Stand-up tragedy

Stand-up tragedy is a style of tragic performance where a performer performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. The goal of Stand-up tragedy is to make the audience members cry.^[1]

Format

Stand-up tragedy performances are usually long and employ the use of various media such as video, audio, highly emotional monologues and rants where the performer recites a fast-paced succession of tragic and disturbing stories. Stand-up tragedy is often performed in bars, nightclubs, private homes, art museums, galleries and universities.^[2]

History

The origin of the term Stand up tragedy is unknown.^{[citation needed]} The comedian Brother Theodore (1906–2001) used the term to describe his comedic act which was dark, and had an absurdist edge.^[3] The Beat poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti (1919-2021) often referred to himself as a "stand-up tragedian",^[4] and performance artist Bryan Lewis Saunders uses it to describe his own act in a more literal sense of the term.^[5]