COMEDY COURSE HOME | COMEDY BASICS | COMEDY WRITING | COMEDY PERFORMANCE | THE COMEDY BUSINESS | PRO COMEDIAN TIPS | HISTORY OF COMEDY | OTHER RESOURCES & MISC BITS
Click HERE for the course intro and other chapters:
Hopefully last week you tried crowd work! You might have loved it or hated every minute of it. No matter your feelings, experiencing stand-up without the safety net of material is essential for your growth.
Conquering your fears in comedy will boost your confidence on stage and improve your overall performance.
As a comedian, half of your progress comes from accumulating time and experiences on stage. Each new situation becomes a valuable memory in your comedy bank.
Drawing on these experiences helps you respond effectively to unexpected moments, making you more composed and assured on stage.
The audience feels more comfortable with a confident performer, making them much more likely to laugh and connect with your material.
One of the most dreaded aspects of comedy is dealing with hecklers. While we won’t encourage you to invite heckling, let’s chat about how to handle it when it happens. Hecklers rarely shout “You suck!” directly, but they may interrupt your act.
It’s crucial to take control without showing genuine distress. Remember, the audience is on your side, and they want you to succeed.
Engage them to support you and deal with the disruptor. Keep your responses proportionate, starting with a light slap and escalating if necessary.
More often than not just giving the heckler the time to say something else, they’ll shoot themselves in the foot! Rarely is the audience on their side.
Check out some famous heckle put downs online and try and write some for yourself! Our personal favourite comes from Harry Hill who famously said:
“You May heckle me now sir but I know that when I get home i’ve got a lovely chicken in the oven”
It’s disarming and incredibly true to his character!
Now, let’s focus on holding and keeping the audience’s attention. Stand-up comedy can be challenging, especially in an open mic setting, where everything seems to work against you. To grab the audience’s attention, don’t rush into your material.
Give them time to process you by confidently greeting them and owning the stage. Slowing down your delivery when you sense the audience slipping away is counterintuitive but highly effective. Silence and careful delivery make your words more compelling and encourage active listening.
Avoid wasting the audience’s time by eliminating unnecessary words. Your goal is to make every word count and keep them engaged. Ensure your setups deliver what they promise, and don’t leave any unanswered questions.
Make your jokes clear and concise, avoiding needless segue-ways. If you choose to maintain a specific vocal style throughout your act, ensure that the content varies significantly to keep the audience interested.
Now, let’s learn from the master of engaging audiences, Zach Galifianakis. Analysing his techniques will give us valuable insights into captivating our own audiences.
In each video, observe how Zach uses various techniques to grab and maintain the audience’s attention. Notice how he varies his approach, tone, and emotions, keeping them engaged throughout his performance.
Remember, comedy is about expectation and fulfillment. Make sure your writing and performance consistently deliver on their promises, leaving the audience eager to hear more. With practice, you’ll master the art of stand-up comedy and leave a lasting impression on every audience you encounter.
This is an adaptation of the free 12 week course Jon Roy offers HERE
Learn more about the Comedy Basics here
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