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So, our comedy class comes to an end this weekend with final class being on Saturday. We have been advised that we get to do our first gig on December 14th in a closed doors session just before the regular pro-comedy night. The closed doors session is for family and friends of all the course comedians so if anyone is from Cambridge or nearby, and can get to Comberton Leisure in Comberton, west of Cambridge, please feel free to come along. I believe you also get to come into the pro night for free afterwards as our guests

I will be performing under the name of Jay C and the closed door session will start at 7.30pm - 8pm when the doors open to the general public for the main night.

Good luck to you! I'm sure you'll be brilliant

Good luck. And remember, the key is confidence and likability. Even if you don't feel confident, fake it. And have a great evening.

Thanks

My first gig is now on 4th Dec in Cambridge at BadKat Comedy Open Mic night. And I have entered for the heats of Laughing Horse New Act of the Year national competition. If accepted to that my heat will be December 12th.

Even if you leave the stage to silence, nobody actually dies, so have fun.

Thanks Tomo. A valid point in every aspect of performance!

I'm hoping to get some video on Dec 4th, but if I don't, then we are definitely filming 14th Dec so I will be either brave (or stupid) and post the vid for critiquing

Really looking forward to the video, Jordan! Good luck with it!

Jordan C wrote:Thanks Tomo. A valid point in every aspect of performance!

I'm hoping to get some video on Dec 4th, but if I don't, then we are definitely filming 14th Dec so I will be either brave (or stupid) and post the vid for critiquing

I saw a guy called Mik Artistik get exactly one laugh in a 20 minute spot at Widesmile once. No heckles, nothing. At one point, he produced a load of McDonalds straws from his pocket, dropped them to the ground and said "pocket of straws". That was the standard of his material. Now he's playing Glasto, Edinburgh, etc. and has a band that gets good if slightly odd reviews.

Eeks, so this is Friday night and I have been placed 3rd from top of the bill - pressure!!

Any experienced comedy heads fancy taking a look at my script and offering feedback?

Best of luck! I've been meaning to do an open mic night for a while now so I'd love to hear how it goes - especially with me being in sunny Cambridgeshire as well!!!!

K

Good luck Jordan! Stay calm, relax and you'll do brilliantly.

jordan ive done a fair bit of standup.
remember that a bad gig is the best one you can have. you will learn the material that works best and does not work at all.
also the stuff that needs more or less time spent on it.

sincerely good luck. also, make sure you ask as many people as possible what your 'ticks' are (annoying things we all do like repeat words, body movements). Hopefully you have none but even the best have ticks which can be annoying (eg. Al Murray saying 'the point is this', or russell howard saying genuine pleasure!) -crucial feedback that.

Mine were tapping my foot and saying a particular word on repeat - 'basically.'

happy to look at your script as well (find it fascinating) but its all down to persona and delivery right?

are you feeling confident about it?

I'm feeling pretty confident, I know how I'd deliver most of it. Needs a touch of tweaking as you'll see. I'll paste it to a PM.

sent you a couple bits. i like it! i will dig my first script out - that will fill you with confidence.. mine was hopeless!

Jordan,
Just curious; how much is completely scripted? I ask because I never fully script anything; actually, i don't script, I just bullet point and that's it. My problem is that I'm an appaulingly bad actor and if I'm reciting a script it sounds like I'm reciting a script but if I just know the few main points I have to hit I can string them together in a way that sounds more natural.
Of course, your come back could be "well, I'm an amazing actor and have no such problems" in which case, fair play!


There you go magicians, Lawrence's performing tip #1: Don't script.
tip #2 is "practice doesn't make perfect - practice makes permanent" fyi