Comedy Masterclass

Adam Courting (improv culture and Shakespeare)

Danielle Krage interviews Adam Courting, a highly curious creative whose experience spans improv, devising, performing Shakespeare and more.
Adam has brilliant insights into improv comedy culture - what needs to change, and what we can learn from it. This includes how we can use improv to reshape how we think about traditional roles, and engage audiences in unique ways.
You can find out more about Adam's work here: https://www.instagram.com/adamcourting/?hl=en
https://www.instagram.com/dtrscomedy/?hl=en
https://www.acaprov.com/
You can find the transcript at:
https://comedymasterclass.com
And Danielle’s socials here:
https://twitter.com/daniellekrage
https://www.instagram.com/dekrage
 

Michelle Gallen (winner of the Comedy Women in Print Prize 2023)

Danielle Krage interviews writer Michelle Gallen, whose book ‘Factory Girls’ won the Comedy Women in Print Prize 2023.
Michelle has wonderfully honest and practical takes on the craft and business of writing – from developing the voice and point of view of the book, to successfully pitching it to agents and editors.
The interview also delves into the opportunities of the adaptation process, and is laced with great real-world advice for writers and comedy lovers.
You can find out more about Michelle and her work at:
https://www.michellegallen.com
 
You can find the transcript at:
https://comedymasterclass.com
 
And Danielle’s socials here:
https://twitter.com/daniellekrage
https://www.instagram.com/dekrage

Kevin Tomlinson (improv and theatre)

Danielle Krage interviews Kevin Tomlinson, theatre maker and Co-Founder of Kepow Theatre Company.
Kevin’s extensive training and live experience in so many forms of improvisation (including with Keith Johnstone, Philippe Gaulier, and John Wright) leads to a rich conversation about diverse aspects of long-form improv – both verbal and physical.
You can find out more about Kevin Tomlinson’s work here: http://kepowtheatre.co.uk
https://twitter.com/KevinxTomlinson
https://www.facebook.com/kevintomlinsonuk
You can find the transcript at:
https://comedymasterclass.com
And Danielle’s socials here:
https://twitter.com/daniellekrage
https://www.instagram.com/dekrage

Tim Ferguson (writing narrative comedy)

Danielle Krage interviews comedian and screenwriter, Tim Ferguson. They dig into his wonderfully practical book, Cheeky Monkey: Writing Narrative Comedy, to talk about characters, conflict, situation, and simplicity.
Tim has so much comedy experience, and wonderfully forthright ways of distilling it down to what matter most if you want to write narrative comedy.
You can find out more about Tim and his work at:
https://www.cheekymonkeycomedy.com
 
You can find the transcript at:
https://comedymasterclass.com
 
And Danielle’s socials here:
https://twitter.com/daniellekrage
https://www.instagram.com/dekrage

Ian McMillan (poetry and wordplay)

Danielle Krage interviews poet, writer and broadcaster Ian McMillan about how he approaches humour in his work - whether it’s his poetry collections or his beautiful memoir, My Sand Life, My Pebble Life.
It’s a conversation rich with insights and stories, delivered in Ian’s unique and delightfully resonant style. Vivid, funny and so inspiring, it’s a truly human way into poetry, storytelling and language.
You can find out more about Ian and his work at:
http://ian-mcmillan.co.uk
https://twitter.com/IMcMillan
 
You can find the transcript at:
https://comedymasterclass.com
 
And Danielle’s socials here:
https://twitter.com/daniellekrage
https://www.instagram.com/dekrage

Holly Hall (from online sketch to live solo show)

Danielle Krage interviews actor, writer and comedian Holly Hall about the process of making her live solo show, ‘You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.’
Holly was first on the show back in episode 3, sharing her process of going from award winning online sketch ‘When podcasts go wrong’… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHg4za15W9o
….to her commissioned short film, ‘It’s what she would have wanted.’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkrkASc4J9s
Holly has such an encouraging take on comedy and making work, and shares a great mix of advice and practical suggestions for other creatives.
You can follow Holly Hall and her work here:
https://www.instagram.com/hollyhallcomedian
https://www.tiktok.com/@hollyhallcomedian
 
 
You can find the transcript at:
https://comedymasterclass.com
 
And Danielle’s socials here:
https://twitter.com/daniellekrage
https://www.instagram.com/dekrage

Ryan North (comic books and graphic novels)

Danielle Krage interviews Ryan North - writer of games, comic books, non-fiction books and more. They dig into considerations for comedy, including Ryan’s experience of writing The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl and Danger and Other Unknown Risks.
This fun conversation covers – timing, collaboration, translating comedy, crafting jokes, originality, and entrepreneurial approaches. There’s even a bonus joke from ancient Greece!
You can find out more about Ryan and his work at:
 http://www.ryannorth.ca
 
You can find the transcript at:
https://comedymasterclass.com
 
And Danielle’s socials here:
https://twitter.com/daniellekrage
https://www.instagram.com/dekrage

Summer Break - Back Aug 2nd

Danielle Krage will be back with regular weekly episodes on Wednesday 2nd August.

Steve Kaplan (The Comic Hero’s Journey)

Danielle Krage interviews comedy expert Steve Kaplan about tools from his most recent book, ‘The Comic Hero’s Journey’.
The conversation covers: ways to create your main character and supporting cast; what to do when your ending isn’t working; and common comic character mistakes (plus how to fix them!).
You can find out more about Steve and his work here:https://www.kaplancomedy.com
https://twitter.com/skcomedy
https://www.facebook.com/KaplanComedy
https://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Tools-Comedy-Serious-Business-ebook/dp/B00GPCF84K/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1684642840&sr=1-1
 
You can find the transcript at:
https://comedymasterclass.com
 
And Danielle’s socials here:
https://twitter.com/daniellekrage
https://www.instagram.com/dekrage

Leslie Lehr (memoir)

Danielle Krage interviews Leslie Lehr (prize-winning author, Novel Consultant for Truby’s Writers Studio, and essayist) about her memoir, A Boob’s Life.
A Boob’s Life has a fascinating structure, interweaving personal narrative with national history, and in this conversation, Leslie shares her practical approaches to achieving this.
Leslie also has a wealth of advice for handling the lens of humour, and for ways to create highly visual scenes that propel the memoir forward.
You can find Leslie and her work at:
https://leslielehr.com
https://www.instagram.com/leslielehr_author
https://www.facebook.com/authorleslielehr
 
You can find the transcript at:
https://comedymasterclass.com
And Danielle’s socials here:
https://twitter.com/daniellekrage
https://www.instagram.com/dekrage