Claim: There is a style called stand-up comedy in which a comic performs.

A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh . This might be through jokes or amusing situations , or acting foolish -LRB- as in slapstick -RRB- or employing prop comedy . A comedian who addresses an audience directly is called a stand-up comedian .   A popular saying , variously quoted but generally attributed to Ed Wynn , is , `` A comic says funny things ; a comedian says things funny '' , which draws a distinction between how much of the comedy can be attributed to verbal content and how much to acting and persona .   Since the 1980s , a new wave of comedy , called alternative comedy , has grown in popularity with its more offbeat and experimental style . This normally involves more experiential , or observational reporting , e.g. Alexei Sayle , Daniel Tosh , Louis C.K. and Malcolm Hardee . As far as content is concerned , comedians such as Tommy Tiernan , Des Bishop , and Joan Rivers draw on their background to poke fun at themselves , while others such as Jon Stewart , and Ben Elton have very strong political and cultural undertones .   Many comics achieve a cult following while touring famous comedy hubs such as the Just for Laughs festival in Montreal , the Edinburgh Fringe , and Melbourne Comedy Festival in Australia . Often a comic 's career advances significantly when they win a notable comedy award , such as the Edinburgh Comedy Award -LRB- formerly the Perrier comedy award -RRB- . Comics sometimes foray into other areas of entertainment , such as film and television , where they become more widely known ; e.g. , Eddie Izzard or Ricky Gervais . However , a comic 's stand-up success does not guarantee a film 's critical or box office success .