Forum: Stage Time

We've started a new open mic at Clam Broth House in Hoboken (36-42 Newark Street, corner of River and Newark one block from the PATH). It's every Monday at 7pm, downstairs in the swanky lounge, it's free and you get 7 minutes! Signup at 6:45, or just show up and get on the lineup. Message me for...

Shall we share our worst show experiences here? I apologize if there is a thread about this (I'm guessing Open Mic experiences is the one that comes closest). This was my worst booked show to date. I drove out to Chino for this one, to perform in front of a bunch of people with neck...

There appear to be three local options for improv classes. All three have fairly shoddy websites. How does one discern which is best in a town with no culture?

I was considering to go to a boarding school for the performing arts, and wanted to know if there were any public performinng arts schools or boarding school that are really good.

As I've been working on some longer bits I've felt constricted by my audio recorder and pen 'n paper. I was wondering if anyone has tried Speech to text when you're just riffing or running a character, etc. Seems to me like it could be a useful first draft run on some bits that would free you...

I'm trying a new writing method, it's working, so I thought I'd share... OLD WAY The night before a mic I'd take my week's worth of ideas and turn them into bits. I'd write like 8 new, relatively short bits. And have little confidence in many of them, spending maybe just 30 minutes fleshing...

Hey everyone, I'm working on an article for my blog about the evolution of stand-up comedy as an art form over time. The topic actually came out of a great thread in the stage-time forum where people were debating the value of open mike rooms becoming oversaturated. A few days later I...

IO West is having a FREE improv class on Saturday, February 19th from 5pm-7pm on the Mainstage! It's a great opportunity to get a taste of our improv training program at iO West. In the class you will touch upon the basics of agreement, making strong choices, supporting your partner, exploring...

I'm really interested in getting into improv, but as much as I'd love to do it, I just can't afford a $350 UCB class right now. Anyone have any more affordable recommendations for improv? I don't want to go somewhere terrible just because it's cheap.

Hey all! Just curious - what software do you use for writing comedy? I'm using a Mac. I've just been using MS Word, but obviously there's better ways. Any suggestions? Thanks everybody! :)

Do you guys hear these alot at your open mics? The guy whose's every punchline is meant to be shocking? I wrote some of these jokes(not all blue though) but I don't want to go in this direction if I'm gonna be just another of those guys. I like my jokes and think they're funny but I'm just as...

Ever since I started stand up I've been recording the audio of all my sets, but now I think I want to make the leap up to video. An obvious choice seems to be a Flip, but I'm worried about how it would record in the low light of a club and how it would look recording from the back of the room...

This a question for a very specific thing, but I figured this would be the right category to post it under. I'm looking for some opinions or ideas on something, and while we have a few of our own, I'd love any input one might wish to give. Anyway, I'm going down to L.A. next week to cover the...

having your show bumped... the day after you spent $150 on 5000 fliers. and I can't even get mad, because It's a guy I love listening to.

Nat Wicks of Chortle UK's take on open mic'rs trying to be edgy. Any thoughts? pg--I tend to agree with Nat, but calling it "hack" is, itself, kind of "hack".--seattle

Hi. I'm trying to set up shows in places that don't have ideal stage lights, I was wondering if there was a low cost solution to this, like some sort of portable spotlight? Thanks in advance!

Has anyone attended or heard anything good/bad about the Comedy: Writing and Performance program at Humber College? It seems like an interesting way to put off leaving school. Is it worth the money? What is the quality of the teaching? Is it looked down upon in the Toronto scene? Looking more for...

Hey guys, Very happy to have found a stand-up forum for people interested in performing it. I've been doing open mics for about 3 months now and I've surprisingly done exceptionally well at it. Haven't bombed yet and I've had some good sets so far. My biggest concern right now is integrating...

Hey creeps. I just moved to Los Angeles from Chicago and am looking to perform as much as possible. Any advice about open mics or showcases would be helpful. I find BadSlava to be equal parts over-and-underwhelming and was looking to solicit opinions from people with my shared sensibility. In...

Hey everybody, I'm sure someone has made a thread like this before. I wrote this article about a really bad gig I had a while back: http://werenotfunny.wordpress.com/2011/01/11/comedy-in-purgatory-hell-gigs/ As I was writing it I was thinking and laughing about other stories that my comedian...

Last sunday I left a video of me masturbating on my girlfriend's iphone. My girlfriend's mom just happened to look through her daughter's phone... then BAM. She watched me jerk it. After I made that video, I smoked a bowl and then walked to arby's I intentionally did this just so I can...

This may be the egg nog (alcoholic) posting, but I'm wondering how much material other comics have acquired in a given amount of time. To be honest, this past year, which has been my first year as a comic, I have acquired around 12-15 minutes of good material. When I say good, I mean material that...

one discussion from the comedy scene forums in boston led me to see where people stand on this idea here. A lot of younger but not pure beginner (read 1-2 years exp.) comics feel like going to a ton of open mics can do more harm than good. Between discouragement from doing sets to the same 15...

I saw a comedian do this joke last night that I know wasn't his. It's driving me nuts trying to figure out where it came from, so I figured I'd ask the heroes over at AST. Not sure about the exact phrasing but it's something like: "Only by banding together can we defeat gang violence." ...

My wife and I were revealing our kinkiest sexual fantasies and I told her how much I wanted a blowjob while riding a roller coaster. She said that was out of the question cause roller coasters make her throw up I said "perfect, that's my other fantasy" ... Is this joke original?...

My ultimate dream is to be a nationally touring comic. A road comic I guess. That's all I want. To get paid for my routine and use that money for food, alcohol, and bus fare to the next gig. But I'm also dating a girl and she may be pregnant! If I become a dad I can't just take off for...

so im taking i guess what you would call a stand up class at this spot in royal oak out here and michigan the first class was pretty cool. My instructor seems like a good guy. he mentioned laughs per minute and that its all about laughs per minute, i just don't totally agree with. the terms just...

...just curious. Seems like lots of creative people are, especially comics. I'm pretty sure I am hypomanic. According to the books I've read, hypomanics are quite funny and clever while they're experience hypomania. For those who haven't heard of hypomania......

Between each joke I'll add some sort of tag to, you know, pad it out. I don't want to burn through 15-20 jokes in a 5 min set. Anyway, does this sound like a good idea to you? Or am I going about this the wrong way? I just want to hear your opinion. Thanks

So in the past few weeks discussions have brought up some interesting things as well as seeing the finals of the Boston Comedy Festival and watching comics I've seen absolutely kill small rooms look like they're flailing or nonexistant in the theatre setting. For some reason it game me impetous...

I am recording a set for a client tomorrow and while I have recorded music live, the capturing the crowd was never a concern. I plan on recording the comic straight from the board and micing the audience. Does anyone have any advice on mic placement, or anything else that I have most likely...

Aside from Jay Mohr and Brody Stevens, I can't find anyone else that can use sports refrences funny (at least in LA) Do you guys think it's an LA thing, or a comedy in general thing?

http://www.sandpapersuit.com/2008/04/its-about-being-funny-person-not-having.html Interesting comment from Woody Allen on stand-up comedy... ----- It's all about being a funny person, not about having funny material. Give yourself not your material... Don't make the mistake of falling...

...I'm assuming this is suicide? I got a paid private gig, only 35 people. I'm wondering if I should invest in a mic and little portable speaker?

So Charlie Murphy gets booed off the stage at Grambling University: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTsTpA7UoeI&feature=player_embedded The Comic's Comic said..

Have any of you ever taken comedy classes or gone to any comedy school? Do you know anyone that has? I'm wondering if its worth the money to give it a shot I was looking at http://www.comedyinstitute.com/ and it sparked my interest. I was just wondering if any of you could share experiences that...

Hey everyone, here's an audio clip of my set last night. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWQ439Hcbhk I've been trying out a new style for the last month, more one-liner based, so I'd love to hear any feedback from you guys. Matt

I'm really at a creative low point right now and stand-up has been little more than brutal, but I'm just wondering how many times per week/how many hours/days you would "practice" your material. I'm also curious about what that practice entails. I know actually doing stand-up is practice itself,...

Got any tips? Or should I just go have fun? I was invited to the annual "Finland's Newcomer of the Year". 10 contestants. 10 minutes. 5 judges. The thoughts going through my head are: - Should I do my old faithful old stuff, or newer stuff? - Should I do blue stuff? - Should I do...