Tag: stand up comedy beginner tips

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Producing Your Own Show: Choosing The Comedians

Producing a show is a proven way to get extended stage time before you’re “passed” at a club or booking consistent road work. When you produce your own show you need to be able to manage four equally important parts: the venue, the comics, the audience and the actual show. This post focuses on the comics.

Congratulations! You’re doing a show at a specific venue on a specific date and time. But unless you’re years and years in, it’s very hard to have a great show without other comedians. Even the most famous comics work with one or two opening acts – often called a feature and an MC. Here’s what to keep in mind when booking comics:

What show structure do you plan on doing? How many comedians do you want on your show?

Do you want to have a standard road show of “MC – Feature – Headliner”? Or do you want to have “showcase” with 5 or 6 comics doing 12-15 minutes each? Or perhaps you want to do a speed comedy show where 12-15 comedians do 5 minutes each?

In New York City, where hundreds of amazing comedians live, we find it’s usually best to have 6-8 comics on your show. Having more comedians on the show leads to you establishing or maintaining more relationships, which if you’re a comedian who’s producing shows, is one of the reasons to start producing because most of the bookings you get will be through other comedians, and they’re more likely to help you if you’ve already helped them. (Just don’t expect them to help you.)

Who will be the host?

Everyone wants to be the headliner, but the MC can make or break the show. Get a high energy host you trust, or if you’re trying to build your MCing skills, do it yourself. But I don’t recommend running and hosting the show all at once – especially when just starting out.

How many minutes will your show run?

The ideal show runs 80-90 minutes. I find that once a show hits the 100 minute mark audiences start to get impatient and figure out if they can leave. Even if every performer is hysterical, there is only so much comedy one can watch before needing a break. But you don’t want to make the show too short: the audience may feel they “didn’t get their money’s worth” and the wait staff might not have enough time to sell drinks.

Which Comedians Do You Want?

Selecting comedians can be very difficult and highly politicized. Some key criteria to consider:

  • Do they have TV credits? Right or wrong, TV credits usually add legitimacy to a show and make it easier to convince the audience to show up.
  • Are they funny? This is pretty important but sometimes overlooked or purposefully ignored. Hopefully all your performers are hysterical but sometimes the other criteria in this list may override the “funny” factor.
  • Are they your friend? If you’re friends with someone, you might need or want to put them on the show instead of someone who’s funnier but who you don’t know.
  • Do they run their own show (or have a lot of connections)? The best way to get onto another show is to give that producer stage time at your show. This doesn’t mean they’ll put you on their show, but it certainly increases the chances.
  • Are they “normal”? Normal is a relative term in comedy. But you generally want to avoid hilarious performers who are unreliable, tend to show up late and/or create problems with the wait staff, other comedians and audience.
  • What kind of audience are you expecting? If your audience is super young, perhaps a younger comedian will go over better than someone in their 70s.
  • Can you afford them? The same comic has different rates depending on the night and the show. Some will work for free. Other comics will do free spots on weeknights but not on Fridays and Saturdays. “Big names” can cost thousands of dollars per appearance but appear for free if your proceeds are going to a charity. Figure out how much money you can spend on comics before asking them to be on your show.

Are the comics you want available on the date of your show?

You’ve figured out who you want on the show, what you’re paying them and how much time they’re doing, but the comic might already be booked! Do you have an alternate plan, or are you going to change the date just to accommodate one comedian? Most comics that work at comedy clubs set up their gigs (“give their avails”) right before the start of a week or of a month. I recommend giving comics at least two weeks notice if you’re going to book them. Four to six weeks is better.

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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 Do A Check Spot

If you’re a newer comedian (or sometimes just new to a specific comedy club) and trying to get on regular shows (especially in NYC), you’ll likely end up starting with check spots.

A check spot is the place on the show (usually second or third to last) where a comedian is performing while the wait staff gives the audience their bills/checks, runs credit cards and brings the audience their change. Aka it’s the hardest spot of the show because the audience is distracted by math, waiters talking and they just saw how much their drinks have set them back, so you better be extra funny.

So how do you increase your odds of doing well during check spots* when it’s the hardest spot on the show and you’re most likely the least experienced comedian on the line up?!

  1. Start with material that gets a quick laugh.
    In the best cast scenario, you’ll get to perform for a minute or two before the staff drops checks. In this case, do your best quick jokes first, to improve the odds people will continue listening to you.
    In the toughest scenario, all checks get dropped before the host even introduces you, at which point most people don’t even bother clapping when the host says your name.
  2. Once it’s clear most people have stopped listening, acknowledge the checks are being dropped, ask for a round of applause for the wait staff. Applause makes people pay attention again and even if they don’t, you’re trying to “run out the clock” when the chaos is at its highest and not “waste” jokes during the height of barely anyone listening.
  3. Have a joke about the situation. Say something funny about the checks. But don’t make jokes about the drinks being too expensive. Skip this if the specific club has a policy to not mention checks being dropped at all. (This isn’t usually the case, but if it is, be respectful of it.)
  4. Be ready to jump out of a bit early. If someone says something so loud that you have to acknowledge it or it’s a longer joke and people weren’t paying attention at the beginning and that information is needed for the end, just change topics!
  5. Stay present. The more you’re open to improvising during a check spot, the better it’ll go. Talk to a table up front if it makes sense. (But remember to repeat everything they say into the microphone so everyone else can hear it!) You want the audience to see that you’re present and in the room, or else they’ll ignore you and start checking their email.
  6. Don’t get mad at the audience for paying their bill.
    Make jokes, and if some table is taking forever, tease them, but never yell at them to shut up or seem actually mad. At practically any other point of a comedy show, the audience is either laughing, listening or quickly responding to your question. If random talking breaks out instead, you want to control the situation. But during checks, there’s gonna be some talking, and if it’s only a murmur, you can ignore it.
  7. Try to do shorter bits.
    Even in the best case scenario, people will look at their check for thirty seconds, pay the bill and go back to paying attention to the show. If you have a five-minute bit that requires hearing the first minute for the next four to be funny, don’t do it during checks.
  8. Focus in on the people that are laughing (or at least paying attention). Once a few people start laughing, other people tend to stop talking and focus because they think they’re missing something.
  9. Be aware of staggered checks, and play to people who didn’t get their checks yet, then switch.
    If the right side of the room is getting checks first, talk and do material to the left side, then once you see the waiter going to the left side, start talking to the right side, who, ideally, have finished looking at checks by now. This advice only works when there aren’t five waiters who all drop at the exact same time. In which case, good luck!
  10. Save a quick, strong joke for the end.
    While you may not feel great about your set, if you get off on a good laugh, the audience will remember you as funny. So save a good 20-40 second joke for after you get the light.
  11. Know that the first five minutes of a check drop tend to be the roughest.
    You can get no laughs for the first five minutes and still bring the audience back once people start paying attention again. The key is to not panic.
  12. Set your expectations low and have a short memory.
    The other comedians and staff (should) know that the odds are stacked against you during a check spot, so don’t compare the responses you get during checks with how other comedians have done on the show up to there or after.

*If you’re MCing or headlining and they drop checks on you, this advice isn’t as applicable because the audience already knows (and usually) likes you, so they pay better attention.

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5 Types Of Beginner Comedy Shows

Are you a new comedian trying to figure out how to get more stage time in New York City? Here are the five main ways most comedians start performing more regularly.

Bringer shows

What is it: In order to perform, you as the new comedian have to bring X number of people (between 2 and 15 at most places) who are willing to pay a cover charge and two drinks to watch (usually between 10 to 15) different comedians do shorter sets.

Pros: You get a real live audience. And you meet lots of different comedians, including (usually) some professionals, which can be good for networking. And since part of the audience knows you, they’re more likely to laugh at your jokes, which may help the people who don’t know you to start laughing as well, that whole laughter is contagious thing. People that work at the comedy club might notice you and you end up performing on regular shows without having to bring anyone.

Cons: Unless you’re super popular, you can run out of people to invite to shows really quick, the audience can be too supportive to the point that you don’t learn what’s truly funny, and you end up stressing about all your people showing up instead of concentrating on your act. You also have very little control over the quality of the other comedians. Some might be great, others might be more questionable.

Barking

What is it: You stand outside of the comedy club or bar, usually on a busy foot traffic corner, trying to hand out fliers to passerbys while convincing them they have nothing better to do right now than to come watch a stand-up comedy show. You usually stand outside and “bark” for 1-3 hours in exchange for 5-10 minutes of stage time.

Pros: You don’t have to stress about bringing friends. Most clubs will pay you a couple of bucks for each person you successfully convince to come to the show – so you’re technically getting paid to do comedy! Also, the audience doesn’t know you, so the laughter can be trusted. And you practice cold-selling and rejection, which are useful life skills.

Cons: You have to stand outside for 2-3 hours – this can be brutal especially in NYC winters. You get rejected almost all of the time. And if the comedy club has more than one show that night, you’re outside for almost the entire time except for when you perform. Meaning you can’t watch and learn from other comedians performing.

Open Mics

What is it: You pay $5 for five minutes of stage time. (Sometimes it’s totally free, other times it’s “buy a drink”.) Actual open-mic stage time ranges from 3 minutes to 8 minutes depending on the venue.

Pros: Anyone can get stage time. If you plan out your evening, you can do 2-3 mics a night nearly every night (in NYC at least). You often make your best comedy friends at open mics because they are also starting out.

Cons: Anyone can get stage time. You know those comedians that weren’t funny at the bringer show? Well, they’re better than many of the people at the open mics who are as likely to rant without purpose as they are to have punchlines. Also, in New York, the only people that come to watch open mics are other comedians. And they barely pay attention and just think about their set instead. This is not very helpful when you’re trying to learn what a real audience will find funny.

Comedy Class

What is it: You pay to sign up for a comedy class with other aspiring comedians. An instructor explains the basic comedy techniques and then gives you writing prompts and then feedback on your joke ideas and performance. (Related: How to choose a comedy class.)

Pros: You have weekly deadlines and structure to keep you accountable. You interact with the same students over the course of the class and build camaraderie. It feels safer and more controlled than a random open mic.

Cons: A comedy class is more expensive than doing a random open mic. Eventually, you’ll most likely have to write jokes on your own. While it’s a great learning environment, if this is the only type of comedy you practice – you might not build the polish and confidence to handle any crowd.

Run Your Own Show

What is it: You get a local bar with a back room or a comedy club on a slow night to let you run your own show. This can be once a month, weekly or a one-off.

Pros: You’re in charge of everything! Depending on the venue this might even mean bringing your own lights and sound. You book the Emcee/host. You book all the comedians that can perform. You decide who gets paid how much. You decide how long every comedian does, including yourself. Sometimes you can book other comedians who run their own shows and they’ll put you on their show in exchange, thereby increasing your stage time.

Cons: You’re in charge of everything! You’re in charge of the marketing and getting audience to show up. If a comedian cancels at the last second for another gig, you’re in charge of finding their replacement.

Conclusion

If you’re serious about improving as a comedian and becoming a paid, working professional, you should be getting on stage as much as possible. We would recommend AT LEAST five nights per week. Aka treat it like a job before it becomes a job. If this is your goal, you should be doing a combination of all five types of shows above.