I'd love to do stand up, but would find it terrifying. Can you imagine what it must feel like appearing on T.V. for the very first time?
Couple of Stand Up questions Page 2
Quote: catskillz @ January 21 2010, 8:28 PM GMTI'd love to do stand up, but would find it terrifying. Can you imagine what it must feel like appearing on T.V. for the very first time?
It is scary in a way, but it's not as scary as some things in life. I think people develop a 'couldn't give a shit' attitude with age and that's how I approached it. 
Hello Mr Lewis 
I don't think that age is much of a consideration, and most open mic nights I've been to have had a mix. Although I would say that most are in their late 20's / early 30's.
Like you, my day job involves presenting in front of large audiences, so getting up in front of a room of people is not so daunting.
What I have found hard is finding the time to go to gigs. It's often a late night, and when you've got work in the morning....
It's great fun, and you meet loads of interesting and lovely people, but you may not have a clean, ironed shirt for work.
I say, if your Mrs is cool with you coming home late, reeking of booze and your own success, Go For It!
Agree on the age thing. There's a real mix of ages around open spots. And as for doing it once a week - I don't see a problem with that. In fact, I personally think it would be difficult to get enough gigs to do more than that (but I'm in Manchester, perhaps it's different in London). I've met a few comics on the circuit that say they only did a few gigs in the first few months and then started doing it more after that. I'm taking it pretty slowly too. My next gig will be my 7th and I will have been doing it for three months by then.
You do need to gig as much as possible to build confidence and skill but you also need confidence to gig often! So I wouldn't worry about gigging all the time right from the off. Just do whatever suits you. And you never know, if you're good at it maybe you'll want to do it every night. I don't think it matters in the end.
But I have just started, so don't listen to me! If you want advice, do a gig and ask the more experienced comedians for feedback. Get to know them and ask them about the circuit and how they think it works. It's the best way to learn.
Good luck and have fun with it!
Quote: Dolly Dagger @ January 21 2010, 2:09 PM GMTPersonally I gave up doing stand-up because I didn't have the time to commit to it and didn't really enjoy doing it thast much, but I'd always say it's something everybody should try at some point.
Dolly, I can relate as to why you've given up - it's hard for us!.
I've 'buddied up' with a couple of female comics who have found it hard to get child-care, do the dishes, make dinner, give their husbands amazing sex, and still find the time to go to gigs and amuse audiences.
If you ever need a 'buddy' for a gig, drop me a PM...
I've got a stand up questionn.....
First ever attempt at stand up is on the 2nd and its a new act competition..
Advice..?
Quote: AngieBaby @ January 21 2010, 10:23 PM GMTDolly, I can relate as to why you've given up - it's hard for us!.
I've 'buddied up' with a couple of female comics who have found it hard to get child-care, do the dishes, make dinner, give their husbands amazing sex, and still find the time to go to gigs and amuse audiences.
If you ever need a 'buddy' for a gig, drop me a PM...
Cheers Angie.
Quote: Mike T @ January 22 2010, 12:17 AM GMTI've got a stand up questionn.....
First ever attempt at stand up is on the 2nd and its a new act competition..
Advice..?
Same as for any gig, try to enjoy it and look confident.
I could write masses here but a few quick tips;
1) if you arrive early (which you should), check out how you're going to get onto the stage and how the mic stand works, if the MC/promoter will let you have a little play around with it to work out how to get the mic out quickly and easily and how to adjust the height if you want to leave the mic in it.
2) If you take the mic out of the stand move the stand to the back of the stage, DO NOT leave it in front of you or to the side within reach as you might be tempted to fiddle with it nervously and this is distracting for the audience.
3} Try to maintain eye contact with the audience, don't let your head drop and try to stay near the front of the stage, when you are nervous the temptation is to back away.
4) To engage the whole room try to deliver jokes in this sequence;
Set up - Look left, More set up - look right, Punchline -look straight ahead
This way you engage with all of the audience but you deliver the punchline to the part of the room where it'll have the maximum effect
5) Be funny! Try to make sure that you have a "punchline" (or something, a turn of phrase, whatever, that you think will make people laugh) every 15-20 seconds.
I could go on but the last thing you need is too many things to think about, most importantly enjoy yourself and watch the other acts to try to learn from what they do right and especially from what they do wrong.
Thanks for all the tips folks...will give this a go for sure.
Thanks for all the tips folks...will give this a go for sure.
Curious.....99% of the comedy I've seen live has been in theaters. In fact, I tend to go see anyone half famous that shows up at the Hexagon Reading. I went to the Bracknell Comedy Cellar once years ago...that was it.
Now I know the guys on a BIG stage have to play to that environment but watching a lot of comedy club you tube stuff the confidence/stage presence seems so different to the guys you see in bigger venues. So...for those who saw people like (as an easy example) McIntyre on his way up through the smaller clubs - do they just ramp it up for bigger venues or did they always have a presence that suggested they were destined for greater things? I kind of imagine seeing someone like that in a small venue like seeing Al Pacino chew up the set in Panto!
Oh...and I stuck some ideas in Critique if anyone cares to critiqueasize!
I did wonder if that would be the case. Whether these guys looked like stars to be in small clubs or if they only adopted that "louder" presence when the environment allowed.
I know people talk about comics being on the circuit for years and years before getting anywhere but I wondered if that was as much about them as it was the "industry" - I saw Rhod Gilberts DVD last night (following him being mentioned on here) and it made sense that he climbed quite quick despite starting late - I just couldn't imagine that presence working a small club.
No...but I suppose that was my point. I can't imagine that MM stood still behind the mic and opened with a meek "Do you ever notice how..." even when he was on tiny stages. I just imagine him coming on and yelling "who's phoning radio stations about traffic jams" and people think Jesus...this guy needs more room.
There's not a lot of a difference between the performance on a big stage in front of hundreds of a small corner of a pub - but there is a big difference in the audience.
Before you go and do an open spot I really recommend you go and see a couple of open spot nights and smaller gigs in pubs and comedy clubs to see what it's like.
oh I will...but is there anything you think I'll find vastly different - or do you just mean "be sensible, go see whats it's about"
Quote: Mr Lewis @ January 26 2010, 8:18 PM GMToh I will...but is there anything you think I'll find vastly different - or do you just mean "be sensible, go see whats it's about"
Well I think it's different in that at a show at somewhere like the Hexagon the audience have paid quite a bit for tickets and will usually be fans of the act and may have had just a couple of drinks. In a pub or small comedy club the audience is usually pissed and a mix of not expecting much from a newbie or somewhat hostile and could be anywhere from 40 people to just the other acts and their mates. A gig like a Jongleurs requires loads of experience and the abilty to keep a large rowdy crowd under control.
You'll also see how a lot of new open spot stand-ups let themselves down by being unprepared, not actually writing any material or just tell one story and one gag in their whole act. Have you booked a gig yet - you sometimes have to wait months?