Creating a Comic

Last night at Giggles, an open mic newbie approached a few of us with some questions about how the evening worked: who gets on stage, how much time you get, etc. — standard n00b questions. Then he asked, “What about feedback? How do you know whether your stuff is any good?”

“If the audience laughed, it was good. If they don’t, it sucked.”

We were being smartasses, of course, but in general it really is that simple. What isn’t simple is predicting, beforehand, which material will do well. The audience is a harsh and fickle mistress. Until you get up on stage and put it out there for the audience’s consideration, new material is nothing but words on the page (or in your head).

The audience is a harsh mistress
(artist’s conception)

My friend Jim Kellner runs the open mic at 88 Keys, and earlier in the evening he and I had been marveling about how random the audience response can be. Sometimes I’ll write something that I just know is gold; on rare occasions, I’ll even be giggling in anticipation as I write it out. I just can’t wait to get up on stage and try it…

…and then the audience responds with silence. Crickets and tumbleweeds.

Even more bewildering—albeit gratifying—is when I’ll start in on a new joke and the audience will crack up with laughter at one of the setup lines. While the subsequent punchline usually falls flat, the interruption is an unexpected gift: I’ve now got a laugh line that I didn’t realize existed. Simply rearranging the premise and punchline usually results in a big guaranteed laugh the next time around.

Related entries in Creating a Comic:

• Working new material into a stand-up set
• Preparing a set list
• Crowd Work: Playing with the Audience
• Open Mic: First Timer Primer
• Stand-up Comedy Glossary

 — Posted by CJ under Creating a Comic. Please comment or trackback!