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FCU's Site Director Comedy Tip of the Week
"Virtual Comedy Is The Future"
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Paul Douglas Moomjean
Site Director, Flappers University
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Hello Students, Comedians, and Citizens of Earth alike!
When I was in corporate America, I used Zoom a lot for meetings with vendors and business pitches all over the globe. I was a content manager, and I was meeting with people in Utah, New York, and even India. Zoom provided a platform that dropped the limits of physical space and opened an entire virtual business world. Now, due to COVID-19, the entire world lives in the Zoom world. Schools, churches, and family reunions are utilizing the basic technology Ready Player One told us about. So when I say virtual comedy is here for a while, don't think necessarily positive or negative about that idea; instead, think how you are going to adapt.
People forget that stand up comedy wasn't always a showcase art form. For decades comedians opened up for musicians and hosted vaudeville shows. The comic would tell a few jokes and introduce the next variety act. When the first major comedy clubs in the 1970's started opening up, many wondered who would want to watch comics back to back to back. Obviously, that seemed to work out okay.
What we are seeing now is a new generation of stand up comedians who are being trained to tell tight jokes in an empty room to a crowd sitting in their homes, cars, and workplaces all over the world. The Burbank Comedy Festival recently had shows in Spain, starring comics from New Zealand. At this point, the literal limitations of time and space are gone to see a comedian perform.
Yet, I fully grasp Zoom comedy isn't like traditional stand up. But just like how "talkies" replaced silent films, color dropped black and white movies by the wayside, and 3D films dominated the box office for a good decade, art forms will adapt when opportunity rises. Some last. Some don't. We have yet to see how this one pans out.
With drive-in shows starting (people honking and flashing their headlights instead of laughing) and patio shows becoming a new way to practice solid social distancing techniques (masks required), the future of stand up comedy is diverse. Just like how we have musical comics and prop comics and storyteller comics, we are simply adding new genres to the art form. Trust me, had we told the ancient Greeks that comedy would leave the play structure, they'd cry heresy too.
My point is that as the world sits in uncertainty, don't let any of the evolving forms of comedy suppress your creativity or goals. Television is already adapting their stories around our current situation, focusing on digital shorts and shows filming actors in different areas interacting.
Considering an entire generation will be raised this way, the future is now, and part of it is virtual.
Stay Safe with Your Masks and Clean Hands
Flappers Comedy Club and Restaurant is still running classes and virtual shows and hopefully live comedy will be back soon. We are doing our best to ride this COVID-19 season out. Stay safe, and know that we love and care about you!
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EVERY Burbank Comedy Festival Workshop and Class
OPEN TO ALL! LINKS BELOW!
August 9th - August 22
We are excited to announce our FULL Virtual Workshop Schedule for the 2020 Burbank "Covedy" Festival. With 18 different workshops taught by people who are working professional comedians, managers, agents, writers, directors and other members of the comedy and industry world, this year will be one for the ages!
All classes are two hours long, run through a virtual Zoom room, and with a few exceptions are only $25! We also set it up so no classes run up against each other, so you can take all 18 and not have them conflict with shows, panels, or other fun virtual events! Sign up now! These will sell out! You can also buy a seat to EVERY CLASS for $325 which is a $100 in saving!
ONE DAY ONLINE Workshops (Zoom Links Sent Later)
WRITING CLASSES ($25 Each)
Writing Your Comedy Movie
Friday 8/14/2020 11:00AM - 1:00PM
Sketch Comedy 101
Tuesday 8/18/2020 - 4:00PM - 6:00PM
STAND UP COMEDY CLASSES ($25)
Find Your Comedy Persona
Thursday 8/20/2020 4:00PM - 6:00PM
PRODUCTION CLASSES ($25)
Creating Your Web Series
Tuesday 8/18/2020 11:00AM - 1:00PM
Creating Your Own Podcast
Wednesday 8/19/2020 11:00AM - 1:00PM
BUSINESS OF COMEDY CLASSES ($25)
Marketing and Promoting Yourself
Sunday 8/16/2020 11:00AM - 1:00PM
Getting Booked on the Road (and Zoom)
Monday 8/17/2020 11:00AM - 1:00PM
Social Media in Cancel Culture
Monday 8/17/2020 4:00PM - 6:00PM
Commercial Acting for Comics
Thursday 8/20/2020 11:00AM - 1:00PM
ONGOING PRIVATE COACHING
Private Coaching (Prices Vary $50 - $125/Hour) If you are interested in just having one on one time with one of our highly trained and professional instructors, please visit our Instructors Page to pick the instructor you want to work with. Just email Classes@FlappersComedy.com to schedule a meeting. Prices are based on instructor's rate. Email classes@flapperscomedy.com to learn more. FCU is dedicated to creating a community of comedians that can help and support each other. Therefore, if you find these prices out of your range, PLEASE email us, and we will work with you!
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ONLINE Stand Up Classes and Television Writing Classes!
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| | Students taking a break during class. Humor is key. |
If you are looking for ways to expand your comedy platform, here is what we are offering! All Stand Up Classes have an ONLINE showcase you can invite friends, family, and fans too at the end!
Take a look at our classes and workshops on the Flapper's University website. We have classes in Stand Up, Writing for TV, and workshops on making money, building an audience, and promoting your brand.
Not sure how it works? This is what our classes look like:
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Flappers University Online Comedy Class Demo
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Multi-Week Classes ($195)
WRITING CLASSES - Just Click the link!
In this fun six-week course, students will begin to craft their very own sitcom script in a classroom experience designed to mimic working in an actual TV writers' room. Through a combination of lectures, examples, worksheets and exercises - as well as actual writing! - this course will take students through the process of development by using their own original characters and ideas, show them how to apply proper technique and structure that will result in a finished professional sitcom pilot script. Taught by WGA Education Committee Member Steve Trautmann!
Have you always wanted to write hilarious sketches for TV? This crash course, created and taught by Hugh Fink, an Emmy Award-winning Saturday Night Live writer, will not only teach you the various templates of sketches (TV and movie parodies, character driven, fake commercials, etc) but you'll also acquire invaluable sketch writing do's and don'ts that will help your work stand out. In order to master sketch writing, you'll learn how to identify whether your premise is strong enough, as well as comprehend the best structural options for your material. By analyzing some of television's funniest sketches, you'll learn what it takes to create a successful submission packet that
shows off your comedic voice.
In this course students will learn basic late night comedy writing including monologue, desk pieces and remotes, with the goal of becoming technically proficient, confident and comfortable submitting material to various late night television programs. Taught by David Letterman's head monologue writer for 5 years, this class also has a showcase where Gabe reads your jokes in a a ten minute set, just like Late Night TV hosts do!
STAND UP: Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 - Virtual Zoom Class
We offer Level 1 and Level 2 Stand Up Comedy Classes to help new and emerging comedians and people interested in starting stand up comedy. Classes are taught by professional working comedians who have been on television, worked in writer's rooms, and have opened and performed with the biggest names in comedy. Our classes are 5 weeks and designed to give basic fundamentals in the art form of stand up. We teach to write from a place of truth, the art of brevity, creating turns, tags, and callbacks, all in a supportive environment. Level 1 is intended for beginners and complete newbies. Level 2 is for comedians with over 3 years experience or completed Level 1 at Flappers University.
THREE Classes already sold out! Sign up Now! Start Dates:
with Barbara Holliday 3 Spots Left!
(Get that 5 Minute Set Ready to Submit to Late Night TV and Festivals)
Joke Structure Workshops
ONE DAY Comedy Joke Writing Workshop $25.00
In this one day workshop, a Flappers University Instructor will walk through joke writing structure, mining for material, and how to deliver a punchline to maximize the laughter from the audience. Comedians make it look easy, but there is an art form behind stand up comedy, and this workshop focuses on those principals.
ONE DAY: Comedy Cinema: Watching Movies to Help with Stand Up $25
We love stand up! We love comedy movies! How did some of the greats convert their style of comedy into big Hollywood blockbusters? We'll look at comedy films to help explain what makes both stand up and comedy films work. Films covered include the City Slicker films, Jim Carrey and Charlie Chaplin physical comedy, Albert Brooks and alternative comedy genres, and much more!
FREE Joke Labs Are Back! Every Wednesday! No Charge!)
Already got your set down - but you could still use help fine-tuning a bit or getting a different perspective on a new joke? Jump in this workshop and get feedback and punch-up on your set from our top instructors at FCU, and possibly some surprise guests! We ask that you do not sign up more than once every few weeks so everyone can participate!
ONGOING PRIVATE COACHING
Private Coaching (Prices Vary $50 - $125/Hour) If you are interested in just having one on one time with one of our highly trained and professional instructors, please visit our Instructors Page to pick the instructor you want to work with. Just email Classes@FlappersComedy.com to schedule a meeting. Prices are based on instructor's rate. Email classes@flapperscomedy.com to learn more. FCU is dedicated to creating a community of comedians that can help and support each other. Therefore, if you find these prices out of your range, PLEASE email us, and we will work with you!
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Flappers University Student Open Mic
Sundays 4:00pm-5:30pm
NO MIC FOR TWO WEEKS DUE TO BCF. RESUMES ON 8/23
Flappers University School of Comedy wants to continue one our greatest traditions alive during the Apocalypse, our FREE Student mic open to current students and alumni. This supportive feedback mic is designed to help comics think of new angles and tags and set ups after they perform 5-6 minutes. Lead by PJ Baio, the mic will allow for 10 comics to sign up in advance. Considering all the students that are interested, we are asking that you try not to sign up every week, as to give others an opportunity. Upon registering, you will be sent a ZOOM link an hour before the show.
Looking forward to keeping this great mic going! |
information!
or... like Flappers University on Yelp!
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Flappers Comedy Club
Open Mics & Auditions
Open Mics 8/9 - 8/22
12pm & 10pm
Flappers Comedy Club has a fun, supportive, and nightly Open Mic for comedians in all stages of their comedy journey. Sign up now!
Auditions For Live Virtual Shows!
If you want to be a part of our Live Virtual Comedy Shows, then drop into our auditions EVERY WEDNESDAY 6pm! Bring your best 2 minutes, and our Booker will find the right show for you! Just visit our Calendar and sign up!
NO AUDITIONS UNTIL 8/26
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information!
or... like Flappers University on Yelp!
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Flapper's University Instructor Steve North's NEW BOOK!
How to KILL in Comedy
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Steve North the Comedy Coach, voted #1 Comedy Coach in the USA, starts by teaching you how to create your own unique comedic character for stand up, then offers the twenty best joke-writing formulas developed over 20 years in his workshops, and then helps you put it all together to work as a stand up comedian. Whether you're a beginner or advanced comedian, you need to learn the character method first. Then slay the audience, or just be funnier in life.
or... like Flappers University on Yelp!
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Beginning, Intermediate and Advanced Stand Up and many more comedy classes available!
For a full list:
email: Classes@FlappersComedy.com
818-845-9721
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