Current Size: 100%
Comedy: Writing and Performance |
School of Creative & Performing Arts |
2012/2013 Program AvailabilityLakeshore Fall: Open |
|
|
Type:
Diploma
|
Campus:
Lakeshore
|
|
|
Program Code:
12211 |
Length: Four semesters, beginning in September |
|
|
CONTACT INFORMATION: Linda Ellis, program assistant | 416.675.6622 ext. 79035 | linda.ellis@humber.ca
Andrew Clark, program co-ordinator | 416.675.6622 ext. 79031 | andrew.clark@humber.ca |
||
Humber’s Comedy: Writing and Performance program helps talented students hone their craft while gaining an understanding of the commercial side of the industry. Humber’s comedy faculty is comprised of seasoned, award-winning professionals who are still active in the comedy industry. The program features many mainstage class shows, a weekly Humber student show at Yuk Yuk’s Comedy Club and an organized showcase for scouts, directors and agents with students included on the basis of merit. Graduates are ready to embark on an exciting career in one of North America’s fastest growing industries – arts and entertainment.
Students learn stand-up, improvisation, scriptwriting, sketch comedy, and all other aspects of the craft. In addition, the program’s strong alumni network supports graduates through reunion shows, business opportunities and continued coaching.
Our fully equipped comedy cabaret seats up to 80 people, has lighting and sound systems, and a 12’x 20’ stage.
![]()
Classroom for costume design and accessories for Theatre and Comedy Shows
![]()
This AV classroom features a voice-over booth, a 24 track ProTools system, as well as 8 Mac and PC Audio/ Video Workstations

Storage for all sets, lights, rigging, audio, staging
![]()
This is where things get built – like the sets for all the theatre shows.
![]()
The Humber Arts & Media Studios building is one block north of Lake Shore Blvd and is home to our Comedy, Acting for Film & Television, Theatre Performance, and Theatre Production programs. This 70 seat café is great place for a visit, or a snack or meal between classes.
![]()
Yuk Yuk’s, Comedy Club, Second City.
Humour is serious business to growing numbers of researchers worldwide who are discovering that laughter is good for you. Comedy is an art and a business, one at which many Canadians excel. Join their illustrious ranks, working in stand-up comedy, sitcom/film performance, production and writing, broadcasting and production, advertising and voice-overs, sketch comedy and writing.
Humber comedy graduates have found work on stage at Yuk Yuk’s and Second City, major television networks such as the CBC and the CTV, and at Montreal’s Just For Laughs Festival, and can be seen in many major television commercials. Other grads have branched into advertising, public relations and related fields.
Attendance at an audition/interview (fee $35), which includes:
– presentation of a monologue you have written, or one from a published play
– a small portfolio of comic scriptwriting (script, essay or story form)
– a great sense of humour
Note: For more information visit Selection Procedures.
Meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission to the program.
Qualified graduates of this program may be eligible to apply their academic credits toward further study at many postsecondary institutions.
For detailed information, visit our website at humber.ca/transferguide.
The 2011/2012 fee for two semesters was
– domestic $5,079.72
– international $12,200.
Amounts listed are the total of tuition, lab and material fees, student service and auxiliary fees for the first two semesters of the 2011/2012 academic year.
Fees are subject to change.
For more information visit Fees and Financial Assistance.
Semester 1 | ||
| Course Code | Course | Credits |
| COMM 215 | College Writing Skills - ComedyCollege Writing Skills - ComedyCourse Code: COMM 215 Credits: 3 Communications 215 for Comedy students lays down a bedrock of grammar, essay, and basic business communications skills. These skills can subsequently be built upon for academic and professional writing and Communications 315 for Comedy, as well as other related courses. The course ensures that students are literate and knowledgeable about written communications. | 3 |
| HCCC 102 | Stand-Up Comedy 1Stand-Up Comedy 1Course Code: HCCC 102 Credits: 3 At this introductory level, students start the lengthy and involved process of finding their own comedic voice. This challenge requires that the students participate in many classroom activities and coaching sessions that cause them to engage in significant levels of self-reflection. Students develop the necessary skills to transform the self-knowledge gained in all levels of these courses into the material for stand-up comedy routines. Working with their instructors and colleagues, students develop the skills needed to create polished material and rehearse their routines in class and eventually deliver them in public forums. The work of professional stand-up comedians is critically examined and reviewed to gain knowledge about the variety of comedic styles and industry trends. | 3 |
| HCCC 103 | Improvisation 1Improvisation 1Course Code: HCCC 103 Credits: 2 HCCC 103 Improvisation 1 focuses on the fundamentals of improvisation. Students learn to develop their own improvisational voices through a series of exercises and workshops, which focus on the self, space, and environment. These are the basis for improvisation. | 2 |
| HCCC 104 | Sketch 1Sketch 1Course Code: HCCC 104 Credits: 3 In Sketch 1 students study the elements of sketch comedy by reading, analyzing and performing published television and stage material. They will begin the process of developing their own sketches by utilizing improvisational techniques and begin to write with support, rehearse, and perform small group scenes. | 3 |
| HCCC 107 | Physical Comedy 1 (Shtick)Physical Comedy 1 (Shtick)Course Code: HCCC 107 Credits: 3 Students will learn about the history and many types of physical comedy. As they continue to study various techniques and approaches, students will develop their physical acting abilities. These studies will provide the students with a greater understanding of how to communicate with their bodies. | 3 |
| HCCC 110 | Acting and Voice 1Acting and Voice 1Course Code: HCCC 110 Credits: 3 Acting and Voice 1 introduces an array of basic acting techniques to the students. Exercises based on plays by established comedy writers are used to enable the students to apply these techniques to comedic material. This course has been calibrated for the non-actor who needs to apply the skills and techniques of the actor to a full range of comedic forms on stage, but primarily for stand-up routines and sketches, while laying the foundations for their ability to grow into situation comedy and film. | 3 |
| HCCC 416 | History of Comedy 1History of Comedy 1Course Code: HCCC 416 Credits: 3 Students will get an overview of the history of comedy from the time of the ancient Greeks to the present day. They will gain an understanding of the context of modern comedy (including their own), and of the universal elements in comedy. Special emphasis will be given to Canadian comedy in the second semester. Both courses will be eight classes in length. | 3 |
| HUMA 024 | Humanities: An Introduction to Arts and ScienceHumanities: An Introduction to Arts and ScienceCourse Code: HUMA 024 Credits: 3 The Humanities course focuses on fundamental questions individuals ask of themselves as they proceed through life. Why are we the way we are? Do we have free will or are we prisoners of our past experience or our biological inheritance? What motivates societies to change? Why do societal changes so often divide people into opposing camps? Why do so many people find contemporary life at home, at work, and in the community unfulfilling? What constitutes good government? How should injustice be fought? Can nations successfully deal with global problems? What is science and how does it differ from other kinds of inquiry? Can scientists provide solutions to the problems we face? What is art and does it offer answers of its own? What is its relationship to beauty, to knowledge, and to ethics? Is objectivity about art (or anything) possible? These questions are organized into units that begin with issues concerning the nature of the individual and then extend outward to various social, cultural and physical contexts.
The issues explored in this course are too complex to have any one right answer. Rather, individuals must search for answers that make sense of their experiences via various theoretical perspectives. The Humanities course supports this endeavour through study of different thinkers presented in the readings and exploration of different points of view explored in class discussions.
ESL students should consider taking the ESL Humanities course. Students may transfer into
ESL Humanities (HESL 024) either at the Registrar?s Office or the School of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Office (K201) on a first-come, first-served basis before the Last Day to Add. | 3 |
Semester 3 | Course Code | Course | Credits |
| GNED 000 | General Education ElectiveGeneral Education ElectiveCourse Code: GNED 000 Credits: 3 The following courses represent the GNED General Education electives that you can choose from as part of your program's curriculum. Anthropology | 3 |
| HCCC 301 | Physical Comedy 3Physical Comedy 3Course Code: HCCC 301 Credits: 2 In Physical Comedy 3 students learn about the history and techniques of several types of physical comedy. As they study various techniques and approaches, students develop their physical acting abilities. These studies provide the students with a greater understanding of how to communicate with their bodies. | 2 |
| HCCC 304 | Comedy Scriptwriting 1Comedy Scriptwriting 1Course Code: HCCC 304 Credits: 3 These courses deal with the writing of TV and film comedy. Students will work primarily on the development of sitcom scripts and of the feature film format. Attention will also be given to the business side of scriptwriting: pitching ideas, acquiring an agent, etc. | 3 |
| HCCC 310 | Acting and Voice 3Acting and Voice 3Course Code: HCCC 310 Credits: 3 Acting and Voice 3 pursues the full array of basic acting technique. Exercises based on plays by established comedy writers are used to enable the students to apply these techniques to comedic material. No longer considered non-actors, the students pursue a full range of comedic forms in strengthening their live comedy performances while laying the foundations for their ability to grow into situation comedy and film. | 3 |
| HCCC 313 | Sketch and Writing 1Sketch and Writing 1Course Code: HCCC 313 Credits: 3 In Sketch and Writing 1 students continue to apply improvisational techniques to discover and create ideas for sketches. These improvisational techniques are combined with expanded writing techniques to produce sketch comedy material. Students begin to focus specifically on television sketch writing and performing. | 3 |
| HCCC 314 | Stand-Up Comedy 3Stand-Up Comedy 3Course Code: HCCC 314 Credits: 3 At this level, students look at the more ethereal elements that make for a unique branding of their own stand-up comedy. The process of finding their own comedic voice takes a more inward path as they learn the art of Le Jeu in order to further their abilities on stage. This challenge requires that the students participate in many classroom activities and coaching sessions that cause them to engage in significant levels of self-reflection. Students develop the necessary skills to transform the self-knowledge gained in all levels of these courses into the material for stand-up comedy routines. Techniques of Comedia Dell'arte, clowning principles, mask work and mime combine to expand the student's knowledge of his or her capabilities outside of the traditional stand-up comedy realm. Traditional, polished stand-up routines are the goal and are performed in class and delivered in public forums. | 3 |
| HCCC 315 | Comedy Video Production 1Comedy Video Production 1Course Code: HCCC 315 Credits: 3 This course introduces students to the production of comedy television using a practical, hands-on approach. Course work familiarizes students with the real world of the broadcast industry, laying the foundation for comedy lab success. In the comedy labs, small groups of students, with advice and technical assistance from noted industry professionals, collaborate in a team-oriented environment to write, act, produce, direct and edit a six-minute mini-DV format comedy short. | 3 |
| HCCC 415 | Improvisation 3Improvisation 3Course Code: HCCC 415 Credits: 3 HCCC 415 Improvisation 3 first reviews the fundamentals of improvisation. Students learn to develop their own improvisational voices through a series of exercises, which focus on character, environment, and give and take. These are the basis for improvisation. Then, as time permits, long-form improv, games, and other specialized improvisational forms will be examined. The exploration process also involves creating premises for comedic sketch through improvisation, as well as the creation of characters. The course develops high degrees of focus and concentration such that students increase their ability to be spontaneous in both creation and performance while developing a narrative. | 3 |
Semester 4 | Course Code | Course | Credits |
| HCCC 404 | Comedy Scriptwriting 2Comedy Scriptwriting 2Course Code: HCCC 404 Credits: 3 Refer to the course description for HCCC 304 Comedy Scriptwriting 1. | 3 |
| HCCC 410 | Acting and Voice 4Acting and Voice 4Course Code: HCCC 410 Credits: 3 Refer to course description for HCCC 310 Acting and Voice 3. | 3 |
| HCCC 417 | Stand-Up Comedy 4Stand-Up Comedy 4Course Code: HCCC 417 Credits: 3 Refer to course description for HCCC 314 Stand-Up Comedy 3 and Le Jeu 1. | 3 |
| HCCC 418 | Sketch and Writing 2Sketch and Writing 2Course Code: HCCC 418 Credits: 3 Refer to course description for HCCC 313 Sketch and Writing 1. | 3 |
| HCCC 419 | Comedy Video Production 2 Comedy Video Production 2Course Code: HCCC 419 Credits: 3 Refer to course description for HCCC 313 Sketch and Writing 1. | 3 |
| HCCC 420 | Improvisation 4Improvisation 4Course Code: HCCC 420 Credits: 3 Refer to course description for HCCC 415 Improvisation 3. | 3 |