Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television. The performer is commonly known as a comic, stand-up comic, stand-up comedian or simply a stand-up.

Stand-up performances are usually short, where the comedian recites a fast-paced succession of humorous stories, short jokes (called “bits”), and one-liners, which constitute what is typically called a monologue, routine or act. Some stand-up comedians use props, music or magic tricks to enhance their acts. Stand-up comedy is often performed in comedy clubs, bars, neo-burlesques, colleges and theaters, but there are no real restrictions on where the craft can be performed. Clean stand-up comedy is often performed by professional comedians outside of traditional entertainment venues, such as in country clubs, at corporate events and conferences, as charity fundraising events, even in temples and churches.

Many smaller venues hold “open mic” events, where anyone can take the stage and perform for the audience, offering a way for amateur performers to hone their craft and possibly break into professionalism.

Stand-up is an art form that is openly devoted to getting immediate laughs from an audience above all else, unlike theatrical comedy which creates comedy within the structure of a play with amusing characters and situations. In stand-up comedy, feedback of the audience is instant and crucial for the comedian’s act. Audiences expect a stand up comic to provide a steady stream of laughs, and a performer is always under great pressure to deliver. This pressure can be thrilling, but also threatening.[citation needed] Actor-comedian Will Ferrell has called stand-up comedy “hard, lonely and vicious.”

If the performer cannot coax laughs out of the audience, the bored crowd may harrass the comedian, a practice known as heckling. One hallmark of a master stand-up comedian is the ability not only to face down and silence a heckler, but to win over and entertain the rest of the crowd with a witty retort. An adept stand-up comedian will nimbly play off the mood and tastes of any particular audience, and adjust his or her routine accordingly, though almost all comedians consider heckling to be an inappropriate interference with the comedian’s performance.

The skills attributed to stand-up are diverse, as the stand-up comic often acts as writer, editor, performer, promoter, producer and technician for the act. Many stand-up comedians work for years to develop 45 minutes of material, and usually perform their bits repeatedly, slowly perfecting them over time.

Despite the name, stand-up comedians do not always stand up. Some will sit on a stool; Martin Mull has sometimes used an easy chair. The term “sit-down comic” is usually pejorative in nature.

While a stand-up comedy show may involve only one comedian (often billed as a one-man or one-woman show, or a solo performer at a corporate event) usually a stand-up show consists of several comedians. Though a large venue in NY or LA may use the showcase format (several comedians performing for only 15-20 minutes each), most club shows are 3-comic, the emcee, the feature or middle act, and the closer or headliner. While the emcee (or MC, Master of Ceremonies) is often the newest comic his or her importance shouldn’t be undervalued as it’s his/her job to warm up the audience and get them in a laughing mood.