Becoming a Stand-Up Comedian: Taking the First Step

In my previous article, I discussed booking and attending your first open mike as a fledgling stand-up comedian. This article will delve into more detail about how to prepare your material - and yourself - for your first performance.

I won't discuss the technical aspects of joke writing here; check out The Comedy Bible by Judy Carter or search Amazon.com for resources that can help your humor writing.

What I will discuss here is preparing for your first open mike, though I think the following rules apply in general for any comedian, especially one just starting out.

1. Rehearse before your set. Repeatedly. The most uncomfortable, awkward set I ever did was my first one: in my friend's living room, to an audience of one, doing my material into a spatula. While a spatula and a one-woman audience are not required per se for your rehearsals, you want to get your material down cold, and learn the set from start to finish. Memorize your material, and you should consider using a mirror to study your stage presence. Do you pace too much? Is the microphone (or, in my case, a spatula or a vacuum cleaner extension) near your face? Are you engaging the audience, or looking at your shoes? Rehearsing not just the material, but the presentation will make your first set immensely easier. Particularly because...

2. You will need to manage your nerves. There are some people who simply enjoy the spotlight, and will avoid nerves, simply because they enjoy having everyone's attention for five minutes. Most of us, however, spend the days and hours before our first show accompanied by butterflies, fear, self-doubt, and an odd sense of anticipation. I was so nervous before my first bringer show (actually my second show) that I walked off stage after performing and literally could not remember doing the set. To this day, all I remember are two jokes that got halfway decent laughs and just for a moment thinking, "You know, this is kind of cool," before reverting back into a terrified trance. Remember, nerves are OK, and normal. I still get nervous before shows, particularly for new bookers, new clubs, or I have friends or family in the audience. If I didn't make you nervous, it wouldn't be any fun. All that said...

3. Try and keep an even keel. At some point(s) before your first show, you will have a daydream, where you walk off stage for the first time, only to meet a fat old bald man with a cigar who says, "Hey, kid, great job. How'd you like to work here full-time? And what about a three-picture deal with Sony?" (Or something along those lines.)

It ain't gonna happen. Do the best you can, hope for some laughs, and have fun. As well as you do, you WILL bomb some day in the not-too-distant future. On the flip side, keep this mind - no matter how well you do, you will remember your first set in six months or two years and instantly think, "Man, I sucked back then." And to repeat, you WILL bomb in this business. If it happens your first time, well, you got it out of the way. Figure out what's wrong, fix it, and try again.

4. Organize your material. If you watch solid, professional comics, you will notice that their material flows together; jokes lead into one another, and transitions are smooth. This is admittedly much more difficult to do when you only have five or six minutes of material - but see if you can find connections, however tenuous. This will keep the show moving - there's nothing worse than to watch a comic earn a good laugh, then blow it by sighing and saying, "Uh, well, so you guys check out American Idol?", thus bringing the set to a screeching halt. (Or even worse, to say on stage, "Ah, what's next?". Please don't do that.) Try and keep a flow - it will help your jokes, and just as important, make it easier for you to remember your next joke. Because, to repeat, you will be nervous up on that stage.

5. Write an introduction. Whatever show you do will have an MC, who will have to introduce you. He will ask you for an introduction. Do NOT say, "Whatever you think is fine," because in some clubs, and at some shows, the MC is a bitter, talentless hack who's been a comic for years and made nothing of himself. And he may go up and say something like, "I think it's this comic's first time, and I really hope he doesn't suck," which gets him a cheap laugh but does little for you.

What should you write? Well, don't make up credits - don't say you've been on HBO and Comedy Central. You might also want to avoid announcing that it's your first time on stage - let the audience think you belong. If you can think of something funny, personal, or related to your first joke, jot it on a piece of paper and hand it to the MC. Your introduction is the audience's first impression of you. Don't let that out of your control.

6. Know your place. I am often asked to define the most important thing a beginning comedian can learn, and I feel that this is it. When I first started comedy in New York City, I met comedians who done three or four shows - and yet had websites, business cards, and press kits. Inevitably, three months later they'd be out of the business for good. It is not a get-rich-quick scheme (most likely, it is a get-rich-never scheme). When you start out, work on your material. Constantly. Don't worry about bookers or agents or clubs or websites. Just work on your act. Save the business aspect for when you become a real comedian. And the only way to become a real comedian is to develop your act, not your website.

This article was originally published on Suite101.com. Subsequent changes have been made.