Creating a Comic

I felt like I had a pretty good set at Laughs Comedy Spot last night. One of the best thing about Laughs is that they don’t restrict the type of content that comics can perform, and I had a new bit that I wanted to try out that’s pretty damn blue¹. So I dropped it into the middle of my routine, and, because it was new, flubbed it a little. The first punchline got a good laugh, but then I accidentally skipped an important setup line, and it all soon hit a brick wall.

This is not at all uncommon when trying out new stuff, no matter how long you’ve been doing comedy. For me, as recently as a few months ago, having a couple jokes bomb in a row would have caused me to crash and burn like some sort of humor Hindenberg. Thankfully, I have just enough experience on stage that I didn’t totally lose my brain, and I followed a strategy that had been passed on to me by veteran comics:

Always put new material in the middle of the set, sandwiched between proven material.

The reason for this is largely psychological. An audience will form two impressions of a comedian that matter:

1. A first impression. This is why your opener should be strong, to get the crowd on your side. Building this reservoir of goodwill will then lead them to be more forgiving if you happen to stumble later on in the set.
2. A lasting impression. 90% of what an audience will remember about your act afterward is based on the material you close with. That’s why a comedian usually saves their best joke for last.

It also helps to come out of divebomb with a short joke, one with a quick setup and punchline that you know will get a laugh. Even a small laugh will get the audience back on your side and remind them why they’re rooting for you. Then if you close big, the stinkfest in the middle of your act will be all but forgotten. Even if some new material goes off the rails, you can come back and end up having a really solid set.

Related entries in Creating a Comic:

• Always Record Your Set
• Writing For the Stage
• Colin Quinn’s hell gig
• Open Mic: First Timer Primer
• Stand-up Comedy Glossary

1. It’s a routine about spitefucking, and the F-word is verboten at a lot of open mics. [↩]

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