Good afternoon and welcome to Talk Time on Radio 6.0:02
Joining us today, we have comedian Scott Prince here to talk to us about his comedy school, The Laughing Bear.0:07
So, tell us a bit about yourself and your career, Scott.0:16
Well, as many of you know, I've been a comedian for 20 years.0:20
I'm pretty well recognized these days.0:24
And even sold out my last tour.0:26
But it wasn't always like this.0:28
Everybody has to start somewhere, and I myself went to comedy school.0:30
However, after I completed the course, my first show was a disaster.0:34
I had practiced my lines 100 times in front of the mirror, but I had never performed in front of a live audience.0:41
I guess it just wasn't very funny.0:47
Instead of laughing, the audience fell silent.0:49
It was really embarrassing.0:52
So what do you think went wrong?0:53
Well, I think the problem with the school I attended was that we never got the chance to practice in public.0:56
When we performed, it was always in class in front of other students, and that wasn't very helpful.1:01
That's why at our school, The Laughing Bear, we hold weekly comedy nights for our students to get used to public performance.1:06
Now, is comedy really something that you can teach?1:13
Don't you have to be naturally funny in order to become a comedian?1:17
Of course, it helps if you're especially talented at telling jokes, but that's precisely why we're here.1:20
In order to be funny, you need to learn how to deliver a joke so that it has maximum impact.1:25
Also, you need loads of confidence, because the audience can be a bit rowdy sometimes.1:31
Have you ever had a bad experience with a member of the audience?1:36
I wouldn't say I've had any bad experiences, but I have had to pull out a few insults to get some people to stop interrupting my show.1:39
I actually get my students prepared for this kind of thing by putting one of them on stage and getting the others to shout out at them.1:47
It's all in good spirits though.1:53
Sounds like a lot of fun!1:54
Do you guys get any serious work done at all?1:56
Well, it's not all fun and games.1:59
We also teach the history of comedy and creative writing.2:01
After all, comedy is the art of storytelling.2:04
We try not to get too hung up on theory though.2:07
When you think about a joke too much, it stops becoming funny.2:09
And is the school only for people who want to become comedians?2:13
We have all types of people at our school.2:17
Many of our students actually go on to become scriptwriters.2:19
Other people come because they want to make a good impression at business meetings.2:23
Like I said before, we teach people to develop a strong presence, and that is very useful in many fields of work.2:27
Now, I hear you also run a camp for children.2:33
Yes, we're really keen on getting kids involved in comedy.2:37
It's a 4-week program that ends in a final performance.2:40
There's no written work.2:43
Rather, the focus of the camp is on building character and improving communication skills.2:45
It's really a lot of fun.2:50
How can people sign up for one of your courses?2:53
Well, you can register via our website, where you'll also be able to read about any of our classes.2:56
We're open all year round, but the kids' camp is only available in August.3:02
We also have a travelling comedy workshop that tours the country from September until March, so you can join in wherever you are.3:06
I'm sure plenty of our listeners would love to get involved.3:13
Finally, is there any advice you can give to any potential comedians who are listening today?3:17
Don't be afraid of failure.3:23
You can't always get people to roll on the floor with laughter, and a negative reaction can be a good learning experience.3:25
Don't dwell on it too much, and just remember to have fun.3:31
Thank you so much for talking to us today, Scott.3:36
Thanks for having me on the show.3:40
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