In the meantime, let's start at the beginning:
Phase 1: Open Miker
Stage Time: 3-10 minutes
Pay: between 0 and negative ten dollars
Experience: 0-10 years
Ah, to be an open miker again, so innocent and pure, so full of optimism and hope. Open mikers, actually, have it tough - long drives, lousy crowds, weeknight shows. It's not the two and a half hour drive to do three minutes in Charlotte that gets you - it's the drive back to make it home in time for work the next morning.
As an open miker, you learn the comedy ropes - write material, learn your style, learn to deal with good, bad, and (especially) indifferent crowds. The term "open miker" generally has some negative connotations - if you're a young, new, eager comedian, this does not apply to you. If you are in your late thirties or forties, have three weak minutes, and have been doing comedy for seven years total since 1985, this definitely applies to you.
Open mikers have no credits and may or may not have decent material. They generally perform anywhere that will allow them.
Phase 2: Emcee
Stage Time: 8-20 minutes
Pay: $25
Experience: 1-2 years
The emcee at a comedy show essentially performs the same duties as the emcee at the Oscars, only for less money and a slightly smaller audience. An emcee opens the show with his or her material - usually about eight to fifteen minutes, depending on the venue, and then introduces the feature and headliner. (Most comedy clubs outside of major cities and/or the Northeast have three comedians: an emcee, a "feature" or middle act, and a headliner.)
Being an emcee is usually an excellent learning experience, as many comedians consider it to be the most difficult slot in the show. The emcee must meet the crowd "cold", manage the inevitable patrons who don't understand that this is NOT @#$@# IMPROV AND THERE IS NO CROWD PARTICIPATION YOU BRAIN-DEAD REDNECKS (sorry, having flashbacks, excuse me), do announcements, and deal with the fact that the show probably started late and a third of the crowd is still waiting for their first drink.
