Unlike most other live performers who must wait for reviews, stand-up comics receive immediate acceptance or rejection. While a killer set can be exhilarating, the stony silence of an audience or the cruel heckling of a drunk can mean an evening of humiliation. Following the tips below won’t turn you into a headliner overnight, but will help lead you in the right direction.
1. Develop the right attitude.
Submitting your art for evaluation by the masses is painful, but unavoidable. You need to listen and learn from constructive criticism, and ignore the discouraging words of those who aren’t in the know. Developing the right attitude will help ensure your success.
2. Hang around the comedy clubs.
Talk to the management, pump the comics for information, and watch for booking agents in the audience. Examine routines with the critical eye of another performer, not an audience member. Notice the way comics use their bodies, faces, hands, clothes, and props. Listen for sound effects, watch the lighting, be aware of timing, style, and content. Be especially observant of the audience: Note who is laughing at what.
3. Watch a variety of comedians at work.
Go to live theaters, comedy movies, outdoor festivals, cruises, attractions, circuses, and when you get home, turn on the television and computer. Pay attention to the various styles that professional comedians use to be successful.
4. Read books and articles by funny people who write and by writers who are funny people.
Notice the writers’ style and the words they choose. What they’re saying is often not as important as how they’re saying it.
5. Narrow your humor.
Determine what humor you like the most and perform the best. If you’re lucky, they’ll be the same. Do you enjoy visualizing an outrageous scene? Are you particularly adept at using props, costumes, or impressions to get laughs? Whatever your style of humor, define it then refine it.
6. Write some original material.
Aim for a 10-15 minute routine. Your goal should be to produce four or five good laughs, several snickers, and a few rounds of applause. The characteristics of the comic (height, weight, ethnicity, style, etc.) determine whether the humor works or not, so be careful of alienating your audience by offending them.
7. Go to open mic nights.
First go to watch, then go to perform. Don’t expect to headline a weekend show immediately. You need to get the feel for a place and its audience first. Most new comics prefer to go fourth or fifth in a long lineup because the audience is warmed up but not burned out.
8. Learn to market yourself.
Update your resume, create a website, get some 8" x 10" glossy head shots, a demo tape (ideally a live performance with an audience), and business cards. Keep the cards with you always, and store the other materials in your car so you can get them at a moment’s notice. You can meet agents and club owners anywhere anytime.
9. Respond to the audience.
Not every audience will respond the same way to your routine. Whether you’re performing at a comedy club, a theater, an amusement park, a cruise ship, or on television, notice the audience and its response to the material.
10. Hire an agent if you decide to go full time.
Perform part time for a few years first. If you want to make comedy your full-time career choice, then get someone to help you. Agents will look for experience, material, and recommendations.
For more information about starting a comedy career, read Cruise Ships Versus Comedy Clubs and Stand-up Comedy in Florida.
Leslie C. Halpern - Leslie C. Halpern, Romantic Films/Comedies Topic Editor, authored Passionate About Their Work, Reel Romance, & Dreams on Film.
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