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Truth in Comedy

by Charna Halpern

A practical introduction to the Harold

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AlbakiReads Editorial

A practical introduction to the Harold

Charna Halpern and Del Close present the Harold, a long-form improvisational exercise built around recognizing patterns and disrupting audience expectations. The described format brings six or seven performers through varied material, including games, monologues, songs, and skits, while connecting scenes across the performance. The book’s subject is both a particular improv structure and the underlying practice of making comedy without relying on prewritten jokes. Its emphasis on how scenes can accumulate and interact makes it relevant to understanding long-form improv as a collaborative form.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Actors and improvisers interested in long-form formats
  • Comedy students exploring ensemble exercises
  • Readers curious about how improv performances are structured

Themes

Long-form improvisationEnsemble performancePattern recognitionComedy without prewritten jokes

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

Want to learn the improv techniques that helped Mike Myers, Chris Farley, John Belushi, and many others along the road to TV and film stardom? Then let two esteemed founders of long-form improvisational theatre, Del Close and Charna Halpern, teach you the "Harold." This groundbreaking acting exercise emphasizes pattern recognition and subversion of the audience's expectations, which are important factors for making people laugh without ever telling a joke. It involves six to seven players and many kinds of scenes: games, monologues, songs, skits and more, all of which are bound to keep both actors and audience members guessing. The Harold is non-linear entertainment that remembers everything and wastes nothing the key to successful improvising and has become a standard in comedy clubs and improv theatres around the globe.
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