About the Book:

A unique exploration of the principles and practice of physical comedy, by a well-respected practitioner and teacher.

Comedy is recognized as one of the most problematic areas of performances. For that reason, it is rarely written about in any systematic way. John Wright, a multi award winning internationally recognized director and teacher, brings a wide range of experience of physical comedy to this practical investigation of comedy and comedic techniques.

With a Foreword by Toby Jones, Why Is That So Funny? opens with an analysis of the different kinds of laughter that can be provoked by performance. This is followed by the main part of the book: graduated sequences of over a hundred games and exercises devised to demonstrate and investigate the whole range of comic possibilities open to a performer. The result is an intensely practical and thoroughly stimulating investigation of how comedy works in physical terms.

Why Is That So Funny? is a must buy for performers, directors, students and teachers and fascinating for anyone interested in how comedy works.

What people say:

"His book is a welcome relief from the flood of performance studies theory, being firmly based in a lifetime of practice ... a must for any budding physical comedy performers - and an inspiration for everyone who treads the boards, whether they think of themselves as 'comedic' or not." — Total Theatre Magazine

"John Wright's magnum opus... a real labour of love and it is hard to believe that there is any aspect of the subject that he does not explore and explain... essential." — British Theatre Guide

John Wright is a multi award winning internationally recognized director and teacher of theatre and  author of the best selling book Why is that so funny?. He was a co-founder of the acclaimed theatre companies Told by an Idiot (he directed all of their early productions) and Trestle Theatre. He has taught workshops all over the world and continues to work with leading companies including Complicite, the RSC, the National Theatre and the Royal Opera House as well as independent artists and companies. He is the recipient of the Greater London Arts Award, a Fringe First, the Time Out Theatre Award, the Guardian Award and the Sunday Times Award.