  |
|
|
|
Page 2
That said, one of the three most important influences on my comedy career was a short-lived open mike at a bar called the Infrared Lounge in New York City's East Village. I went the first night it opened, got to know most of the regulars, and it quickly became a spot where I could try any material with an appreciative but fair audience. I was the only comedian, so once it was accepted that I was reasonably funny, I became a break from the music. Every joke I wrote over a span of six months, I tried there first. So, keep your mind open, but make sure to ask the organizer if comedians are just "allowed" or actually enjoyed.
Largely relegated to New York City and Los Angeles, bringer shows are apparently beginning to spread. A bringer show means that, in order to perform, a comedian must bring a certain number of paying customers. (Usually between three and seven, although I once did a show in New York that required fifteen.) Working comics despise bringer shows, although for many clubs, particularly in New York, they remain an excellent way to bring in customers at times when the club would be slow or even closed. (Many clubs in New York run these shows at odd times, such as 6:30 on a Sunday night.) The advantage to a bringer show is the opportunity to perform in an established club in front of a large audience. The obvious disadvantage is the fact that you need to bring five people, usually at ten or fifteen dollars a head. However, this is usually quite easy your first time out, if you have any social life at all, but getting bodies in the door becomes more difficult as time wears on. But, for your first time out, I highly recommend bringer shows. Bringer shows usually provide excellent audiences - after all, they are there to see people in the same boat as you. In New York, you may also gain the opportunity to work with some well-known comics - Jim Norton closed one of the first bringer shows I ever did, and Jim Gaffigan another. Contests Comedy club contests have been the bane of many a comedian's existence. Subjective, frustrating, and often unfair, contests nevertheless remain an excellent way for new comics to gain valuable stage time. Since comedy is an inherently subjective medium - one man's favorite comedian can make his best friend change the channel - it follows that contests are subjective. Many clubs issue the caveat that audience response is important - a subtle reminder to bring people, preferably with fat wallets.
The copyright of the article Making It On Stage – Finding A Place to Perform - Page 2 in Stand-Up Comedy is owned by Vince Martin. Permission to republish Making It On Stage – Finding A Place to Perform - Page 2 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
|
|
|
|
