As a standup, you know the importance of strong, focused premises. But coming up with great ideas can be difficult. Taking a tip from improv can help spark new premises in a low-pressure, creative way. The format “Armando” asks an improviser to give a truthful, autobiographical monologue about a word suggested by the audience. Then the team improvise multiple scenes, explore characters, and heighten situations with details from that monologue.
You can do the same thing alone – give yourself a monologue prompt – any single word will do – and speak truthfully for one or two minutes. Record the monologue and analyze what makes you laugh, or at least smile. This could lead you to think of premises for jokes
Some ways of thinking about what to pull from the monologue for inspiration are:
Look for patterns of behavior that can be recontextualized for comedic purposes. Stand-ups call this premise; improvisers call it ‘game.’
Emotions of the monologist (you in this case), or emotions of someone mentioned in the monologue.
Primary components like what was done and said, can anything be expanded and heightened to absurdity? Use the “what if” or “if this were true, what else is true” idea improvisers use to take an idea and heighten.
Tangent: Did you talk about a B-list character in your monologue? Think about taking this small character and putting it in a different time or place, seeing the character elsewhere. Unexpected is always best.
Objects: Did you mention any objects in your monologue? Are there any jokes or patterns there?
Location: Is there a place mentioned in the monologue that could be significant to a joke premise or intrinsically funny?
Themes: What was the theme of the monologue? What ‘came out’ naturally as you were speaking?
Words: Were there any individual words that stood out? Maybe there was a good phrase or some potential for wordplay.
The low-risk, freewheeling nature of this process lets you test premise waters without pressure. Quirks that seem minor improvised could bloom into comedy gems with refinement. Performing live isn’t the goal – premise discovery is. Over time, mine these improvised scenes for concepts you can polish into tight, written jokes.
EXAMPLE
Here is a short monologue about the word “sneakers”:
“I’ve always loved sneakers ever since I was a kid. My first pair were these plain white Adidas that I wore everywhere. By the time I outgrew them, the soles were completely worn down. These days my collection has grown – I’ve got Jordans, Nikes, even a retro pair of Pumas. Lately though, my favorite to wear are my green and purple K swiss sneakers.”
Pattern of Behavior > A premise about a sneaker collector who takes it to the extreme, like displaying their shoes in a museum or ranking friends based on shoe collections.
Emotions > A joke exploring the disappointment of outgrowing that first cherished pair of sneakers.
Primary Components > A heightened scenario where the sneakers come to life and have their own wacky adventures every time they’re worn.
Tangent > A bit about what the green and purple K swiss sneakers get up to on their days off.
Objects > Wordplay jokes exploring other meanings of “sole” or brand names like “Nike” as commands.