Restored Faith (for now)
Last night I was invited to do a show at a pub in Mississauga called "IT". It is a beautifully kept pub with a nice menu, and at first glance it looks too fancy for the show I want to bring, but after soaking up the atmosphere for about a half hour, I begin to realize the appearance is deceiving.
It was staffed more like a truck stop, with motherly like waitresses, and the clientele was a mix of white collar golfers and blue collar tradesmen, so I begin to feel a little more connected, which is imperative for me to deliver the way I need to.
We were treated with respect, by both management and spectator alike. All 5 comics were given a couple of free drinks, half price food, a modest stipend and an appreciative and attentive audience. In my limited experience I have found the further you are from Toronto, the happier they are to see you.
The show was set up different than most I have played. The host and producer Miriam Miller got up and did just a few minutes before bringing Brian Hope to the stage to open the show. When he finished, there was a 20 min intermission before bringing Edgar Fraser to do his spot. After each comedian there was to be this break so the audience could go have a cigarette in the smoking room. These intermissions normally kill a room. The flow is broken, it gives people a chance to leave, and makes the show a lot longer, but in this case it worked and it worked well. Every time a comedian was brought to the stage, the audience returned to watch, like the third period of a Stanley Cup game was about to begin.
The best part of the show for me was the chance to stretch my comedic legs and do between 25 and 30 min. Unless you are a headliner, that is a rare opportunity in this town of 5-7min sets. It is one thing to keep an audience's attention for 5min, it is quite another to keep them for 30min. Any small misstep can be disastrous. Too much energy for 30 min can overwhelm them, too little can bore them. Too much space between jokes and they become distracted, not enough and you step on laughs. I have a lot to learn about the 30 min show, but last night's biggest lesson was I CAN do it!
I grew more and more comfortable on stage every minute. I became more accustomed to the lights, the mic, the stage, and the faces in the crowd became familiar. I didn't know anybody there, but by paying attention to them, I started to understand some personalities. I began to know who would like certain jokes as I told them. "The girl on the couch was laughing at my self esteem bit, she will love my joke about weddings." The guy leaning on the rail in the blue jacket liked my bit on strippers, I'll look his way when I'm telling the bit on being alone."
As time progressed it became less about me telling jokes and more about sharing laughs with those people. When an audience is present and attentive for you, the least you can do as a comedian is reciprocate. If you do, the job becomes much easier and much more fun, and after all, that's why I got into this.
I've done better and I've done worse, I have no illusions, but it FELT better than it has in a long time. I'm making smaller mistakes now, I'm fine tuning rather than overhauling. In the past I would rework an entire piece, for such a minimal gain I would grow frustrated and second guess all of my instincts. Now, I am making small adjustments with intonation, inflection, attitude and word choice, with a much bigger pay off. It has all led to a humble confidence. I'm a looser, better performer. I have a long way to go, but the progress is tangible, and I again trust my instincts.
The highlight of the night took place for me off stage, after the show, when a nice young lady approached me and asked me where I would be performing next. I told her about a great show I would be doing 7 min on next week with 5 or 6 other great comics, and then she said, "When will you be doing your whole show again, the one I saw tonight? I think my boyfriend would really like your kind of humor and I want to take him to your show for his birthday."
WOW! Somebody thinks I am a worthy birthday gift?!?!?!? (or maybe her birthday budget is $0) She didn't end up mentioning whether SHE liked my show, just thought her boyfriend would like it. Still this is the best compliment yet. I have a long way to go, but now I have a map and 1 fan.
It was staffed more like a truck stop, with motherly like waitresses, and the clientele was a mix of white collar golfers and blue collar tradesmen, so I begin to feel a little more connected, which is imperative for me to deliver the way I need to.
We were treated with respect, by both management and spectator alike. All 5 comics were given a couple of free drinks, half price food, a modest stipend and an appreciative and attentive audience. In my limited experience I have found the further you are from Toronto, the happier they are to see you.
The show was set up different than most I have played. The host and producer Miriam Miller got up and did just a few minutes before bringing Brian Hope to the stage to open the show. When he finished, there was a 20 min intermission before bringing Edgar Fraser to do his spot. After each comedian there was to be this break so the audience could go have a cigarette in the smoking room. These intermissions normally kill a room. The flow is broken, it gives people a chance to leave, and makes the show a lot longer, but in this case it worked and it worked well. Every time a comedian was brought to the stage, the audience returned to watch, like the third period of a Stanley Cup game was about to begin.
The best part of the show for me was the chance to stretch my comedic legs and do between 25 and 30 min. Unless you are a headliner, that is a rare opportunity in this town of 5-7min sets. It is one thing to keep an audience's attention for 5min, it is quite another to keep them for 30min. Any small misstep can be disastrous. Too much energy for 30 min can overwhelm them, too little can bore them. Too much space between jokes and they become distracted, not enough and you step on laughs. I have a lot to learn about the 30 min show, but last night's biggest lesson was I CAN do it!
I grew more and more comfortable on stage every minute. I became more accustomed to the lights, the mic, the stage, and the faces in the crowd became familiar. I didn't know anybody there, but by paying attention to them, I started to understand some personalities. I began to know who would like certain jokes as I told them. "The girl on the couch was laughing at my self esteem bit, she will love my joke about weddings." The guy leaning on the rail in the blue jacket liked my bit on strippers, I'll look his way when I'm telling the bit on being alone."
As time progressed it became less about me telling jokes and more about sharing laughs with those people. When an audience is present and attentive for you, the least you can do as a comedian is reciprocate. If you do, the job becomes much easier and much more fun, and after all, that's why I got into this.
I've done better and I've done worse, I have no illusions, but it FELT better than it has in a long time. I'm making smaller mistakes now, I'm fine tuning rather than overhauling. In the past I would rework an entire piece, for such a minimal gain I would grow frustrated and second guess all of my instincts. Now, I am making small adjustments with intonation, inflection, attitude and word choice, with a much bigger pay off. It has all led to a humble confidence. I'm a looser, better performer. I have a long way to go, but the progress is tangible, and I again trust my instincts.
The highlight of the night took place for me off stage, after the show, when a nice young lady approached me and asked me where I would be performing next. I told her about a great show I would be doing 7 min on next week with 5 or 6 other great comics, and then she said, "When will you be doing your whole show again, the one I saw tonight? I think my boyfriend would really like your kind of humor and I want to take him to your show for his birthday."
WOW! Somebody thinks I am a worthy birthday gift?!?!?!? (or maybe her birthday budget is $0) She didn't end up mentioning whether SHE liked my show, just thought her boyfriend would like it. Still this is the best compliment yet. I have a long way to go, but now I have a map and 1 fan.
posted by Andrew Evans at 3:30 PM
3 Comments:
Good for you...great to see you writing in positive light again.
...And you have a least two fans
:)
Karen
Three fans.
BIRTHDAY SUIT!
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