Why you shouldn't start a comedy show before you get good

And a few reasons you should

Repost alert! This is a re-buffed version of an article I wrote over a year ago and it’s one of my favourites.

I live in Berlin where I’ve seen the English language scene grow from just a couple of shows a month in 2011, to several million a night. Something I have observed is that comedians that start a show too early in their careers risk stagnating. They tend to write way less, and have a much harder time finding their voice and they create crap shows that only help to over-saturate a scene. To be a great comedian requires plenty of focus, and as almost every performer I know is on the ADHD spectrum, I have only seen people struggle trying to balance running a show with honing their craft.

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Here are some bad reasons to start an open-mic

1. I want more stage-time
   Are you having a hard time being booked? That is probably because you aren’t very funny. So please don’t start a show! It might seem like a bit of a paradox, because if you don’t have the stage-time, then you can’t get the good. Just be patient. Running a show is not going to make you better. You’re going to spend so much time farting around with promotion and bookings that you’ll be writing at a much slower rate. Perhaps you will get good in that room because you’ll feel more comfortable there. Then less and less you might venture out to do other shows.

2. I want to get better at hosting
   I recommend offering to host other peoples open-mics before starting your own. Your first few years should just be about writing and getting good. Even if you think you *only* want to host shows (weirdo), I still recommend putting together an awesome stand-up set first. You need to find out who you are, and the best way to do that is writing and performing to a variety of audiences. You’re not going to to progress much by just asking people their job and nationality endlessly, even if you have a really snappy comeback if they’re a french web developer.

3. I am a man
   We get it, you’ve done 5 shows - time to rule this scene! But seriously, the last thing a comedy scene needs is more male gatekeepers. Even if you’re “one of the good ones” and “I’ll book loads of women” now you sound like a pimp. Don’t do it! A true ally stands aside. At the very most start a show but co-produce it with a woman. Do not start an all male produced show, I’ll be so mad!

   

   Am I the best in the world at this?

4. I need the money
   This might seem crazy to people in other countries, but running an open mic in Berlin isn’t a bad way to make some cool, hard, un-taxed cash. But making comedy your main job right from the get-go will ensure you’ll always be more focused on the business end than the funny end.

5. I have an amazingly brilliant concept for a show
   Do you though? Or is it just the same old open-micers who are on at every show but your banner has ducks on it or something? From what I have observed, most “concepts” are just marketing ploys by shows wanting to stand out from an oversaturated market. Whether it’s nautical themed, or everyone gets an orange, or we’re all called Alan. You're probably better off writing some jokes.

   

   “They were out of oranges do you think mandarins will do?”

Here are some good reasons to start an open mic, even if you are new.

1. You are starting a new scene
   Here in stinky cheese smelling old Europe, there are still places that are yet to discover the beauty of a well crafted wank joke. Starting a scene in a new area can be amazingly rewarding in the right hands. Just make sure you go in with a team that has each others backs. Share the work, and make sure you have a good flow of new comedians. The same rules apply, that if you are purely doing comedy admin, you won’t be writing comedy material and improving.

   

   Antarctica’s first open mic “Freeze Your Laughs Off” (you couldn’t book a woman, wtf??)

2. You are from a marginalised group giving opportunities to other members of this group

   This kind of thing is super important. The only way to diversify a scene is with representation. Again, do it with a team if you can. If you are not a member of this group EG straights running queer nights, men running women nights, white people running POC nights STOP IT. Exploiting marginalised individuals for your branding is gross, no matter how much of a nice person you think it makes you seem to other people.

3. You actually really do have a good concept for a show
   It turns out Everyone is called Alan” is the greatest masterpiece of our time. Sometimes a show is just great because it’s just run by good people who are just weird enough to make something really special. And sometimes, they are all called Alan.

   

   “On 3, Alan!