Performing With an Open Mike

Outmotormouthing The Competition: Open Mike Comedy Performances

One of the best risks to take in trying to get your break in the comedy industry is to go to open mike performances. These are free events, and different rules will usually apply depending on the place where the open mike performance is being held.

First off, just what is an open mike performance? And if your reply is that it's the opposite of a closed mike performance, you just earned yourself a swift kick in the butt. Seriously, it's an event held in a club or hosted by a comedy group that allows aspiring comedians (and bored people in the audience) the opportunity to go on stage and perform stand up comedy for a set period of time, usually lasting 5 to 15 minutes.

Some open mike events are very informal, and these are the ones you'll want to go to first if you're not confident yet or inexperienced at stand up comedy. The more informal events are held at comedy clubs where, on those nights, anyone from the audience can just jump up on stage and start jamming. What is the advantage to this? You can bomb, and nobody will really care much - though your confidence will definitely take a massive hit if you do. Unless you bomb worse than your grandmother after prunes, in which case the audience may decide to shower you with (hopefully non physical) abuse.

On the other hand, informal open mike comedy at clubs means you don't have to arrange anything like you would with a formal gig, and gives you plenty of practice with a non-demanding crowd that (hopefully) won't be throwing cutlery at you. You can refine your technique in this fashion, and improve over time as you lose your stage shyness and become comfortable performing in front of a crowd. Just pray that on the nights you do this, you don't get a crowd with the attitude of a school of hungry piranhas.

The disadvantage to open mike comedy at clubs is that the odds of getting noticed are moderately slim. It makes good practice, but rarely will you expect to run into agents and talent scouts who can help you break into the big time at these places. Yes, we've all heard the stories of people discovered by talent scouts while performing at a club. But those are few and far in between, and we have to assume that any talent agents going to the clubs you'll be performing at will be busier getting a date than actually listening to you.

More formal open mike comedy events take the form of a contest of sorts. Some people actually enter these events for kicks. However if you're seriously considering a career in the comedy industry, don't enter these contests unless you're confident onstage. These events are usually hosted by one organization or another, and the audience WILL include invited talent scouts and managers who will be there in a working capacity, looking for raw meat - oops, I mean fresh talent - to bring into their coteries. You definitely want to make a good impression at these events.

These contests will usually have dozens of comedians all out there to win recognition, and if you want to get into the industry fast, this is where you pull out all the stops and use your best material. Depending on your personal attitude, you can either go into this for the sheer fun of the experience, or think of it as a war against the other comedians, with witticism as your weapon. Doing well at these events, whether you win or not, may earn you the attention of a talent scout and get you the break you've been looking for. Unless the managers and agents in the crowd brought along their dates from the clubs where you performed open mike before, in which case they'll STILL be trying to get a date.

Finding an open mike event is easy enough. Surf the net, and check your local papers for news announcement of open mike comedy events. If you've also got a bar which you frequent you can even talk to the owners and get them into the scheme, having them host an open mike contest where you can strut your stuff.

Building Your Promo File

How to Build a Convincing Promo File

Comedy is an ever-expanding and evolving entertainment sector. There are thousands of comedians that are already dominating scenes and starting to make their own mark in performance venues.

That is why competition among comedians starts to get more intense. With the increasing volume of comedians, the market is becoming more selective, and the number of venues shrink, giving way to only a few outstanding comedians.

So where do other comedians go? Nowhere. They quit the business, get other careers, or wait indefinitely until new opportunities arise.

For beginners, it would be a tough challenge to establish a niche and identity in the current comedy scene. The challenge to break through is always an obstacle that is succeeded by a limited number of performers.

For experts, the challenge would be how to tap that staying power to guaranty his job despite the entry of new, fresh and more talented comedians.

The promo file

Comedians, just like other talents, should always keep and update their own promo files. The promo file is a portfolio containing the necessary items that would serve as references about the comedian.

As for the employment lingo, the promo file is the equivalent of a resume, a document that outlines the job applicant's competence, experiences and relevant knowledge.

The promo file should contain demo tapes, which serve as a sample of outputs, materials or experience, press kits, or press-release statements for promotion, and of course the bio or biographic details.

The promo file is a comedian's passport to securing regular and even contractual performance gigs. Thus, it should be regularly and appropriately updated. Make your promo file as presentable as possible to make sure those people and prospective employers who get ahold of it would create a good impression of you.

Preparing the promo file

The life of a comedian isn't easy, contrary to what people may perceive. That is because to be able to become really effective, the comedian needs to invest in time and preparation.

Before putting a foray into the entertainment scene for comedy, the aspiring comedian should make sure he has an accessible and presentable promo file.

The promo file should speak on behalf of the comedian and should be persuasive enough to convince a prospective boss to employ the comedian.

To prepare the promo file, there are a few simple guidelines that you should follow. Here are they:

Make the resume or biographical information as comprehensive as possible. Take particular emphasis on experiences, education and of course, references.

Unlike common notions, the biographical information should be written in a way that it is serious enough to be taken seriously by the prospective employer. Others employ funny gimmicks to present their biography. Don't fall into that trap. There will be enough uses for your creative juices in other equally significant portions of the promo file.

The demo tape should be handy and should use quality tapes, so the screen quality of the video, if it’s a video, should be superb.

Make sure to put up your funniest comic antics on the demo tape. That way, you can demonstrate your effectiveness in making people laugh or back your claim that you are a good comedian.

Make the demo tape entertaining enough, but make it last only a few minutes, unless an employer requires a longer duration. That way, you would be able to keep your mystery and be able to create an impression that you still have more in store.

The press kit should be written particularly for dissemination. Make a press release of yourself. This is the part where your most creative and hilarious ideas should show off. The press kit is a run down statement about how you would handle the situation when you are asked to advertise yourself.

Applying for a comedy performance gig or job will also entail luck on the part of the comedian. Be aware that sheer talent and natural humor is necessary, but they're not enough.

Determination will be a driving force. Combine them all, and you'll have luck to be able to land that comedy job or gig you need to get for you to have a proper venue for showcasing your talent.

Good luck!