Emanon Theater Company For Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind rd like to thank Barbara Kanady Sally Chas Vrba Pa Mike and Davey Marcy Konlon Ma and Bear and Joe Albright Lucy and Tree For Alice in Wonderland both the tea party and court scenes adapted from the book by Lewis Carroll'd like to thank Stephanie Repin Alice Joe Albright White Rabbit Danny Robles Caterpillar and Cook Ed Nishioka Cheshire Cat Geoff Coates Duchess and Dormouse Brian Winters Mad Hatter Anthony McKinney March Hare and Klahr Thorsen Queen of Hearts For Rapunzel adapted from the story by the Brothers Grimm I'd like to thank Amy Harmon Demon Radish Bird Julie Lockhart Witch Janet Tuegel Rapunzel Rapunzel's Mother Ashley Hugen Bingo Rapunzel's Father and Joe Albright Prince Ogre For Jemima Puddle Duck adapted from the book by Beatrix Potter Danny Robles Jemima Joe Albright Fox Stephanie Repin Farm Dog Geoff Coates Narrator Ensemble and Laura Holli day Laura Pruden and Rick Schnier Ensemble A very special thanks to Barbara Kanady and Brad Larsen who have taught learned and laughed along side me and to Northlight Theatre for providing the creative playing
Introduction hen my daughter was two years old she dumped her cup of apple juice on her head one day at preschool When I asked her why she did that she said Because it was funny It was difficult to argue with her reasoning Later that same year she told me Mommy it's funny when I sing Ding Dong the Witch Is Dead with my tongue out She showed me and I had to agree it was indeed funny I have seen firsthand a child discovering humor Dr Patch Adams strongly believes that humor and laughter are healing to humans He founded the Gesundheit Institute where he practices the belief that fun friendship and joy are important parts of health care and that fun and laughter are medicine Many children develop self confidence and overcome shyness when they realize they can be funny This book is designed to bring out the humor in all young people and will give them a lot of ideas for having fun and being funny You don't need to know jokes to make people laugh This book is full of ideas for cre ating your own comic routines and comedy
Here's the fun and funny you'll find as you turn these pages In Chapter 1 you'll find information on famous comics and ideas for creating your own comedic style and trademark Chapter 2 will get you started with ideas for creating original comic materi al The history of comedy along with activities that illustrate some of the elements of humor found in historical comedies is included Chapter 3 takes you a step further by helping you make your comic mater ial as funny as it can be Chapter 4 explores how props can be used in comedy Sometimes even the most ordinary everyday object can lead to humor Many comics become other people in their comedy routines Chapter 5 contains character activities and games so you can become anyone you wish You can use music in your comedy In addition to acting silly you can also sing and dance in silly ways Chapter 6 has funny songs and ideas for hilarious dances you can do Improvisation is a popular form of comic act ing Chapter 7 explores improv techniques and the self confidence exercises needed to perform comedy while Chapter 8 contains improv games and scene ideas to hone those skills You might see these improv games at an improv comedy club or on the television show called Whose Line Is It Anyway Non sense words and sounds are a source of humor for people from infancy on Chapter 9 is filled with games and activities that bring out the silly sounds and words in you And while I do not suggest dump ing your cup of juice on your head as my daughter
did you will find a lot of suggestions for physical comedy that you can do in Chapter 10 When you have a group of people such as at a party or in a classroom you can sit or stand in a circle and play the humorous games found in Chapter 11 Chapter 12 includes funny scenes for e you to act out Along the way you'll find ways to have even more fun whenever you see More Laughs for activity varia tions You'll also find interesting sidebars through out and in the back of the book there are suggestions for more funny plays comedic resources and a glossary of comedy terms Ready set make em
