Don't Ask Questions (Make Statements)
1960s-present
Also known as No Questions, Statements Over Questions
The foundational guideline that asking questions on stage pushes the work onto your partner and stalls the scene, so performers should make statements and endow instead.
Known for
- Codified in Truth in Comedy as a standard prohibition: questions like 'Who are you?' or 'Where are we?' demand that the partner supply all the information.
- Treated as a form of weak agreement, since a question avoids the commitment of a declarative offer and gives the partner nothing to build on.
- The fix is endowment: instead of 'What are you doing?' say 'Grandpa, you promised you'd stop gambling,' which establishes who, relationship, and stakes at once.
- Recognized exception: questions that themselves carry information or a strong point of view can be legitimate offers.