So, you want to be a comedian: Open-Mics

In this post, I'll explain my experience trying to break-in to the comedy world of a new city as an amateur stand-up comedian.

MY BACKGROUND: I got into comedy the 'easy' way, when a good friend of mine, Jordan Todd Brown, decided it was time to become comedians while we were still in high school. He rented out a community center in the area, borrowed some stage pieces, a mic, and a spotlight and invited me and a few of our friends to each do 10 minutes of standup. We charged $3 per person and were able to pay for the venue and, after a few shows, start getting some of our own equipment. I graduated and went to college out-of-state, but whenever I was back in town I would get a call from Jordan asking me to do 10 or 15 minutes of standup at one of his shows.  Then I graduated from college and moved even farther away from home, cutting my stage time from a few times a year to zero times a year. Now, I'm not a professional-level comedian AT ALL, but I DO need to get laughs on stage from time to time to feel good about myself. So I had to venture out on my own and battle the world of open-mics.  This, is my story.

STEP 1: Attend an Open-Mic

It’s important to know what you’re getting in to, because open-mic’s are nothing like the comedy special’s you’ve seen on Youtube, Netflix, or Hulu.  Google search “Open-Mic” and “your town” to find some place nearby that might host a weekly open-mic night, then go there!  You’ll be surprised at the vast range of people that get up and try out some of their ‘material’.  Hopefully this experience will build your confidence in the level of skill you need to bring to the table and motivate you to take the leap.

STEP 2: Develop Material

Comedians/blog collaborators Jordan Todd Brown and Mike Grover have written great posts on how to develop material, but I’ll offer my two cents: be yourself.  Write jokes about what you know, be it sports, drinking, family, or work.  For example: I’m Mormon, so lots of my material is focused on being Mormon.  I tell those jokes to rooms full of drunk non-Mormons and the occasional high anti-Mormon, and I do just fine because I take their perspective into account during my joke writing 

Then PRACTICE.  Before I take a joke on-stage, whether in my head or out loud to the mirror I’ll have done a complete run through of the joke maybe 10 times.  I’m not doing a word for word memorization, but every time I recite the joke it gets a little better because I pick up on things to emphasize or things to embellish by adding a face/noise/voice.  The more times you’ve done the joke, the more confident you will be on stage – the more confident you are on stage, the more people will be able to just focus on what you’re saying without the distractions of your nervousness.

STEP 3: Perform at an Open-Mic

When you’re feeling pretty confident with your material, head back to the open-mic and sign up!  They’ll let you know where you fall in the lineup as well as how many minutes of material they expect you to fill (typically 3-5 minutes).   Stick within the time limit!  It’s a really rookie mistake to take too long or finish too early, and a sure-fire way to never make it past the open-mic level.  When they announce your name, take the stage, grab the mic, and kill it!  Keep eye contact with the audience, and don’t feel dumb if you have to refer to your notes (even the pros refer to their notes). 

STEP 4: Repeat

This is the stage I’m at right now.  Keep going back to open-mics and getting to know the other comedians.  If you’re funny, keep to your time limit, and make the right friends, before long you may get invited to do a short set at a stand-up show, and you can build from there. Watch for Jordan and Mike’s upcoming posts about the next stage of a comedian’s life (organizing and hosting a stand-up show, being the opener, being the headliner, etc) and stay excited about comedy!