So you want to be a comedian? Here’s some advice from three Tucson comedians on how to succeed at open mic.
Nancy Stanley
University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law assistant dean and School of Journalism adjunct who has been doing standup for five years.
- Avoid “liquid courage”: “Five beers might give you swagger, but it won’t do anything for your comedy. Think drunk uncle.”
- Be ready to go: “Beginners typically get from 2 to 5 minutes of stage time in a traditional comedy open mic, which is a long time if you’re just riffing. Write something. Time it. Practice it. Even two minutes is too long for meandering around onstage with nothing to say.”
- Do your time and get off the stage: “This, above all, is a cardinal rule of comedy because shows are carefully timed. ‘Just one more minute’ disadvantages every comic after you. Most venues will ‘light you’ when you need to wrap up. Learn about the light before your first set: it’s not a suggestion.”
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Josiah Osego
Comedian and host of Frog & Firkin’s monthly showcase “Firkin Around.”
- Have a voice recorder and waterproof pillow on hand: “Gotta know where you’re making mistakes. Be prepared to cry, a lot.”
- “The Little Engine That Could”: “You’ll feel like giving up. Find that book to learn how not to or just get on any stage that’ll have you.”
- Write, erase, start over: “Write out your ideas and keep them shorter than your current comedic career. When trying to be funny it’s easy to get lost in your words like Alice in Wonderland and then ... wait, what were the scissors for again?”
- Blame game: “Get a dictionary and scratch out the word ‘blame.’ If you don’t get that, then you’re probably right — it’s our fault that you’re not funny.”
David Fitzsimmons
Arizona Daily Star cartoonist and standup comedian
- Don’t just wing it: “One of the biggest mistakes that open mic’ers make is believing their friends when their friends tell them they’re hilarious. The problem is the best
- comedy tends to be written by writers and a lot of open mic’ers fail to recognize how important the writing is behind the comedy they are performing. And there is nothing
- more tragic and embarrassing than an amateur comedian getting up there and not having a clear idea of what their set will be and winging it.”
- No knock-knock or knock-off jokes. “If the jokes are easily recognizable, oh ho, kiss of death.”
- Keep it real: “Make your humor very personal and be willing to be vulnerable and make fun of yourself.”
Ciara Biscoe is a journalism student at the University of Arizona apprenticing at the Arizona Daily Star.
Cathalena E. Burch contributed to this.
