So, you want to become a comedian? Your friends have told you that you are funny. You watch a ton of stand-up comedians on television. You finally decided to start doing stand-up comedy, but you have no idea how to get started, follow the path of old stand-up comedians.
Follow the 5 tips by old American stand-up comedians to get you started on your journey to becoming a stand-up comedian. This article will set you in the right direction, helping you avoid some of the pitfalls and mistakes that new comedians experience when getting started.
Being good at telling jokes is difficult. It takes a lot of work, and you don’t make much money at first, says old stand-up comedians. If you think you will get on stage the first time, get noticed by an agent, and be famous overnight- well, that’s not the way it works. You have to love comedy and the process of trying to be a better comedian if you are going to have any success.
Before we get started, you have to know that this, like anything else you want to be good at, will take time and practice, mentions old American stand-up comedy. So don’t give up and practice a lot.
Get a Notebook
Buy yourself a notebook. Start to write down everything that makes you laugh and why. You can also use this notebook to write down observations from watching other comedians and comedy shows. Learn from your mistakes as well as the mistakes of other comedians.
Take a Class
Everything taught in a class can be learned by getting on stage numerous times and figuring it out for yourself. But, if you take a class, you will progress faster, learn from the instructor’s mistakes, and get valuable feedback. It is always good to have some guidance on what is or is not working at this stage. The class will teach you how to write, edit, and perform the minimum of 4-7 minutes of material needed to function at the open mic level. And again, you don’t have to take a class; you can figure this out independently. Some people need to ease their way. Some people dive in. Either way is perfect.
Begin Writing and Rehearsing
This is the hardest part. Old stand-up comedians say that writing, re-writing, and performing takes a lot of work and discipline. Start by writing down everything that makes you laugh. Then, watch and study all types of successful comedians and examine how they can make people laugh. Every comedian has their style and voice. Over time, you will develop yours. Watch a wide variety of comedians. Become a student of comedy. People laugh at something out of the ordinary, unusual, or out of place. People also laugh when they hear a unique perspective for the first time. Comedians get laughs by establishing a reality setup and then saying or doing something that breaks from that reality punch line.
Perform at an Open Mic
You might have to go to a couple of open mics before you decide on a venue that seems welcoming and supportive. Every open mic has rules, says old American stand-up comedians. Follow the rules. Even though there are different rules at each venue, there are a couple of things you can always count on:
- There will be a host, or someone will be in charge of signing people up to perform.
- Each venue decides who performs in different ways; sometimes its a lottery, other times its first come, first serve.
- You will be allowed a set amount of time to perform (usually 3-5 minutes)
- You will be signaled, usually with a light, when your time is about to expire. Ask the person in charge where the light is located.
- You don’t have to use all your time. If you only have 3 minutes and the time limit is 5 minutes, do 3 minutes. Just end your set by saying something like, “That’s my time, thank you, have a good night.”
- Please don’t go over your time; it is disrespectful to the host, venue, and other comedians. You don’t want to get a bad reputation.
After the show, thank the host for giving you time. Be nice to the bartender and the other staff. Be respectful to the other comedians. Someone always performs first, and someone always performs last. Be grateful for whatever time you get.
Evaluate Your Performance. Be Honest.
You are going to succeed or fail. It is part of doing comedy. Even after you have been performing for a while, you are going to succeed or fail. You have to recognize when you fail so that you can learn from it, says old stand-up comedians. If you cannot honestly self-evaluate, you are never going to make it in comedy. So you have to be honest when you fail. When people laugh, a joke is funny. If they aren’t laughing, it’s because you did not connect with the audience. There are bad audiences, like people who talk during your entire set. Still, if your first inclination is to blame the audience for a bad performance, you are not taking responsibility for your material. Keep working on your jokes. Have a friend shoot a video so that you can watch your performance later. Each performance will give you a better idea if a joke is working. If a joke continually doesn’t work, it is time to get rid of that joke.
These are the first 5 tips out of hundreds suggested by old American stand-up comedians. Suppose you want to become a comedian. They will get you moving in the right direction and hopefully save you some time and money.
