Title: On the Comedic Act: Meaning and Value Creation in Improvisational Comedy
Project Description:
What is it that makes something funny? Why do people find meaning and value in comedy? How do jokes and humor bring people together? Summarily, these questions get at the heart of my research. My aim, through extensive fieldwork with improv troupes at William and Mary and beyond, is to generate the first full ethnography of improvisational theatre. An old adage holds that by explaining a joke, you lose what makes it funny. Essentially, you sacrifice the magic of comedy in exchange for a kernel of understanding. My research can generally be understood as this process happening to improvisational theatre.
Hometown: Phoenix, Arizona
Department: Anthropology
Advisor: Jonathan Glasser
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| 2010 | 1 | $100 |
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