In order to get good at stand up comedy, you need something that is known as ”stage time”.
Whether you make everyone laugh or you get “crickets” or groans from the audience (referred to as “bombing”) it isn’t as important as continuing to get back on stage.
It builds confidence and teaches you what you can and cannot do on stage.
My last gig was during the Adelaide Fringe back in March and I’d become rather rusty as a result.
To be fair, I could have been doing stand up gigs at The Rhino Room and other venues, but that’s where the mind games come in.
See, with stand up comedy the idea isn’t to compete with the audience but rather to fight your own inner demons. What may seem like pre-show jitters to an outsider, is actually an epic mental battle in the mindscape of the comedian.
Self doubt, negative self talk, fears, phobias, and various traumas all decide they are going to play havoc and that’s just in the lead up to the show itself.
On stage, it’s a different story once again.
Fear of Public Speaking
The very idea of public speaking used to fill me with dread. It’s a common phobia that affects millions of people around the world. I can’t speak for other people, but for me it’s the idea of being judged and forgetting what I need to say that is my main fear. It’s happened a few times too.
But a seasoned comedian will find a way to segway into the next joke, or stall until their memory comes back.
A lot of insight comes from doing stand up comedy, like why we fear certain things, but more that at a future time.
The structure of a comedy night usually has a host who introduces the MC who then introduces the acts.
Professional comedians get anywhere from 5 - 10 minutes on stage each, with the MC making jokes in between, usually about what’s going on or what has just happened on stage.
As an amateur, I get offered a 3 minute “set” (practice does make perfect after all).
Soon, it was time for me to get up on stage. Nervous was an understatement, as I carefully navigates the three steps to shake the hand of the MC as is customary. Some had resorted to touching elbows, but I couldn’t focus on that. I had to remember my on stage sequence before I forgot it! So rusty!
The first thing I do, and you may notice other comedians do it, is remove the microphone from the mic stand and put the stand off to the side of the stage. This gives me more room to move and I am more visible to the audience.
The audience, on the other hand cannot be seen in the darkness generated by the spotlight pointing at the stage. With the exception of the first few rows, whom make great targets for interaction. When you want the audience on your side, they become your cheerleaders.
The Lady Heckler
I started my set, promptly forgot the routine (my ultimate fear) and took out my notes (in the form of a small piece of paper that you can see in-between my fingers on the photo above). I explained the situation and selected a young woman from the front row and used her as the focal point of a punchline. She politely heckled back and I played off of it. Something that can only be learned in the moment and with stage time.
I powered through, occasionally looking at my notes while the audience was distracted with laughter.
Eventually, I had the audience in stitches and got a roaring applause at the end.
I took a bow and then replaced the microphone in the mic stand and the stand back to it original position before shaking the MC’s hand and leaving the stage.
Later, the young girl who heckled me came over and said “You did a great job. Please come back and do it again next time!”. It felt great. At this level of comedy, the payment was a $5 drink voucher, but it’s the approval others that is the real reward.
Thank you for reading.
Until next time, keep laughing.
Shaidon’s Comedic Seal Of Approval
Images are of me, but sourced from the Cranker Comedy Facebook Page.
They can be found at the links below.
Photo copyright goes to Christopher Warman.