About

Active Comedy Review is about the craft of making people laugh. We look at how comic ideas take shape in writing and performance, from a small verbal turn to a scene built around a stubborn character. The aim is to notice what makes a choice work, not to prescribe one right way to be funny.

What we cover

Our subjects include joke structure, character relationships, comic timing, sketches, essays and performance choices. We pay attention to the movement of an idea: what the audience is led to expect, what changes that expectation and what the piece does next.

Who it is for

The site is for curious readers, comedy writers, performers and anyone who enjoys looking beneath the laugh. You do not need specialist training. Each piece should make its subject clear enough to follow, while leaving space for the many ways comedy can work.

How we approach it

We favour specific examples of craft and plain explanations over grand rules about humour. A pause, a misplaced confidence or a change of scale may matter in one piece and not another. We ask what a choice is doing in context, and leave room for readers to disagree.