If you aren't a little nervous before going on stage than you aren't doing it right.
Experience and hard work are a comic's best friends. Once you've been doing it for awhile the nerves become less intense. For me there was a point where the nerves went from being nerves to being excess fuel. Now that I have a few years behind me the predominant attitude is "Yeah! Let's do this!". Although I do still get the nerves when I play a new room. But experience has taught me that it's okay.
Awesome. Thanks, guys!
Just wondering, is there any good literature out there that would be a good supplement to just the world of comedy in general?
Are you thinking about something like Shakespeare or what?Originally Posted by John?
Websites like this and Punchline magazine come to mind. Plus there are quite a few comics on Twitter.
someone posted files from Patton doing a Q&A in the old AST forum, the first few pages are full of great advice. http://aspecialthing.com/forum/f27/o...on+q%26amp%3Ba
Any Patton Oswalt interview is really informative, also Louis CK, search for itslikimsaying's interviews they are very focused to the craft of stand up. Read Born Standing Up and watch the comedian documentaries users reccomend on the same-named documentary.
I'm new, very new, but I've read this topic front to back (and I've looked around the whole Stage Time forum) and I haven't seen this question asked so:
How do you end your set? Not, like, your last joke. I'm talking about your last actual words on stage.
I hear so many comics say "That's my time!" and I usually use that one too -- but is there anything else?
A simple "thank you?" Reintroduce yourself? Plug your t-shirts? What?
That's my time, thank you!
Sarah K.
My favorite way to get off stage is by starting another joke that elicits an audience response. A clap line that doesn't call for claps. I.e "Any dog people here tonight?". Then I walk off stage.
However, it's kinda getting old and uncomfortable for me, much like the rest of my jokes.
I HATE "That's my time." I hate "That's my time" just as much as I hate any mention of "the light".
Exposing the technical side of what we do to the audience is certainly fair game to make fun of...but saying "that's my time" isn't a humorous perspective on the artificiality of a comedy performance, it's just a lazy way of not knowing how to end your performance.
It gets reinforced because so many comics don't bother to figure out how to end their performance, so it seems like "that's my time" is an accepted and common way to do so...
Pah.
Now, to be honest...very few of us are capable of ending our performance with a nice, tidy, emotionally satisfying bow...as most of us are doing comedy sets and not "one-person shows"...
Personally, I like to get a big laugh at the end...and I'll quickly acknowledge the big laugh with a wave and tying my name into that laugh. I'll actually step into the big laugh by saying "Folks, my name is Peter Greyy...thank you, so much...enjoy the rest of your night..." Then, I'll take a step back from the microphone to make "the end" physical.
I want to associate my name with the big laugh (a conceit to my background in marketing, I suppose)...and it's easier to combine a big laugh with enough applause to get you off the stage properly.
pg--Your mileage may vary.--seattle
We'll just take the fact that this was too long and that you didn't read it...as read.
I'm growing to caps-lock-level hate it too, so any exposure to/advice about other endings is helpful.
Thank you!
Perfect.
"Go... Yes, I think; go... The joyfulness is over!"--Janosz Poha
pg--"Why am I dripping with goo?"--seattle
We'll just take the fact that this was too long and that you didn't read it...as read.
My favorites are to fumble around awkwardly with the mic stand in an increasingly dramatic and frustrated manner until I finally get it back in, and then quickly thank the MC and walk off. I almost always say "Thanks, you guys have been great/fantastic, good night!" or something very close to that. I always forget to say my name at the end, which would be a good thing to start doing.
I've seen a comedian end his set by immitating a scared child and pouting, screaming very loudly "GET ME DOWN, BRIAN (the MC)! GET ME DOWN! I'M FINISHED AND I'M SCARED! I WANNA GO DOWN, HELP ME DOWN!" I thought it was hilarious and so did the audience.
I have a buddy who used to end his sets with "And now I'd like to end on a joke..." and then tell his closer. Another friend used to just start a joke and then quickly walk off mid-sentence in silence, but he stopped doing it because it was too hard for the MC to get up there fast enough.
I see a LOT of "That's my time!"s and that's the only reason I don't do it. I didn't know it was frowned upon in general OR popular enough to be frowned upon, but I'm glad I don't do it.
Just to be clear...I never said it was frowned upon in general--I just know that I, personally, hate it.
pg--I may sometimes forget this, but I don't speak for everyone--an army of one
We'll just take the fact that this was too long and that you didn't read it...as read.
For a long time my closing line was "You guys have been great, I'm gonna go home and rethink my life..." which always got a laugh.
I like to keep it distinctive and memorable for the situation. It's also good to say your name too so people remember it.
This may or may not be the right thread for this, but I'll ask anyway.
Me and a friend are trying our hand at booking popular comedians to come to Oklahoma City. We've successfully done music venue, bar, and theater shows on the local level and now want to step it up. We've reached out to someone and its looking good that it's actually going to happen. We even think we are going to be able to sell out the venue rather quickly, and think a second show might be necessary. So my question is, how does adding a second show on the same night work? Does the fee just double? Or is it less because they are already in town and it wouldn't be taking up anymore of his availability?
Also, any general advice on doing this sort of thing would be fantastic.
I got a gig this Saturday, very happy about it.
But the place, oh dear, the place. The name of the thing is a mixture of the words "Cantina" and "Country", the web page has a smiling cowgirl.
I guess the question, is, how do you deal with places that are a bit depressing to do comedy at? I know in my mind it's "suck it up, this is what you want to do". Listening to Howard and a lot of comedy podcasts, I know that in the US not everyplace is Largo or UCB, you have your Chucklehuts and Yuk Yuks and Poconuts and every sort of name that'll make you wince.
I guess one way to look at it, is that you can't let dumb venue owners alter your vibe, people are people, and you became a comedian to make people laugh. I'd be interested in reading how other comedians deal with this sort of thing.
I gotta say that I'm curious as to what the actual name of the place is. Cuntina?
But yeah, shit gigs...not always fun but, as the cliche goes, they do build character. And who knows? Maybe this place could surprise you and be fun. In the last couple years of shitty bar gigs/open mics I've learned the beauty of being able to say "fuck it, let's have some fun with this.". Just do your best to not go in with a negative attitude, concentrate on the crowd and concentrate only on the positive aspects of it.
Yeah I think I'm being a bit paranoid, I imagined the hot chick booker googling her place and see me shitting all over it.
L A C O U N T R I N A
Like L O S T, the venue's name is in my mind like blurry white letters floating over pitch black darkness.
Ąthanks for the advice V!
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