In this episode of Playwright's Spotlight, long time friend and standup Henry Phillips stopped by to discuss another aspect of writing for the stage - Standup Comedy. Henry shares his origins into the craft and business of standup, his approach to comedy and knowing when you've got the right joke, the use of Twitter as a testing ground, and how to segue into the next joke. We also talk about voice vs character, the ideal length of a joke, having jokes stolen, testing material and drawing from life, dry spells and branding as well as confidence and commitment in performance. In addition, we touch on building up to being a headliner, relationships and invitations, comedic potential and when's too soon to joke about a topic. It was a lot of fun to learn to hear Henry's pathway to his success. I hope you enjoy it. Henry Phillips is an actor, writer, musician and standup comic. He has played hundreds of cities across the country and around the world. He has recorded five comedy albums including On the Shoulders of Freaks, Number 2, Why Haven’t I Heard From You, L.A. Dreams, and Neither Here Nor There. He’s appeared in multiple episodes of Silicon Valley as well as Season Two, Episode 4 of Drunk History. He is the co-writer of both Punching the Clown and Punching Henry and stars in the hit web-series Henry’s Kitchen. To view the video format of this episode, visit - https://youtu.be/7UI9zTfzt2U Links mentioned in this episode - Gengis Cohen - https://www.genghiscohen.com The Improv - https://improv.com/hollywood/ Dr. Demento - https://www.drdemento.com The Second Degree - https://www.imdb.com/video/vi2560076569 Websites and socials for Henry Phillips - https://henryphillips.com henrys.kitchen Twitter/X - @henlips IG - @henlips Twitch - @henlips1 YouTube - @henryphillips Websites and socials for James Elden, PMP, and Playwright's Spotlight - Punk Monkey Productions - www.punkmonkeyproductions.com PLAY Noir - www.playnoir.com PLAY Noir Anthology – www.punkmonkeyproductions.com/contact.html James Elden - Twitter - @jameseldensauer IG - @alakardrake FB - fb.com/jameseldensauer Punk Monkey Productions and PLAY Noir - Twitter - @punkmonkeyprods                   - @playnoirla IG - @punkmonkeyprods        - @playnoir_la FB - fb.com/playnoir         - fb.com/punkmonkeyproductions Playwright's Spotlight - Twitter - @wrightlightpod IG - @playwrights_spotlight Playwriting services through Los Angeles Collegiate Playwrights Festival www.losangelescollegiateplaywrightsfestival.com/services.html Support the show