Differences between open mics and paid gigs

This article is part of a a series: From Open Mics to Paid Gigs.

Objective

Explain why you are expected to crush at a paid gig.

Professional comedians sustain laughter.

The big difference between an open mic comedy show and a paid performance is the audience’s expectation of laughter. In the Local Comedy Show scenario, the comedians earned complaints because they did not generate enough laughter.

Pro TIp: Superior headliners expect their opening acts to crush a performance.

One of my favorite headliners has a habit of stopping me on the way to the stage and telling me, “You better crush, Bear.”

The best stand-up comedians I’ve worked with have an expectation that their opening acts and MC set atone of uproarious laughter. You make the audience laugh with a constant barrage of material and comedy that is distinct from other comedians. That’s why I expect the performers on my shows to crush.

On the contrary, some of my least favorite comedians rig the show with poor quality opening acts.

If you’re opening for one of these people, use your best judgement to crush accordingly.

One thing that new comedians do to transition from open mics to paid gigs is to develop a 10-minute set.

In an open mic comedy show the comedians can make mistakes and fail to get laughs.
For a professional stand-up comedy show, or paid gig, the audience expects you to be funny. I expect you to be very funny!
Johnny Newguy Tip: As a young comedian in Boston, my peers and I over used the word crushed. After a set at the open mic, we’d say, “I crushed that set!” The other 4 people in the room would silently agree.
Before I could crush an opening set, I had to develop a 10-minute set to perform on showcases.
Some of those showcases were paid gig at the comedy clubs as an opening act.
I would use my stage time at open mics to hone and develop material for the comedy showcases at the clubs.
Over a 1-2 year period, I used my experience at comedy clubs to find out what was working and what needed fixing. I’d go to open mics, fix my act, and return to the clubs with more new material for the mid-week showcases and a hot set of honed material for the weekends.

If you like what you are reading, please check out the entire series, From Open Mics to Paid Gigs.

A picture of a cactus in a flower pot. Captions read. " The client tells you to keep your performance PG-13. 10-minutes clean. Every table has a centerpiece with a large phallic cactus. The wrong joke will prick you. Comedy101.ChuckRoy.com"

Here’s some things you can do at open mics to hone your act for paid gigs.

Before the gig:

Memorize your set.

Tips for Memorizing your set

Repeat your set list out loud until you no longer need notes to know which joke is next.
Practice your showcase set out loud until you don’t need notes to perform the entire routine.
Practice a few sets adding in a moment where you thank the waitstaff.
Rehearse a few sets and imagine the audience laughing. How often do they laugh?
Rehearse a few sets and picture nobody laughing at your first 3 jokes. How will you get the laughs going?

Rehearsal Challenge: Practice an Interruption.

While you rehearse, try this realistic scenario. Walk on stage, grab the mic and start. As you begin your first joke, the mic cuts out during the punchline and nobody laughs.

How will you get laughs after the mic is fixed?
What will you to do get laughs while the mic is broken?
People in the back can’t hear you. How will you entertain them while the manager runs to the stage to fix the mic?

What’s the differences between open mics and paid gigs in your neighborhood?

Now that you’ve read my thoughts about the different expectations audiences have at open mic comedy shows and pro gigs, it’s time to find out what you think. Scroll through these next challenges.

If you like the practice scenarios, use these activities to develop your set for the Local Brewery Comedy Show.
The best thing you can do is to think about how these scenarios apply to you and comedy shows in your neighborhood. Use this article to affirm what you know about the differences between open mics and paid gigs. Use the tips to develop 5, 7, or 10-minute sets for paid gigs and auditions.

Comedy101 Learning Objective

Think about this:

What are the gigs you want to book?

Make a list of the Top 5 Gigs You Want To Book.

What type of gig is it?
What is the name of the venue for each of your Top 5 Gigs?
How much material will you need for each gig?

Think. Then, click here for more ideas.

Now that you’ve listed some gigs in your neighborhood, consider this list of common gigs and bookings.

Opening act for a professional comedy show performing a 25-minute set at a night club
Host – MC, or master of ceremonies for a comedy show that is 90-minutes long. Your opening set is the first 10-minutes of the show.
Guest set – a short, cameo appearance on a show. Your set could be a 5-minute spot after the host.
Headliner – the big finale of a comedy show. At a comedy club, you could perform 45-minutes.
Showcase act – a person performing on a comedy show that features a variety of comedians. You could get booked for a 10-minute set like the one in the Local Comedy Show booking scenario.

Joke Writing Challenge | You better crush this set.

What would you do in this scenario?

The Local Comedy Show needs you to crush.

Some of the comedy show’s best customers complained about the comedy. These are people who return to the venue for other events. They look forward to comedy nights and were disappointed in the professionalism. These are people who like to hear your ideas and material so they can laugh at your punchlines. Therefore, the comedians who work this gig regularly would like you to not screw up.

One thing you can do to make your set more professional is to edit the parts that aren’t getting laughs. Examine your set and rank the 5 worst jokes from least funny to the absolutely least funniest joke in your set.

Are there 5 jokes in your set that are the least funny?

Click here for the answer.

Yes. Ranking your set is teaching technique I probably picked up in the book Small Teaching, by James Lang. In the book, and in other schooling I’ve received at Denver’s most prestigious community college, I’ve learned that asking someone to rank their jokes help them consider specific criteria. In this case, you’re ranking your jokes and learning what you think makes them the least funny.

Rank your 5 favorite jokes
Identify the best joke in your 10-minute set.
Score your jokes to determine the 5 most likely contents to get laid

Comedy Show Business Quiz

Can you get a few laughs and sell a few drinks?

Garrulous Greg, the Bartender

At the Local Comedy Show, there is a bartender that is a top performer for the LowCal Brewery. Greg is a leader in sales for most of the monthly contests. Last year, his best food and beverage performance increase was on comedy show night because he kept inviting customers back to the show.

Many of the people in the showroom are Greg’s customers and they’ve already asked him about the comedians on the show. It’s known that the customers like Greg, and that he doesn’t mind a few good natured jokes poking fun of his goofy mullet, as long as it sells a few extra beers and burgers. “Whatever it takes to make sure everyone has a good time,” is a common thing Greg tells new wait staff.

You’ve got 10-minutes to crush the audience with the best jokes for this performance. You are going to sustain laughter. And at some point, you might want to say Thanks to the bar and waitstaff.

Is there room in your set list for a few jokes that acknowledge the excellent service at LowCal Brewery?

Click here for some tips for this challenge.

Yes, there’s room in your set list for some jokes about the bartender.

There’s a funnier way to say, “Tip the waitstaff…”

Practice writing a few jokes for this scenario. (Or better yet, apply this technique to your upcoming shows!)

During your set, plan to say, “Thank you” for your drink, meal or service. It’s kind, polite and a common things comedians do.
Scroll through your set list. Are there moments that relate to drinking, dating, or going out for a night of fun? If so, take a few moments to write some jokes that connect directly to your show at the LowCal Brewery.
An easy joke to write for this scenario is a comparison joke. Make the bartender the hero by comparing them to a villain. For example, “Greg is a lot nicer than my Mother-in-law…”
- “I don’t have a Mother-in-Law, but if I did, Greg is already a lot nicer than her.”
Pro Tip: Check your joke with the bartender and the comedy show producer. Often, I check a joke with the key people involved.
Practice at Open Mics: Get to your mics early and write some jokes based on the showroom and neighborhood. Try them on stage. Then throw them away. Write new jokes next show.
Repeat this process until you’re crushing every time.
One more pro tip, never use the word crushing. If you really ‘crush’, others will brag for you.

In this article, you learned a few tips about organizing your set list so you crush gigs.

Here’s a few things you can do to build your 10-minute set into a set that crushes.

Estimate the amount of laughter delivered by your opening jokes.
Build a variety of opening lines. Rotate them as you rehearse at open mics.
Edit out the jokes and words that aren’t getting laughs. If they are important, fix what’s broken to get enough laughs.
Sustain laughter in the middle of your set with funny segues, transitions and killer punchlines.
Develop a variety of closers, material that leads to a big finale of laughter.
Start identifying material for YouTube videos.

I know one thing, you crushed this section!!! Hopefully, these activities helped you gain a better understanding of how to use open mics to develop a professional showcase set. Keep reading this series. If you want to jump ahead to a particular topic, that’s a smart thing to do!