Tag: emceeing tips

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Types of Stand-Up Comedy Spots

Every stand-up show has multiple performers. Even the most popular stand-ups that play 25,000 seat arenas almost always have at least one comedian perform before them to warm up the crowd. But some spots are more prestigious (and higher paying) than others.

Here’s the most common types of spots, split into the two most common types of shows:

Showcase Show Spots:

In NYC and LA, most shows are called “showcase shows” where you have anywhere between 5 and 15 comedians each doing shorter sets.

Emcee: Your host for the night, who usually does a mix of crowd work and material to warm up the crowd for 10-15 minutes at the start of a show, and then comes on-stage between each act to introduce the next comedian. The MC keeps the show running on schedule by timing every comedian and letting them know when to wrap up. Once the show is off and running, the emcee usually keeps the show moving without making more jokes between comedians, unless a comic does poorly, then the emcee will do a short joke to bring the audience back. The host also makes all end-of-show announcements.

Opening: The first comic that the emcee introduces. This is also called “the bullet spot.” The opener continues to warm up the crowd. Note: There are certain jokes that do great later in a show but will do terribly if you’re hosting or opening.

Guest Spot: A spot in the middle of the show that’s usually between 5 and 10 minutes long that is unpaid. “Guest spot” is a fancy way of saying “unpaid spot.”

Paid Spot: A spot on the show that is paid. Usually between 10 and 15 minutes. If you’re unsure whether your spot is a guest or paid spot, that usually means it’s a guest spot.

Check Spot: Considered the hardest spot. This is towards the end of the show when all the tables in the crowd are given their checks to pay. Most people momentarily stop paying attention to the show and examine the bill, get out their wallet, and figure out who owes how much. Some talking occurs. And since not everyone is able to receives their check at the same time, constant talking is heard throughout the check spot. Making it even harder to pull focus.

Closing: A “closer” or “final comedian” or closing spot is different than a headliner spot in that it’s shorter. Because the crowd has seen more comedians by this point, the final comedian will usually do between 10 and 20 minutes. Ideally this comedian is the strongest on the show.

Standard Show Spots:

In most other areas of the country, you get a “standard” comedy show with 3 comedians.

Emcee: Same job as for a showcase show, but easier in that they only have to remember the names of a couple of comedians. Sometimes in the “standard show” the MC will do 10-15 minutes up front and then another 5 minutes before the headliner in order to give audiences a chance to order more drinks or use the bathroom, etc.

Feature: Usually does 20-30 minutes after the MC.

Headliner: At major comedy clubs and theaters, this person’s name is the reason you decided to come. Or if not, they are a seasoned professional who knows how to get consistent laughs. At this point, about 40 minutes into the show, the crowd is nice and liquored up, and ready to rock. The headliner brings the show home for 40 to 60 minutes.

Occasionally at a standard show, there will also be a guest spot doing 5-7 minutes before the feature. Other times, it will just be a host and then the headliner. The main thing this affects is how much time everyone is doing.

Also usually during a standard show, the headliner gets checks dropped on them during the middle of their set.

Related: 5 Types of Beginner Comedy Shows

Related: How To Emcee A Stand-Up Comedy Show

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How To MC A Stand-Up Comedy Show

If you’re starting out in comedy and trying to get paid to perform as a stand-up comedian, the most likely way you’ll be able to break in will be as a host or emcee. This means you go up first on the show to a cold audience. It’s the hardest spot on the show.

But emceeing sharpens your comedy skills because you have to talk to the crowd. This makes you funnier on your feet, more comfortable handling hecklers and you’ll even sound more conversational. Which are all skills you should acquire before you can feature or headline.

Here’s our MCing tips based on our personal experiences and numerous conversations with other professional comedians.

  1. Come in with high energy. You want to get the audience’s energy as high as possible. Don’t come in sounding all depressed and woe is me. Even if that’s your “natural” stage presence, if you’re hosting, you gotta pep it up.

  2. Start by saying something along the lines of, “Hey everyone, we have a great show for you tonight.” Make sure you’re smiling and that you sound genuine.

  3. Within twenty seconds of starting, get the audience to clap, and then clap again. Say something like “Clap it up for yourselves” or  “Who’s happy it’s a Friday night?” – whatever gets them to make noise. Then, unless you get an amazing response, say “You can do better, let’s try that again.” It (subconsciously) communicates to the audience that you’re in total control.

  4. Go into crowd work. Start by asking some standard questions like “Where are you from?”, “What do you do for work”, “How long have you been dating?” etc. Even better, come up with more interesting questions (in advance) – especially ones that can transition into your existing material. This way even if the audience’s answer is lame, you can take it somewhere funny. Try to make jokes about their answers, or joke about the fact that their answers are boring. Don’t panic if some of your improvised joke attempts miss. The key here is high positive energy.

  5. Don’t talk to more than 3 tables in a row, or people will get bored and/or hate you.

  6. Do a couple of your jokes.

  7. Repeat steps 4 through 6 until they’re constantly laughing at your jokes, at which point no need to continue doing crowd work.

    No matter the response you’re getting, only do material for the final two to five minutes of your set. You want to get the audience used to the rhythm of jokes. Even if your material isn’t getting as big of laughs as the crowd work you just did, your job is to get the crowd ready for the next comedian to be able to just do their jokes.

  8. Alternately, you can open with a quick joke or two (not longer than a minute) and then go into crowd work. Or if the material is killing right away, you can skip crowd work altogether. The best is if you have crowd-work questions that will lead into your material. Example: “Anybody married in here? Oh yeah, how long? I’ve actually been married for twenty years, so I’m winning, for now.” (Then go into your actual marriage jokes.)

  9. After your last joke, give the ground rules and get loud applause going for the next comic. Example: “We have an awesome show. Your waiters will be coming around with drinks. Please keep talking to a minimum. And let’s have fun. Are you ready for your next comedian?” DON’T ask “Who’s ready to get this show started?” or “Are you ready for your first comedian?” The show has already been in progress since you got up there and you are their first comedian.

  10. Make sure the comedian’s name is the last part of their introduction. You want to say “This next comedian has been on Comedy Central please put your hands together for John Doe.” Do not say “Your next comedian is John Doe, he’s been on Comedy Central.”

  11. Run the logistics. Make sure to get the proper pronunciation of each comedian’s name and their credits. Are you timing the performers and giving them the light or is someone else doing it? If it’s on you, make sure you have a stopwatch/phone to time them. And know where the red light is and how it turns on/off. If there’s no red light, tell comedians you’re lighting comedians with your phone. And ask comedians if they want a 1 or 2 minute light or what.

  12. When you come on stage between each comic, make sure to maintain a high level of energy to keep the audience in their seats and excited about the next comic. First say, “How about another round of applause for [previous comic’s name].” Then either go into a joke or two, or just introduce the next comedian. If there are more than 3 comedians on the show, I don’t recommend doing time between the first and second comedian, so that the audience doesn’t think you’ll be slowing down the show after each performer.

    BONUS: If you can come up with a quick one or two line joke based on the previous act’s closing bit, that’s a great way to keep the show feeling connected and as one. Example: If the last comic said something like “Then I passed out in an alley, and woke up without a wallet,” you can come up there and say “So I was in an alley last night, going through Joe’s wallet…”

  13. Most important, the emcee has to be a person.You can’t talk at people, you have to talk to them. (This applies to regular stand-up spots as well, but especially if you’re the host.) If you don’t get many laughs as a host, but your energy is positive and you’re smiling the whole time, the audience is relaxed and engaged and the first comedian does well, you did your job (even if you don’t feel great about it).