Writing Comedy by John Byrne

Author:John Byrne
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Published: 2012-09-06T16:00:00+00:00

‘Open’ or ‘try-out’ spots

As the name suggests, these very short routines (which can sometimes be as short as two minutes and are usually not much longer than five) have long been the accepted route by which newer comedians can dip their toes in the waters of live performing. Usually ‘open mike’ spots are performed for no payment in the hope that if they go well, the comic will then be offered a paid gig at the same club. Since the comedy circuit has become more slick and commercial, this type of rough-and-ready open spot is less universal than it once was, and is now usually confined to smaller clubs or amateur comedy nights in the upstairs rooms of bars or colleges. The larger agencies and comedy venues do still try out new acts but often in the more formal ‘talent show’ format. After all, if you have to audition people, why not pick a format that allows you to sell tickets at the same time? Whether it is for an ordinary open mike spot or a big talent show, five minutes may not seem like a very challenging time span to have to write for or perform but that’s only if you have never had the experience of spending even a minute or two on stage with jokes which have fallen flat.

However, when your writing skills are firing on all cylinders, five minutes can seem a frustratingly short period in which to make a real impact.

Nevertheless, being able to make the best of this very short type of spot is crucial for the comedy writer and not only at the entry-level stage. Even when a comedy career progresses and the comic is doing much longer live shows, the first ‘break’ into broadcasting, with all the increased profile and larger income that can result, will probably be via a very short slot on a talk show or on a talent show. A really good short routine should take a long time to develop and should be consistently polished and tightened until it is as near perfect as it can be. And once that five-minute spot is working the next step up is usually …

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