How to Become a Stand-Up Comic

Tips for Performing Comedy

Let’s delve into some things I know first timers rarely, if ever, think of because they seem so basic.

  Get to the Stage

After you have met the host and found out when you’re up you need to check out some simple logistics like how to get up to the stage. If the room is crowded you may not be able to see where the steps to the stage are. Find the best path through the crowd and figure out where to step up (if necessary). They may begin timing your set as soon as you’re introduced so you don’t want to waste the first minute of it getting on stage.

If you plan on moving around for whatever reason then finding the parameters of the stage is a good idea too. Some are very small and you might walk right off the edge if the lights have disoriented you a bit. Sure, landing in somebody’s lap while sending a table full of drinks flying will probably get a laugh but it’s difficult to segue into the next joke easily once the front row is wet.

Work with the Microphone

The single most important yet overlooked aspect when going up for the first time is what you’ll do with the microphone.

  If you don’t believe me, watch an open mic night that has a lot of rank beginners. Half the evening is spent watching them adjust the stand, taking the mic in and out of the holder and moving the stand around. It not only looks dumb but it can throw you off the second you get on stage. If you go up and the first thing you do is wrestle with the mic stand for thirty seconds you’ve just killed a huge chunk of your three-minute allotment. What’s worse is you’ll be thinking just that while you’re adjusting it and the nervous energy will be compounded. 

Make your decision about what you want to do with the mic before you go up. Here is the only decision you should make: in or out of the stand. Pick one and stick with it. If you want to leave it in, chances are it will be close enough in height to you unless you’re very short or tall. If you need it adjusted, you can ask the host to do it during your introduction or get there early and learn how to do it on your own. It’s best just to leave it alone. 

If you decide to take it out, just quickly move the stand from out in front of you and leave the mic in your hand for the whole set. If you can’t figure out how to get it back in the holder smoothly just leave in on the stool that will probably be on stage or hand it to the host when he returns. It looks ridiculous to see a new comic trying to take the mic in and out every thirty seconds. That pretty much becomes the entire focal point of the set for both the comic and the audience.

Pay attention to the comics on before you and see what the sound system is like. If you are first up then pay attention to the host. If it is a good mic and system then be careful not to get up and scream into an already well amplified mic (most clubs are a little lax about adjusting the sound). If the comics sound as if they are fading when moving slightly to the side of the mic then you have to make sure you speak directly into it. Contrary to what you may see other new comics do, this can be accomplished without swallowing the entire microphone. 

Here’s a big one: I don’t care what you’ve seen on TV, don’t ever intentionally drop the mic or swing it around by its cord. Club owners get mad when headliners abuse the equipment and they’re very intolerant of open mic comics doing it.

This article is an excerpt from the fabjob.com How to Become a Stand-Up Comic. Visit www.fabjob.com for information.