I am relieved to say my 1st show was a success & a beautiful group of 17 friends showed up to support me. At 1st it seemed as though all of the elements were against me; it was the day after the anniversary of 9/11, there was a street festival so traffic was a nightmare, & it was raining out. This is the perfect recipe for a bad show. The crowd was small & definitely tough, but they gave me a few laughs anyway. I was so nervous that I rushed through my set. Although I received a positive reaction from everyone I wasn’t happy with my performance.
They set up the new talent shows by mixing 2 professional comics in with the new comedians. One of the professional comics was kind enough to take time to speak with me about my set & we are going to set up a writing session to work on it. I also just signed up for a 6-week writing class.
I’m noticing more the different kinds of comedy. Some jokes work better in writing, some jokes are funny only during conversations, some jokes work on stage & many do not work at all. Comedy is a lot more work than I first anticipated, but I’m looking forward to the challenge.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
Debut Experience
I took an 8-week class in NYC that ended with a graduation debut performance at Comix comedy club in front of about 200 people. What an exhilarating experience!
My 1st time on stage was probably the scariest experience of my entire life so far. Picture me backstage, pacing around incessantly. I didn’t know what to do with myself; I was just so nervous. I was 4th on the list to go on stage so I still had time to consider running for my life. I just kept reading over my jokes, still making changes even down to the last minute before I went on. Then, the comedian right before me goes up, ½ way through his set I walked out of the dressing room & stood behind the curtain. Then the MC said my name & I swear my heart stopped! I panicked & scrambled not knowing which way to go, like a squirrel in the middle of the road. I opened the curtain, paused, met eyes with the MC and stepped out onto the stage. The lights were so bright & shining right into my face; I couldn’t see any farther than the front row of tables. It’s blurry what happened after that. I remember looking at the table right in front of the stage at this beautiful woman who was smiling; she was shaking her head in agreement with me. That’s when I knew I was doing okay, so of course that’s when I forgot my next joke. I froze up & I had to admit it out loud, which got an applause brake & a good laugh from the crowd but I still felt like an asshole. Even though I still had time left I said my closing joke & tried to walk off stage but of course I couldn’t find the break in the curtain. I don’t think anyone noticed, at least that’s what I tell myself. I came off stage happy but clueless as to how my performance went. I started asking everyone what happened, almost like I had just walked up onto the scene of an accident. I felt blessed to receive such a positive response from the other comics, the crowd, & everyone! I was still hyper for about an hour after that. It was stressful & insane & I loved every minute of it!
A week after my debut I got a call from the New Talent Director of Comix comedy club. He said he liked my act & asked me to come back for another performance in about 3 weeks. I’m going to use the DVD of my 1st show to analyze my jokes & improve my set; I want to write new material for the next show. If I want the DVD of my next performance I either have to pay $40 or bring 15 people to the show, that’s not so easy. Comedy clubs get expensive between the cover charge & the 2 item minimum. Also not everyone likes traveling into the city. I’ll let you know how it goes, wish me luck!
My 1st time on stage was probably the scariest experience of my entire life so far. Picture me backstage, pacing around incessantly. I didn’t know what to do with myself; I was just so nervous. I was 4th on the list to go on stage so I still had time to consider running for my life. I just kept reading over my jokes, still making changes even down to the last minute before I went on. Then, the comedian right before me goes up, ½ way through his set I walked out of the dressing room & stood behind the curtain. Then the MC said my name & I swear my heart stopped! I panicked & scrambled not knowing which way to go, like a squirrel in the middle of the road. I opened the curtain, paused, met eyes with the MC and stepped out onto the stage. The lights were so bright & shining right into my face; I couldn’t see any farther than the front row of tables. It’s blurry what happened after that. I remember looking at the table right in front of the stage at this beautiful woman who was smiling; she was shaking her head in agreement with me. That’s when I knew I was doing okay, so of course that’s when I forgot my next joke. I froze up & I had to admit it out loud, which got an applause brake & a good laugh from the crowd but I still felt like an asshole. Even though I still had time left I said my closing joke & tried to walk off stage but of course I couldn’t find the break in the curtain. I don’t think anyone noticed, at least that’s what I tell myself. I came off stage happy but clueless as to how my performance went. I started asking everyone what happened, almost like I had just walked up onto the scene of an accident. I felt blessed to receive such a positive response from the other comics, the crowd, & everyone! I was still hyper for about an hour after that. It was stressful & insane & I loved every minute of it!
A week after my debut I got a call from the New Talent Director of Comix comedy club. He said he liked my act & asked me to come back for another performance in about 3 weeks. I’m going to use the DVD of my 1st show to analyze my jokes & improve my set; I want to write new material for the next show. If I want the DVD of my next performance I either have to pay $40 or bring 15 people to the show, that’s not so easy. Comedy clubs get expensive between the cover charge & the 2 item minimum. Also not everyone likes traveling into the city. I’ll let you know how it goes, wish me luck!
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