Introduction to Stand-Up Comedy with Kevin Precious

Kevin Precious is leading an introduction to stand-up comedy at Inter@ct, Hull Truck Theatre, starting Tuesday 12 January. It's a seven-week course that runs on Tuesday evenings from 6.30pm to 8.30pm, with sessions on 12, 19 and 26 January, and 2, 9, 16 and 23 February. The whole thing builds towards a showcase on Tuesday 23 February, when everyone gets to perform their first gig in front of an audience.

Precious has set it up as a comprehensive introduction to writing and performing stand-up. Over the seven weeks, you'll work through methods and techniques for generating your own comedy material, so you're not just leaning on old jokes or things you've heard elsewhere. The focus is on self-authored stuff, and the showcase at the end is the point where that work actually hits a room.

It's not just for people who want to get on stage, either. The course is aimed at anyone trying stand-up for the first time, but it's also pitched at people looking to boost their presentation skills, improve their public speaking, or add a bit of comedy to their writing. If you've spent years thinking you're funny but have never actually stood up and said it out loud, this is a way to do it with a bit of structure around you rather than just diving in cold.

The sessions run from 6.30pm to 8.30pm on Tuesdays, so it fits into a normal working week without taking over your whole evening. The cost is £90 for the full course, and the showcase on 23 February is the final stop.