Top Tips For Stand-Up Comedy

So you want to break into stand-up comedy? Well, it’s not the easiest thing to get into. Many people find that the pressure of standing up on stage and being at the mercy of an audience is a little bit too much. Others thrive on the thrill.

Regardless, we believe that everyone should have a chance to enjoy stand-up comedy, and that’s why we are taking a look at some tips and tricks that you can follow to really get the most out of your experiences.

Find Yourself

Comedy takes a lot of confidence. What you have to remember is that a lot of people gathered in the room can be quite intimidating. Comedians generally have a fairly good understanding of who they are as a person, and their sense of self is quite secure. This gives them a strong position to make jokes and do routines from because they have no fear of coming across as being unsure or awkward. You need to understand who you are before you dive into comedy, because otherwise it can be quite tricky.

Don’t Steal Material

There is a handful of things that you can do which will automatically make you hated in any community. Picking fights, being racist or sexist, and particularly in the comedy community, stealing material. It is one of the fastest ways to get yourself a bad reputation if you shamelessly pinch someone else’s hard work. Comedy is a very unique thing, and unless you’re doing a very satirical impression of someone, leave other people's material alone.

Talk to Your Audience

Successful comedy routines are the ones which engage with the audience. You’re not on television. You don’t have to talk as if the audience isn’t there. If you engage with the people sat in front of you, you’re more likely to relax and have a good time. Ask them if they know what you mean from time to time. Include one of them in a gag. There are little things that you can do to connect with your audience, and it really does help you in the long run. It’s all about building that easy familiarity. Making sure that you and your audience are on the same wavelength, because otherwise your comedy routine isn’t going to work.

In conclusion, these are a few different ways that you can connect with an audience and get into stand-up comedy. It’s not always easy to do, only people feel like they’re never going to get into the industry because it’s incredibly demanding and quite pressurised. However if you’re clever, you take your time to write original material that’s funny and you engage with your audience, there is no reason why you can’t break into this highly entertaining and engaging industry. What we recommend is that you start out small, and then work your way up to bigger stand-up routines, and have a set of materials which are constantly evolving and changing to cope with the times. There’s nothing worse than a bad joke or a joke which is gone out of favour, so need to make sure that you evolve to match the current demands of your climate.