The Secrets to Becoming a Stand Up Comedian

So you want to become a stand up comic? This article will cover the basics to breaking into and establishing yourself at stand up comedy. Obviously their is no "right" way to do comedy, this article is just meant to show you the basics and help you get started. One consistency for most comedians careers is having a real passion for the work and spending countless hours preparing, performing and writing your comedy.

Planning is a never ending process when you are a stand up comedian, regardless of the level of performer. Deciding where you will first perform is the obvious question you must answer. Open mic nights can be found at almost every comedy club. If there is no major comedy club in your area, check out local coffee shops or bars, these places often have open mics. Besides planning where your first performance will be, the next logical step is planning what you will say. A good goal for a first time comedian would be to write and memorize five minutes of material for your first show. You may to want to avoid talent shows, or other venues where you would be performing in front of a large group of friends or colleagues. The best environment for a first time performance would be at an open mic, to give you a chance to focus on being a stand up comedian and not worry about impressing your peers. Plan to go up at several different open mics and take advantage of any performing opportunities you may come across.

It's tough to gain any real insight in your first performances; you will need to keep doing shows to get a good grasp on what is working in your act and what isn't. Getting discouraged early on is a common problem, however if you have a real passion for comedy you will stick it out and continue going up as a stand up comedian. If after giving it an honest shot you don't believe stand up comedy is for you, well one more thing checked off your bucket list. If you continue to enjoy the process of stand up comedy and the act of performing, get more aggressive in seeking out venues to perform. Don't be afraid to ask other higher up comedians if you can go on ahead of them or open up as you become more seasoned yourself. The peaks and valleys never seem to leave the life of a performer, but it seems most stand up comedians find that the joy they find in the peaks is worth the trips into the valleys. There is no soundproof advice when it comes to performing, people seem to develop their own unique style and the most important thing is to try and find your personal voice. The best stand up comedians are the ones that have mastered their "voice", meaning they've discovered the unique person or character that makes them funny on stage.

Now that you've planned out some material, gotten your feet wet performing, the next step is promoting yourself. The online world has changed a lot of things for stand up comedians, and have increased the number of ways for performers to promote themselves. Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube are all great ways to promote your comedy and show people what you're made of as a comedian. The particular venues of promoting seem to change frequently online, so do your best to keep up on the trends in comedy and entertainment. A personal website seems to be a necessity in today's world of stand up comedy. Additionally many stand up comedians have gained added notoriety by creating content uniquely for the Internet by creating, podcasts, blogs or filmed comedy skits online.

Hopefully this guide to becoming a stand up comedian has proved helpful in laying out a few of the fundamentals to this unique career choice. Like everything in the entertainment world there is no exact path, and it's up to each individual performer to find their unique way that works for them. In all honesty there is no one person's advice that will make or break you as a comic, if it's something you are truly passionate about you will stick with it and make it happen.