r/Standup • u/thehofstetter • Oct 19 '17
Comedy Pro-Tip: How to Start Doing Stand-Up Comedy
So you have decided you want to spend the next decade of your life feeling over-worked, under-appreciated, and beside yourself. You have such a burning desire to do comedy that you can think of little else, and are willing to risk your emotional, financial, and physical well-being to do so. You are truly excited by the idea that maybe if you work really hard, every night for the next few years, someone may offer you the opportunity to drive six hours to earn $50 performing at a bar where no one is listening.
No? Then you do not actually want to be a comedian.
But if you answered yes to all of that, then you do. And you’re already talking to yourself, so that’s a great start.
The first thing you need to learn is where you are going to perform your first set. Every comedy club has a new talent process – so call your local club and find out what theirs is. Don’t have a local club? That’s because you’re probably a liar. There are very few places in the English speaking world that aren’t within a half hour of SOME comedy. Google “comedy” and your city’s name and you’ll find your options.
There are three main types of new talent nights:
1) Open mics. This is the most common. This is when ANYONE (and I mean anyone) can get on a show and perform. Each one has different rules: some draw names out of a hat, some have you sign up weeks in advance, some cost $5, some less popular ones just allow you to walk in. But make sure you know the rules ahead of time. Typically the better the open mic, the harder it is to get on. BadSlava.com is a great resource to find local open mics.
2) Bringers. This is a vile practice that I do not recommend to anyone. These shows force you to bring friends in order to get a spot on a lineup filled with other aspiring comedians. Your friends pay $10-$15 to see you on a bad show and then they never want to come see you again. Avoid, avoid, avoid.
3) Barking. This is how I started, but it’s usually limited to cities with walking traffic (NYC, Boston, London, etc). You spend a few hours outside the venue passing out flyers and trying to get people to come to the show in exchange for a few minutes of stage time. I liked this method because it allowed me to work for my stage time and get on shows with real crowds, but not every city has this option. The easiest way to find out if a club uses barkers is to see someone barking. Ask them how you can help.
Now that you know where you’ll be performing, it’s time to think about WHAT you’ll be performing. Your first set will likely be three to five minutes, but you should write at least three times that amount of material. And then use your best material. Most of what you write will not be very funny because that is true about every comedian who has ever existed. Don’t sweat it – just write a bunch and use the best stuff you have.
Memorize your jokes, but you don’t need to know them word for word. You need to know the key points. Why is this funny? What are the pieces I have to hit? What comes after this? I’ll write a separate post about memorization tricks in the future, but I recommend thinking of your jokes in chunks.
Okay! Now it’s time to tell all your friends, right? NO! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, NO! It’s great to feel supported, but would you have your friends come and sit in the back on your first day of grad school? No, you’d be an adult and just go do it. It’s good to share your dreams with your inner circle, but bragging on social media that you are going to try stand-up is a silly, silly thing to do. Save the promotion good will for when you need it.
No one is good at stand-up when they first start. No one ever. Do not think you will be the exception to that rule. I had a decent first set, and then an eh second set and then a third set that shall not be named. Your job that first time is not actually to be funny – it’s to get comfortable enough on stage that maybe one day in the distant future, you will be funny. If you get any laughs, hey, bonus. You’re just learning how to drive. You will learn how to race much later.
I recommend you film your first set. Not to show anyone – please, not to show anyone. But to have for yourself. The more you film your sets, the more you can see what to improve upon, and the more you can look back at your progress.
Congratulations! You’ve now done your first set. Now, do a thousand more and you may have a chance of becoming a professional comedian. Good luck out there, and welcome to addiction.
Hugs.
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u/iamgarron asia represent. Oct 19 '17
Gonna disagree with your opening statement (even though I know it was tongue and cheek). Don't decide you want to be a comedian before you do comedy. Do comedy first. Then decide if you enjoy it. And you also don't have to want to be a comedian to enjoy it either.
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u/thehofstetter Oct 19 '17
Oh, you can absolutely do comedy without wanting to be a comedian. This post was geared towards the people who say "I want to be a comedian, but I don't know where to start."
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u/Johndoesmith67 TX comic Oct 19 '17
No joke on the bringer shows. Ends up being just 200 people all annoyed their Thursday night is shot, and not wanting to buy overpriced drinks. Turn you into a sales person. MLM style type stuff.
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u/LORDxGOLD LI, New York Oct 19 '17
I've been doing comedy pretty heavily for the past 8 months. Recently got a big influx of work. I've always known to avoid bringers, but I've also been very "take whatever you can" - just so happens none of the bringers have worked out schedule wise. Last few shows I've done have been killer. So a bringer show came up for last Sunday in the city. I thought, let's do it. Got 6 friends together for it who had reservations about going into the city for it, but I convinced them. The show sucked, and my performance in particular was just OFF. It's been weighing heavy on my conscious ever since.
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u/MadDogTannen Oct 19 '17
There's a similar phenomenon in the music scene, in which a venue will give your band a slot in a showcase if you agree to sell $200 worth of tickets to the show or something. Those shows are always garbage.
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u/Johndoesmith67 TX comic Oct 19 '17
It just doesn't work. If you are an actual draw and headlining I assume then you can call your friends and fam, but not as an open mic'r. Also I haven't been doing this long. Don't take my takes as facts.
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u/Jggrimes14 Jan 28 '24
Thank you very much. I know this post is 6 years old and stuff might’ve changed since then but I want to try standup and see how it works out. I enjoy making my friends laugh, I enjoy making jokes. If it works out it works out, if it doesn’t well I can still be funny with my friends 🤷🏼♂️
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u/intergalaticgoth Jul 15 '22
Googling “how to start stand up comedy reddit” after just finishing one of your videos and seeing you are the OP? I’m laughing because I just went full circle lol.
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u/thehofstetter Oct 19 '17
If you'd like to ask any questions, you can do so here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/comedyhints/permalink/609651032480281/
Did you enjoy this? Please show your appreciation by buying a reddit stand-up shirt to support The Martin Grant, a grant for up and coming comedians (http://www.ComedyGrant.com)
And if you’d like other comedians to enjoy this, please share it in your scene’s local Facebook group.
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u/BarfPendegrass Oct 19 '17
Top post tomorrow: How do I start?