MasterClass provides in-depth and engaging classes taught by experts in various fields. The classes are designed to bring your favorite experts to your home in an engaging online experience, which includes state of the art pre-recorded videos, workbooks, and stimulating assignments. Your yearly Annual Membership gives you access to 85+ world-renowned instructors on Film and TV, Culinary Arts, Design, Photography, Fashion, Sports, Science and Technology and so much more. Instructors include world-famous chef Gordon Ramsay, bestselling author Margaret Atwood and many more. The classes have about 20 lectures, each about 10 minutes so you can watch and re-watch at anytime. Video lessons can easily be watched on the MasterClass mobile app, on your desktop, Google Chromecast, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, and Roku devices.
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This is a review of the Steve Martin Teaches Comedy class from MasterClass!
The MasterClass Instructor – Steve Martin
This class opens just like you would expect, with outtakes of Steve Martin attempting to find the right way to begin his MasterClass. This goofy opening highlights Steve Martin’s unique comedic style. For those who are not familiar with Steve Martin, he is an American actor, comedian, author, filmmaker, and musician.
Steve Martin was born in 1945 and raised in Inglewood, California. An imaginative youth, Steve nurtured a love for performing at an early age and became a talented musician and magician in college before turning his focus to comedy. He began writing for The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour while in college, and in 1969 won an Emmy Award for his work on the show. Steve cultivated a small but dedicated fan base in the 1970s for his stand-up routines, but it wasn’t until his 1976 appearance hosting Saturday Night Live that he became a renowned comedian. Following his breakthrough, Steve transitioned from stand-up to acting and cemented a reputation as a blockbuster movie star with films like The Jerk (1979) and All of Me (1984). To date, he has acted in more than 45 films and written 11.
Steve Martin’s goal during this class is not only to provide viewers with a strong practical foundation in comedy, but to also inspire viewers to be creative and explore who they are as a comedian. He has created an entertaining class that focuses on gathering material, finding your comedic voice, writing, editing, and performing.
Comedy – Who is it for?
Whatever your level of talent is, it can be overcome.
This class is for anyone who loves being on stage! This class is aimed at all experience levels, but it is especially focused on those who are just starting their career. Steve Martin places focus on the fact that to be a successful comedian, you do not need any talents at all. It is how you work with not having talent that often leads to new and creative performances. So no matter your experience level, this class has something new and inspiring to offer.
MasterClass Steve Martin – Main Themes
- Creativity
- Inspiration
- Talk about comedy
- There is room for you
MasterClass Workbook – Steve Martin
The workbook for this class is a great reference tool for following along with the online lessons. The workbook provides an overview of each lesson, assignments, and opportunities to take the lessons further. The assignments and take it further opportunities provide suggestions on how to put into practice the advice provided in each lesson by taking notes on certain topics or analyzing other pieces to find what strategies speak to you. The workbook also encourages viewers to use the MasterClass online community to ask questions and share ideas with fellow classmates!
MasterClass Comedy Key Takeaways
This class focuses on practical advice for comedy in general. Steve Martin takes the time to explore many different topics including gathering material, finding your comedic voice, performing, editing, and writing. He also has a few interesting student lessons where Steve Martin talks to students who are just starting their careers in comedy. He looks at their drafts, and provides suggestions. He also uses this method of teaching to tackle certain topics in a discussion format where viewers not only get Steve Martin’s advice, but opinions from other students.
You’ve got to give yourself room to be bad, because you learn more from being bad than you do from being great.
What I found most interesting was Steve Martin’s decision to explore topics like profanity, mortality, nerves, hecklers, and bombing. During these lessons he talks about the balance between reading an audience and just trusting your material. One of the most important lessons he learned, is even if you perform the same piece over and over, not every performance will be the same. Sometimes you will feel great, but a lot of the time, especially when you are first starting out, your show will feel more like work and that is normal. It is this combination of personal insights and practical foundations of comedy that make this class engaging and great for viewers who are just starting their career.
Final Thoughts on Steve Martin’s MasterClass
I found this class exciting and informative! Steve Martin has created a class that not only breaks down some of the practical aspects of comedy, but shares great advice about the world of performing. If you are looking for a class that looks at everything from writing to performing in the world of comedy, this is the class for you!
What do you think of this MasterClass?
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