. In this episode, she explains and demonstrates comedic devices in front of a live audience at the 2017 Chicago Podcast Festival.

Lilly has been involved with comedy since she was 14 yrs old. She has studied, taught, and performed improv with several organizations, including 3 years of traveling with The Second City National Touring Company. In addition to teaching stand-up and improv comedy classes, she also hosts "A Lill Annoyance Stand Up Show" series at The Annoyance Theatre in Chicago.

Additional resources discussed:

• Lilly Allison's bio
• Benign Violation Theory
• Sumerians cracked world's oldest joke
• "Come On And Slam" Space Jam Subreddit

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Full episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/where-comedy-comes-from-live-from-chicago-podcast-festival

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