Laugh-Makers: Stand-Up Comedy as Art, Business, and Life-Style

The Laugh-Makers is an intensive sociological field study of the drive to become a successful stand-up comic in Canada. Robert Stebbins interviewed fifty-seven practising stand-up comedians and fifteen booking agents, show organizers, personal managers, and club managers and owners. He also observed the performances of approximately 140 amateurs and professionals from Vancouver to Halifax. Televised comedy - especially important in French Canada - and informal discussions with some twenty additional comics were also a valuable component of his research.