Tyus Bro

ACTR 101
Dawn Moore
Status and Humour
23/02/15

Human beings are extremely social animals, and we have developed

many signals to indicate our social standing or status. Status dictates what
is to be expected from interactions between people and helps regulate
conflict. The undermining or gross exaggeration of what is expected is what
creates humour, and that makes status the source of a great deal of comedy.
Generally speaking, we are forbidden to see status transactions until
these conflicts arise (Johnstone 33). This instinctive, universal understanding
makes status play very compelling on stage.
People are constantly posturing, almost as if the status exchanges are
behind a veil, even when we notice the subtext of an engagement, it is not to
be commented upon: no action, sound, or movement is innocent of
purpose (Johnstone 33, 41). There are even occupations that exist solely to
raise the status of other people (Johnstone 63). Johnstone writes that if you
look closely at status, things like the exact words said dont matter, its the
why, the status interaction between two people that matters, complex
relationships can be understood even if you dont know the language two
individuals are communicating in (Johnstone 33, 49, 55). People often use
status as a defense mechanism, when one plays high status he sends the
message that he is dangerous, and when one plays low status he sends the
message that there is nothing to gain by attacking him (Johnstone 43). The
truth is that we are pecking order animals and this affects the tiniest
details of our behavior (Johnstone 74)
Competent status manipulators take advantage to bend situations to
their will, changing their status around to keep those who obstruct the path
to their goal off balance and pacifying even the most obstinate bull, even
complex situations with many people can be controlled by someone skilled at
controlling their status (Johnstone 35). Such people often take advantage of
the see-saw principle, the idea that reducing someones status has a
similar effect to raising your own and vice-versa (Johnstone 37).
Due to the fact the humans are such innately social creatures, with a
great deal of self-worth tied to how we perceive ourselves and our status, a
mark of true trust is playing status games. Johnstone goes as far as to say
that people become friends when the begin to play status games with each
other, things like calling someone an old bag or arguing over extremely
trivial things for the sake of it (Johnstone 37). This is interestingly analogous
to the behavior of other social animals, a prime example is dogs, fighting
over a worthless bit of rope, they agree to pretend that it is valuable, but
neither animal truly cares for the rope; what matters is the false conflict of
status that is called play. An amiable agreement to engage in conflict is
what leads to fun; and by extension expected status conflicts that have

unexpected results, but where nothing is truly lost, are funny

To be funny is to be unexpected; it is said that brevity is the soul of wit,

and this is because the shorter your bit is, the less time your audience has to
catch on and realize where youre taking them. This does not, however,
preclude long form humour, indeed shaggy-dog jokes are among the most
satisfying because there is time to anticipate what you cant predict. Most
comedy is based on manipulation of status (Johnstone 39). A comedian is
essentially a man whose profession is to reduce his own status in such a way
that his audience does not have to pity him, or to mock people of extremely
high social status, such as politicians (Johnstone 39).
A dissonance between a characters apparent social status and the
status he plays is extremely entertaining, a king profusely apologizing to his
servants for minor inconveniences is a wonderful joke when the status is
played properly. In class I played a blind doctor, who had a heated argument
with a professional rival; the contrast between the expectedly low status of a
blind man with the status played being that of an accomplished doctor was a
treat for the audience. At the Vancouver Theatre Sports League, the director
of a zoo was made a fool of by his subordinates, and the audience howled; a
combination of seeing an unexpected status exchange and someone with
high social status being taken down a peg. Unexpected status exchanges are
extremely entertaining.
The counterpart to unexpected engagements are unexpected
exaggerations of expected status engagements, and they are equally
humorous. A servant who always yields immediately and perfectly to his
master even when his master seems to be perpetually in the wrong is
exceptionally funny; the literary value may not be high, but audiences sure
laugh a lot (Johnstone 65, 67). At the VTSL, the caricatures of unhealthy
father/son relationships were explored and the audience loved it. The shame
of an adult man accidentally exposing the truth that magic isnt real to a
child was met with raucous laughter. These are funny because we as viewers
understand the context and can revel in the status reductions and apparent
discomfort of those onstage without having to feel sympathy for them.
Status is engrained in the human psyche, and what follows naturally is
status play. The desire to see others status reduced without the need for
compassion for them is an integral part of play and humour (Johnstone 39).
The joy gained from exaggerated status engagements stretches beyond

organized comedy and becomes a part of bonding with other members of the
social group. The desire to increase ones status and protect the status of
ones own group is the central aspect of situational comedy. Without status
play, Humour would not exist as it does.
Citations
Johnstone, Keith. Impro: Improvisation and the Theatre. New York: Theatre Arts Book, 1979. 33, 34,
35, 37, 39, 41, 43, 55, 63, 65, 67, 74. Print.

Vancouver Theatre Sports League. Vancouver Theatre Sports League, Vancouver. 21

February 2015. Performance.