You're sitting with your friends at dinner and you have them rolling; everything you say seems to be getting a huge laugh from everyone, even strangers sitting near you. Someone notices your hilarity and says, "You should do stand-up."
And that's how it starts for many of us. We're funny with friends, so we're sure to be funny in front of strangers, right? Unfortunately that's not always the case, but with a few tips and a little guidance, you can have a successful first stand-up experience. And from there you can find out if stand-up comedy is something you want to pursue.
10 Steps to Performing Stand-up Comedy
1. Know the "rules." There are a number of comedy "rules" (all of which can be broken once you know what you're doing). The most important ones are:
- Setup/Punch - The basic structure of any joke is a setup, something that is grounded in reality and establishes an expectation, and a punch, what's different and destroys that expectation, creating the surprise for generating laughter.
- The Rule of 3 - everything is funnier in 3's for some reason. Have a point-of-view or attitude - If you don't have an emotion to what you're talking about, neither will the audience.
- The Rule of 9 - 9 out of 10 things you write will suck. Understand that not every joke you say is going to be hilarious, and know that it sometimes takes years for a comedian to develop a 45-minute act.
2. Write down what you want to say. Don't just go up there expecting to "wing it." Few comedians are able to do this with success. Stand-up comedy is about writing and performance. Also make sure your material is your own. The biggest no-no in stand-up is to steal someone else's material--this is not karaoke.
3. Act it out. You have to be a clever linguist in order to pull of just talking on stage. It's much easier, and more entertaining for the audience, if you act out your stories for them to see.
4. Memorize it. While you don't have to (and probably shouldn't) memorize every word, you do have to be able to state the setups and punchlines from memory, and you should have a strong sense of how you're going to act out the stories. Nothing derails a performance like taking the time to have to look at a notepad of what you wanted to say.
5. Test your material. Comedians build an act by writing something and then testing it in front of different audiences, finding what's funny. You can do this before ever stepping on stage by telling your friends and family. Don't tell them you're testing material, just work it into everday conversation and see if it gets a laugh. This helps you avoid having to say the dreaded "I guess you had to be there."
6. Scout out an open mic. Go to an open mic just to watch before getting on stage yourself. Scouting it out helps you understand the process, see other people like you, and give you realistic expectations. Open mics are very different than normal weekend shows and you want to be prepared. This also gives you the chance to ask how much time you'll get on stage.
7. Invite your friends and family. Your friends and family are going to be the nicest people you'll perform in front of; they'll laugh even if your set is only moderately funny. This is encourages the other audience members to laugh and is a huge help for your first time.
8. Don't go over your time. The second no-no in comedy is to not go over your time. If you're given 5 minutes, that's what you get, not a second longer. Some open mics won't be as strict, but this is no reason to be a jerk. And yes this still applies if you're "killing" it--leave the audience wanting more.
9. Record your set. If you know you're only going to do stand-up this one time, you'll want something by which to remember it. If you plan on doing stand-up again, this tape will prove invaluable as you can go back and see what worked and what didn't.
10. Do it again. If you want to get an accurate gauge of how you'd really do as a stand-up, you should do it at least 3 times in front of 3 different audiences. Your first time is likely to go well because of friends and family. The true test is if you can perform the same set with the same enthusiasm multiple times in front of an audience of complete strangers.
Do at least one of these things, and you'll be light years ahead of most other first timers. Manage to cover them all and you'll be on your way to comedy fame (or at least some really good sets at your local club).
Drew Tarvin is a stand-up comedian, improviser, and writer based in New York City. Find out more great tips on comedy and more at http://www.drewtarvin.com/blog/.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Drew_Tarvin
http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Be-Funny-As-a-Stand-up-Comedian&id=1669779
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