When the Show Isn't Perfect - You Still Can Be

One reason I encourage comics to do all types of shows, from the glamorous to the wildly unprepared, is because they can learn something about themselves, their performing abilities, and their actual love of stand up. Everyone can have fun at a bringer show on the main stage on a Thursday night or Sunday. That's easy. But try performing at a bar show on a Monday at 9PM in front of two people is hard. Worse than that, you can't tell if they are either:

A) A couple 
B) Brother and Sister 
C) Both 

And you won't know until you do the worst crowd work you've ever done.

If you break down what stand up really is, it is a series of shows strung together that help you build off past successes and failures to prepare you for future successes and failures. No one wants to run a bad show. But sometimes you'll walk into terrible situation, and instead of seeing it as a wasted night, you should see it as the opportunity of a lifetime. There are so many types of shows you can do if you stick it out. In the past decade I've played:

• Comedy Clubs
• Colleges 
• Backyards 
• Warehouses
• Restaurants 
• Black Box Rooms the size of bathrooms 
• In parking lots in front of honking cars 
• Old Folks Homes 
• Churches 
• Casino Bars 
• RV Homes 
• Outdoor Camp Sites
• Wineries 
• Breweries 
• High School Football Stadium Bleachers 
• Hooters Pageants 
• Living Rooms (in actual homes)
• Aquariums
• Shopping Mall Rooftops 
• Bars 
• Herbalife Smoothie Bars 
• Performing Arts Centers 
• Acting Theaters 
• Movie Theaters 
• Country Clubs 

 ...and the list goes on. I'm just waiting for a show at a zoo at this point. 

Because I've played every weird and massive type of venue, there are two things I've learned:

1. Not every show is what the producer promises 
2. Not every show goes as planned

What becomes your greatest fear starting out (the show going off the rails) becomes your greatest test and accomplishment when you're more seasoned. There are so many things that can occur that you have to be able to enjoy the moment or you'll find comedy to be too frustrating to navigate. There are a series of issues that can be discouraging, but once you learn how to battle them, and it is a battle, then no show is too hard to do well in. 

Even though most shows will start on time and end within reason, here are a few types of obstacles you might have to overcome:

• Show starts really late 
• Faulty mic and sound system
• Smaller crowd than expected (2-5 people)
• Larger crowd than building can handle 
• Change of content rules (suddenly it's a clean show)
• Weird seating (can't see half the crowd)
• A really bad comic before you that turns the crowd    
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Yet, while each of the above issues are frustrating, there is one simple solution to all the above problems: Eliminate all expectations you had the second the shows turns on you. It's a classic Buddhist philosophy. Once you've emptied all expectations, you'll be free to accept all current realities.

Too many times, we have expectations that cloud our experience. We thought this show would be "the one" where we get the big break, are discovered, or become a regular with the booker. But then we show up and it's not what we expected. Once you become okay with any outcome, you can enjoy the process of learning how to be a better comic in the moment. 

In the summer of 2023, while working at Flappers, I wasn't booked for any shows during the Burbank Comedy Festival. It was always a surprise to people when I told them I rarely got up at the club I worked at. Often, I was told the "employee spots" were for other people working there (the booker) or "potential" celebrity drop-ins (the booker). It became a fight every time. In 2022's festival I hadn't performed at all because my one booking was taken away mysteriously.

Anyway, I decided I was going to do a spot in the 2023 festival, so when I noticed there were four 5 minute spots remaining, I asked for it, and since there was no reason on God's green earth to say no, I got on stage. Here's the catch, there were only 6 people, and three were industry judges begrudgingly there to watch. The host did okay, but the crowd was so dead. During the host's set a group of interns, staff, and the owner tried to fill the seats. I was walking into a no win situation. So instead of moping, I decided to make it fun for me. (You can watch the 5 minute clip at the top)

I asked for a funky song and intro. I decided to make light of the low turnout and the fact that the club owner was in the front row. I riffed a lot. I made call backs to the other comic's jokes. I went Albert Brooks mode. I had a ball. Because my job was to make them laugh, and the best way was to cut through the BS and just be in the moment. I turned a disappointing moment into a joyous one, and in the process, I got more out of it than reading off twenty jokes. Ironically, that would be my last set at Flappers. I wasn't asked to be booked from August to December. I knew they'd just have a lame excuse not to book me, and to be honest, doing 5 minutes in the YooHoo room on a Tuesday didn't sound fun anyway.  

Back to the main point. When in doubt, the best thing you can do is trust your comedic instincts and not your human instincts. Your human instincts want to be bitter, upset, flustered, etc. Your comedic instincts want the laugh. So release the negative energy and allow yourself to be funny.

Don't worry about the jokes. The crowd doesn't know the script. Just be funny within the weird situation. The show isn't perfect - but that doesn't mean you can't be perfect for the show. 

The crowd too small? Talk to them. 

The crowd too noisy? Talk to a few people in the front row listening. 

Can't see a portion of the crowd because of a wall? Joke about it. 

The sound going in and out? Use it like a sound effect. 

Don't feel trapped by your own expectations and desires. Because one day, when the rumors of your excellence get out there, the bigger stars and venues will ask you to work with them.

And in that moment, all your hard work of being free will give you the ability to tell the jokes in the environment best suited for them.