I've done pretty well doing comedy, but you can always learn more. Tonight I learned an important lesson from J.J. Boyd and Steve Miller. Let me tell you about hosting two shows tonight with one show only having 7 people in the audience.
Tonight I hosted two shows, a 7:30 and 10pm. The 7:30 had a good, loud crowd and it was easy to tell jokes to the audience and they would respond. I did pretty well, and the two other comedians told their jokes and got some great laughs.
The second show, not so much. There were seven people in the audience when the show started. Eventually we had 11 in there, but it was not great. I went up to get the show started, and I had my work cut out for me. With only seven people, the crowd was more timid and it took some time before I got them going a little bit.
A few jokes didn't really work, but I could see they were listening and smiling. That's a good sign. I kept fighting through different jokes, and getting some giggles and a couple good laughs. I totally went off the rails on what I had planned to do and got lost in telling some old jokes, good jokes, but not what I had planned.
I finally got some good laughs and quickly introduced the first comic. After I got off stage I felt like I had just been on stage for about 30 minutes, but it was only 10. It was wild. I felt like I had to work for every laugh I got.
Then I watch the feature and the headliner tonight. In the first show, they told a lot of jokes and the audience was engaged. The second show, they got the audience more involved. Asked them questions and make the show feel more intimate. Even though there were only a few tables, they all felt like they were involved and they laughed.
The feature and the headliner came off the stage more relaxed than me and a lot more applause than me. They deserved it, I didn't. I did learn something though. Instead of forcing jokes until the laughs come, get the audience more involved. If the show has a light crowd, find out their names and where they are from. See who is dating and who's married.
I learned a great lesson tonight. Next week, I am going to try to do more of that and we'll see how it goes. I have one show Thursday and two next Friday, so check back soon for more Chronicles of a Comic.
Thank you for reading.