{"id":17785,"date":"2014-12-23T00:03:13","date_gmt":"2014-12-23T08:03:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/danoday.com\/blog\/?p=17785"},"modified":"2014-12-23T00:03:13","modified_gmt":"2014-12-23T08:03:13","slug":"radio-comedy-character","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/danoday.com\/blog\/2014\/12\/radio-comedy-character\/","title":{"rendered":"COMMIT TO YOUR RADIO CHARACTER OR COMEDY"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"Downton<\/a>Last week I wrote about the importance of radio personalities’ honoring the verbal reality<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

A close relative of “honoring the verbal reality” is “committing to your character or premise.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Too many jocks “wink” at the audience, breaking character to comment on the performance or the comedy bit.<\/span><\/p>\n

Some try to justify it by saying they’re “breaking the fourth wall,” which is a misuse of a term from the theatre.<\/span><\/p>\n

For most, it’s an acknowledgement of their lack of faith either in the strength of the comedy feature or the quality of their performance.<\/span><\/p>\n

They try to hide that insecurity by saying to the audience, “Hey, we know this is dumb, too. We’re just screwing around here.”<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

If the radio comedy<\/a> is worth doing, commit to it. If the premise involves a ludicrous situation, play that situation as real as you can.<\/span><\/p>\n

Commit to your characters, as well. Even if you’re ad-libbing, speak and react only as your character would, not as you would.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are two parts of a brilliant example of actors staying with their characters even when the situation is ridiculous*.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you’re not a Downton Abbey<\/em> fan, I doubt you’ll find this 2-part “special” funny, because you’re not familiar with the characters.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you’re a fan, however, I suspect you might enjoy this\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n