Why "stand-up comedian"? Why not just "comedian"?

Asked by syz (35938

) November 19th, 2008

I can guess where the term came from (since they stand in front of an audience and perform), but was it really necessary? Did we somehow need to differentiate them from“sit-down” comedians? Why don’t we have “stand-up dancers” and “stand-up jazz vocalists”? Why is our language so odd?

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5 Answers

Cause some comedians sit down. Heh.
And no, I don’t know why this was necessary.

Allie (17541

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Some people are comedic actors, which is a totally different performance dynamic than stand-up comedy or improv.

Some people can tell a good story or crack jokes, but it doesn’t follow that they are good actors. Some comedic actors cannot do stand-up, where they have to show more of their real selves, or at least that’s the impression we have when we see a stand-up. I think that might account for some of the difference in our language.

aprilsimnel (30749

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“Stand-up” doesn’t mean that they stand. It means that they’re performing in front of an audience to whom they are speaking directly. A non-stand-up comedian would not be a sit-down comedian. It would be a comedian who uses other mediums, such as skits or music (granted, there can be some crossover between forms).

aidje (3662

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