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Becoming a stand-up comic can start at any point in life. To get started, study successful comedians, take acting or improv classes, create an act that connects with the audience, rehearse it for objective people, try it out at local open mic nights, and audition for comedy clubs. Honesty and truthfulness in your act can make it more genuine, rewarding, and funny.
The path to becoming a stand-up comic is a winding and varied path, and it can start at any point in life. If you’ve always loved storytelling, want a career change, or simply want to perform in public, doing stand-up can be a learning experience, hobby, or even a successful job. While there are many ways to get started as a stand-up comic, consider trying some of the following strategies.
Study successful comedians. When visiting your local comedy club or watching a reality show like Last Comic Standing, you’ll see plenty of good and bad comedians. Learning which mistakes to avoid can be as important or even more important than learning how to be funny on stage. Pay close attention to comedians who get a bad response from the crowd: Are they resorting to clichés, not articulating their words or connecting with the audience? Doing your research can save you considerable embarrassment and prevent you from making common beginner mistakes.
Consider taking acting or improv classes. While stand-up comics aren’t technically actors, you’ll learn to read an audience and react quickly. That way, when you’re actually performing, you can tell what resonates with your audience and what’s falling flat. Improvised training will teach you not to panic if you suddenly have to change your attitude without any preparation.
To create your stand up act, remember that connecting with your audience is a huge part of success. Telling stories that people can relate to and expressing frustrations we all have will make people care about who you are and what you have to say. The trick to being a good stand-up comic is putting an individual spin on it that makes people laugh.
After acting, rehearse it for people whose objectivity you can trust. Don’t worry about showing it to friends or family who will tell you they love it no matter what. Chances are, if you really can make them laugh, you’re on your way to success. If they seem to be faking it or don’t laugh, go back to the drawing board.
If you feel confident in your act, try it out at a local open mic night. These are held at many comedy clubs, bars and coffee shops and often host a variety of acts from music to poetry to stand-up. While they’re not your ticket to fame and fortune, they can provide the most valuable feedback: honest reactions from people who don’t even know you. Pay close attention to what they laugh at and what they don’t get. Always be open to create a better stand-up comic.
Many comedy clubs will hold auditions throughout the year, or even competitions for new talent. Even if you know you don’t yet have the experience to perform on a big stage, auditioning can provide valuable feedback, advice and guidance. Go into auditions with self-confidence and no ego, remember that every criticism can make you better in some way.
As with any creative or performing art, comedy is about doing what you love and being who you want to be. Doing an honest and truthful act will often be more genuine, rewarding and funny than making jokes that you think will sound good. If you’re brave enough to get up on stage and perform in front of people, you’re definitely brave enough to make your performance honestly funny, at least in your opinion. While not all stand-up comics are hugely successful, with training and practice you can certainly be on your way to making people laugh and having a lot of fun doing it.
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