stand up comedy Archives - NYC Stand-Up Comedy Classes

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?!

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.
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.
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.)
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.

You always wanna get big laughs from the audience. But “the audience” can vary drastically, even in the same place – and what one audience type responds to, another may not care for as much. Below is a list of audience types. Choose who you play to at your own peril.

1) The Actual Audience

These are the people who have paid money and are buying drinks to watch the show. In NYC, there are a bunch of sub-types of actual audience. In an ideal world, you’ll learn how to adjust to all of them:

Times Square Tourists – usually from the Midwest or a foreign country and bought comedy tickets on the street as a spur of the moment activity. They tend to respond to safer jokes about subjects like family and relationships, especially bits that involve big character act outs and lots of movement. They are less likely to love political humor, word play and bits that require a lot of thinking.
Greater NYC locals (NJ, CT, etc) – in addition to the above topics, they are generally good with edgier material and some local references.
“In The Know Tourists” – did some online research and decided on a club or specific comedian to see, they are closer to a NYC local than a real tourist
“Comedy Nerds” – these are fans of comedy that listen to podcasts and comedy albums and can name more than the top five most famous comedians. They’ll give you more leeway but usually avoid “tourist clubs.”
College Crowd – doesn’t want to hear about your wife and kids issues for too long
High School Kids / Prom Shows – responds to jokes about your parents, dating and school , but might get tight about sexual material. Unless they’re the “cool kids” in school, in which case that’s probably all they’ll respond to.
Hip Locals – aka “below 14^th st” – aka “alt scene audience” – are down for dark humor and obscure pop culture references, more accepting of rambling, long setups and less punchy material. Some overlap with comedy nerds.
Urban Rooms – a predominantly African American audience. Similar to hip locals but some material may work better/worse depending on what you look like.
Friends of newer comedians – sometimes hate comedy, or are skeptical about the show, but were dragged out by their friend who’s attempting comedy, tend to think they paid too much for cover and drinks and sometimes are under the mistaken impression they should only laugh at their friend’s jokes to make that friend look better at the expense of everyone else.

2) Club Bookers

Want you to get big, consistent laughs with any type of audience listed above. Also they want to make sure audience members don’t complain about your act. Some care about originality too, some less so.

3) Club Managers

Their primary concern is if you’re already approved to be performing at their venue. And that nobody complains.

4) Club Owners

Does your name help get people in the door and sell drinks? Are you doing something unique that may pay off for them later down the line? Do you seem loyal – aka will them giving you stage time now, before you’re famous, ensure you keep dropping by their club later in your career?

5) TV Industry / Networks / Producers

Audience response matters less than whether you have a castable look and whether they find your material funny or think their network’s target demographics will relate to your material.

6) Talent Agents and Talent Managers

Do you have “talent” – whatever that means? Do they see you generating millions of dollars? What’s your look? Can you write for better looking people? Do you seem “not insane” and easy to work with?

7) Wait Staff

Are you funny and different? Do we want to watch your jokes night after night? Are you pleasant and not annoying off-stage?

8) Other Comedians

This is usually the toughest audience of all, but also the audience who will get you most of your work

Headliners – Are you funny enough and easy to hang out with for long car rides?
Next level comics – Do you run a show?
Same level comics – Are you funny and do you run a show?
Independent producers that are comedians – Do you run your own show and are you funny?
Newer comics – Are you funny and approachable?

Tag: stand up comedy

How To Do A Check Spot

Different Types of Comedy Audiences