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What Are You Laughing At?

http://cptv.vo.llnwd.net/o2/ypmwebcontent/Commodore%20Skahill/Colin%20McEnroe%20Show%2007-19-2012.mp3

Tomorrow night I'll be appearing with the comedy troupe Sea Tea Improv in a format requiring me to do little monologues based on prompts from the audience. The Sea Tea troupe will then improvise sketches based on my monologue.

Frankly, I'm a little nervous because what if somebody calls out a suggestion and I just can't associate it with anything? I've actually considered cramming for this. By, you know, kind of studying my life. So that if somebody yells out "shoe store" I'll have something to say. Julia told me that wouldn't work.
 
Which raises the question right at the heart of today's show. Is there anything conscious about comedy? Isn't the very nature of comedy a cascade of non-sequiturs, incongruities and unpredictable occurrences to which no formula can be applied? One very successful comedy writer has tried to derive that formula.
 
Leave your comments below, e-mail colin@wnpr.org or Tweet us @wnprcolin.

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Colin McEnroe is a radio host, newspaper columnist, magazine writer, author, playwright, lecturer, moderator, college instructor and occasional singer. Colin can be reached at colin@ctpublic.org.

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