Definition of Comedy of Ideas

According to the "comedic ladder," a list of the four types of comedy from the lowest to the highest, the "comedy of ideas" is the highest form of comedic drama. The comedy of ideas pits pure concepts against each other. The other types include "low comedy," which depends on slapstick; "farce," which is based on coincidence and mistaken identity; and "comedy of manners," which is a witty satire of social behavior. With the comedy of ideas, the characters essentially are archetypes representing particular ideas or worldviews. Other People Are Reading Ideas as Characters The comedy of ideas wrestles with serious questions in life through the medium of comedy. Characters represent particular ideas or attitudes to the issues in question. The conflict between the characters represents the clash of opposing philosophies. Foolish ideas can be satirized through the behavior of the characters. The theme of a comedy of ideas could be any of the great questions, such as issues of war and peace, religion or politics. In the theater of the Soviet Union, the comedy of ideas took on a somewhat different interpretation. Because the ideals of Communism emphasized masses of human beings rather than individuals, comedies tended to portray characters as representatives of mass tendencies or class interests. Material plenty was emphasized as an ideal to be achieved by the Socialist society, despite the material poverty in which people of that society actually lived. God was portrayed as a concept to be resisted, even though Communism denied the existence of God. The result was a comedy in which the individual character faded away by comparison with the idea, even though the idea did not always represent anything found in the real world. Almost everyone has experienced a comic or tragic event in their lifetime. Books, plays and television portray these events for your entertainment... Book the best comedians you can afford--and attract. The bigger your club is, the bigger the talent you will be able to book. Comedians love an audience. If you can provide one, and pay the comedian, you can attract the bigger talent. Most stand-up comedians have websites and offer information about booking, which typically involves contacting their booking agents. How to Run a Comedy Club. Running a successful comedy club requires more than hiring people who can stand on a stage... This wildly successful comedy club, set right along the colorful Atlantic City Boardwalk, sees hilarious class acts from across the country perform... Comedy Clubs in Oregon. While Oregon may not be the first state people think of in terms of comedy, it is home... Arguably the most famous improv company in America, Second City has been the training ground for such comedy greats as Bill Murray,... The American Film Institute in Los Angeles has a well-known screenwriting department with two possible directions for you to choose: drama writing and comedy writing. From the history of comedy writing and the study of the best comedy screenplays of all times, you move on to discovering your own unique voice and getting trained in writing alone as well as a part of a team. Before writing a comedy novel, study the works of other comedy novelists, such as Mark Twain. Write a comedy novel and decide... As the capital of the entertainment industry, there are plenty of acting classes in Los Angeles. From basic scene study classes to...