Another quick tip - don't get a gig at a comedy venue which makes some of its money from selling food to the audience and then complain that the audience are eating food while you're up on stage (particularly if you're not actually funny).
Stand up help. Page 2
You're talking about a local talent comp. Not about the circuit. Just do it. write it, practise it and go for it.
If you decide to take it further, then the best thing you can do is never ask advice. This isn't aimed at anyone on here, but the stand-up world at the open mike level is bursting with borderline mentalists all ready and willing to give you the benefit of their years of experience. There's a reason they're still open mike pots after years of experience and they should all be roundly ignored.
The acts and even more so the promoters at this level are there because for about 90% of them it's the only way they can get people to listen/respect them.
IMHO stand-up is something you have to do yourself. It's about your voice and it's going to take you about years of slogging around to find that voice.
But when you do... then my son, then you'll be a comedian.
Quote: Afinkawan @ May 17 2010, 12:32 PM BSTAnother quick tip - don't get a gig at a comedy venue which makes some of its money from selling food to the audience and then complain that the audience are eating food while you're up on stage (particularly if you're not actually funny).
Did it feel good to get that out?
Quote: David Bussell @ May 17 2010, 12:54 PM BSTDid it feel good to get that out?
It did actually.
Quote: Afinkawan @ May 17 2010, 12:58 PM BSTIt did actually.
Quote: David Bussell @ May 17 2010, 10:28 AM BSTIn my view it's best to reference a failed joke rather than marching on regardless. Audience's are smart enough to recognise where a punchline was supposed to be and they know when one failed.
I'd say that this depends on the comic though, if you stand there for a few seconds like an idiot waiting for a laugh that never comes then, yes, they'll spot that it was an unsuccessful punchline, but if you plough straight on (with the proviso that you might have to stop again if it was a genuinely delayed laugh) then the audience don't have time to think about it.
Watch Tim Vine, Milton Jones, Gary Delaney or any other good one-liner comic and you'll see that, should the need arise, they'll move straight on with the next gag. Like I said before a lot of it is momentum, keep that going and you'll be okay, do anything to break the momentum and then you have to start all over again (this is the reason that good comics tend to "sandwich" newer or less good bits of material in amongst killer jokes, the audience have laughed at the poorer gag before they've had a chance to evaluate it separately).
Cheers for all the advice. Well, I did it - forgot some of it - kept going.
Helped by the fact the mike hid my picture prompts I got through it.
The judges were quite kind - They said I was "natural."
Mind you, one singer was a screecher and they said she had a "unique" voice!
Oh my, Lord. You are brave... Someone once offered me a chance at stand-up and the thought alone nearly killed me. I couldn't do it.
I think I have proved to myself I am a better writer than performer. Blimey!
Well, me thinks I'm probably a far better performer, but I'm very shy...