tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28240623962318751092020-10-05T03:27:33.372-05:00About Becoming A Stand-up ComedianSteve Royehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995592400212487711noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824062396231875109.post-55732467625184364352020-10-04T03:00:00.000-05:002020-10-04T06:12:21.294-05:00The Number Of Words In A Stand-up Comedy Routine Can Vary Each Minute
While I will be the first to tell you that brevity (particularly when it comes to the set-up aspect of jokes) is a critical factor when it comes to developing a stand-up comedy routine that generates frequent laughs on a minute-by-minute basis, there’s no way to determine a set or standard number of words a comedian should or should not use.
All I can do is tell you what I know and I will Steve Royehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995592400212487711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824062396231875109.post-9732537314176367142020-05-30T06:30:00.001-05:002020-05-30T06:30:08.978-05:00What Makes Stand-up Comedy Difficult?
On the surface it is easy to assume that stand-up comedy shouldn’t be that hard.
Comedians who are able to generate huge laughs on stage seem to largely talk about common, everyday things and appear to glide through their stand-up comedy act with apparent ease.
But once an individual makes the decision to take a shot at stand-up comedy, they can find that it is far more difficult task to get Steve Royehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995592400212487711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824062396231875109.post-19169098587946412392020-05-21T03:00:00.000-05:002020-05-21T08:05:20.412-05:00Tools Every Comedian Should Be Using For Performance Improvement
Developing and delivering a high level stand-up comedy routine takes effort and skill. But the speed at which a comedian progresses can be greatly influenced by the tools they use for performance improvement.
There are three valuable tools available to comedians to improve their performances: a video recording device, a stopwatch and Comedy Evaluator Pro. My comments follow this related video:Steve Royehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995592400212487711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824062396231875109.post-87940317262172285872020-05-09T03:00:00.000-05:002020-05-09T09:58:24.089-05:00Comedy Agents And Talent Bookers: What Every Comedian Should Know
One of the questions that many comedians who want to be considered for paid work ask is "How do I find a comedy agent or talent booker?"
In more cases than not, it will be the comedy agent, talent booker or other talent professional that approaches the comedian based on their performance ability (more so in the beginning of a comedian's career).
So it seems prudent for a comedian to know whatSteve Royehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995592400212487711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824062396231875109.post-50046204110144359652020-05-03T03:30:00.000-05:002020-05-03T06:49:58.654-05:00Story Telling And Topic Based Stand-up Comedy Material Has Some Advantages
As far as structure goes, there are two basic types of stand-up comedy material: the one-line, two line joke and the story or topic based jokes.
Before I get into a discussion about the advantages of story or topic based jokes, it is important to realize that the number of punchlines delivered each minute for a high impact stand-up comedy routine remains the same no matter what stand-up comedySteve Royehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995592400212487711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824062396231875109.post-65219438925048704312020-04-25T03:00:00.000-05:002020-04-25T16:23:36.997-05:00Stand-up Comedy Material: A Candid Discussion
Below you will find a video with a spirited discussion about various types of stand-up comedy material and what really matters most for a comedian to progress.
But before you review the video, please note that the discussion in the video applies to ANY type of stand-up comedy material, whether it be rated G or it is “adults only” material. My comments follow:
Here’s what I believe is mostSteve Royehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995592400212487711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824062396231875109.post-64889512603831802472020-04-07T03:00:00.000-05:002020-04-07T11:02:48.807-05:00Understanding Comedy Mechanics
Even though it has been many years ago, at the time I vividly remember what I thought was the hardest obstacle to overcome when I first started out as a comedian, which was...
To try to "come up with" my first 3 minutes of great comedy material.
One of a number of reasons that I had such difficulty is because I didn’t understand what comedy mechanics were or how to apply them to developing Steve Royehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995592400212487711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824062396231875109.post-13528469146355036102020-03-23T03:00:00.000-05:002020-03-23T13:13:08.247-05:00Basic Stand-up Comedy Tips For New Comedians
New comedians can sometimes have unrealistic ideas about how to progress when they first start their stand-up comedy adventures.
In the video below, you will find some basic stand-up comedy tips for new comedians:
More Stand-up Comedy Tips
The first order of business for any new comedian is to develop a solid and consistent stand-up comedy act that generates the biggest audience laughsSteve Royehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995592400212487711noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824062396231875109.post-46389201118333981412020-03-09T03:00:00.000-05:002020-03-09T19:27:52.279-05:00Writing Stand-up Comedy Material Can Be A Challenge
Most people who make the decision to become a comedian automatically assume that they must write stand-up comedy material in a literary fashion (that is designed to be read).
This can create some additional challenges when it comes to producing stand-up comedy material that will actually get laughs because most of a comedian’s ability to generate laughs does not lie with the literal words thatSteve Royehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995592400212487711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824062396231875109.post-64304269078111338502020-02-24T03:00:00.000-06:002020-02-24T14:53:16.263-06:00Clean Comedy Presents Some Significant Opportunities
One of the important decisions a comedian must make is the type of stand-up comedy act that they develop. The reason I say that is because a clean comedy act provides substantially more performing opportunities and significantly greater income.
Now don’t get me wrong – the type of act a comedian decides to develop is strictly a personal choice.
And no matter what type of act a comedian Steve Royehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995592400212487711noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824062396231875109.post-47936079446964015362020-02-12T03:00:00.000-06:002020-02-12T04:59:09.579-06:00Comedian Jokes: Every Minute Counts
It doesn’t matter what process, system or method that a person uses to develop stand-up comedy material.
The reality is that the number of comedian jokes that are delivered during a stand-up comedy routine each minute is a big deal.
More specifically, I am talking about the number of punchlines delivered each minute.
A headline level stand-up comedy routine will produce an average of 18 Steve Royehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995592400212487711noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824062396231875109.post-18526558153149954142020-02-01T00:30:00.000-06:002020-02-01T03:27:44.315-06:00Why Stand-up Comedy Books Don't Make The Grade
Introduction
When I started my stand-up comedy career (for the second time after a disastrous first start almost 10 years earlier in my life), I wanted to be as prepared as I could possibly be.
I made what would seem to be a logical assumption -- I would get my hands on every possible stand-up comedy book I could so that I would have the best advantage that I could possibly have as a new Steve Royehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995592400212487711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824062396231875109.post-760685102980969522020-01-25T03:00:00.000-06:002020-01-25T03:32:19.633-06:00Comedy Open Mic: The Starting Point For Most Comedians
For those who are looking to jump into stand-up comedy, the starting point for most new comedians is the comedy open mic.
The most common place to find a comedy open mic is at a local comedy club if the city is large enough to have a comedy club.
Smaller cities and towns that don’t have a comedy club may have some sort of open mic that comedians can participate in other venues (coffee houses Steve Royehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995592400212487711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824062396231875109.post-59480604324165501242020-01-19T03:00:00.000-06:002020-01-19T06:38:03.699-06:00Joke Writing: False Perceptions That Can Hold A Comedian Back
Let’s assume that you want to develop a stand-up comedy routine. If you are like most people, you will focus on joke writing.
And that’s where you will run into some significant problems if you want to develop comedy material that generates audience laughter.
First of all, there’s a huge difference between trying to write something funny in a literary way that is designed to be read instead Steve Royehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995592400212487711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824062396231875109.post-57627783386271204272020-01-15T03:00:00.000-06:002020-01-15T16:28:19.830-06:00When Riffing Can Be A Valuable Tool For Comedians
If you have reviewed the article about riffing on my stand-up tips blog, then you know that as a general rule I am not a fan of riffing, especially when it is used as a replacement for a solid and polished stand-up comedy routine.
But there are circumstances when riffing can be a valuable tool for comedians.
One particular instance is when there is a very small audience (10 or less).
In thisSteve Royehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995592400212487711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824062396231875109.post-42069222052836233122019-12-21T03:00:00.000-06:002019-12-21T04:11:10.107-06:00Is All Stand-up Comedy Material Based Upon Tragedy?
One of the things that I firmly believe can hold comedians back is how they perceive the terminology often associated with stand-up comedy.
You may come across something that reads like this:
All comedy is based upon tragedy.
While "tragedy" is certainly one basis for comedy material, it tends to lead a person to assume that expressing some major life shattering event is the key to making Steve Royehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995592400212487711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824062396231875109.post-48524533415374909922019-12-03T03:00:00.000-06:002019-12-03T03:41:25.596-06:00Great Writing Skills Are NOT Required To Develop And Deliver A Powerful Stand-up Routine
Many new comedians are under the impression that the key to producing a stand-up comedy routine requires great writing skills.
I don’t agree with that at all.
Let me explain why having great writing skills is NOT a requirement for producing stand-up comedy material that works.
There is a significant difference between writing material that is designed to be read or consumed by a reader and Steve Royehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995592400212487711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824062396231875109.post-2708320034887948832019-11-28T03:00:00.000-06:002019-11-28T04:18:35.367-06:00How You Perceive Stand-up Comedy Can Affect Your Progress As A Comedian
As I reflect upon the start of my own stand-up comedy career, I can say with great certainty that I wasn’t prepared to make much progress, despite my efforts to be prepared as possible.
I remember my first open mic performance in 1992 at the Comedy Store in La Jolla, CA. I went on last and there were only 3 audience members left.
I left the stage with the thought that developing even just a Steve Royehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995592400212487711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824062396231875109.post-9276136687563839592019-11-25T03:00:00.000-06:002019-11-25T04:19:31.638-06:00Comedy Open Mic: Going Last SUCKS
I got an email from someone who got on stage for their first comedy open mic and here’s what they wrote in their email to me:
Steve,
I performed at an open mic last night. It didn’t go as planned.
It was my first time performing at an open mic. Of course as luck would have it I ended up going last.
I had the energy but not the responses from the jokes that I had written down.
I could Steve Royehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995592400212487711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824062396231875109.post-88037491604818693652019-11-22T03:00:00.000-06:002019-11-22T05:21:48.881-06:00Writing Stand-up Comedy Material Involves More Than Just "Writing"
One of the major roadblocks most comedians have involves the perception of the terminology used to describe the process of producing stand-up comedy material.
Specifically, I am talking about the term “writing stand-up comedy material”.
Here are some reasons why I say that the perception that seems to be associated with writing stand-up comedy material can often a roadblock:
Related Video
Steve Royehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995592400212487711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824062396231875109.post-12720309774574602572019-11-16T00:30:00.000-06:002019-11-16T08:56:21.952-06:00Comedian Teams Can Have Some Significant Advantages
One of the things that I suspect will become more and more prevalent is comedians working together as a performance team.
The reason that I say that is fairly simple:
Usually it takes a fair amount of time to develop a stand-alone 45-60 minute headliner level stand-up comedy routine.
It is at this level that any individual comedian has the most “marketable” (and salable) comedy entertainmentSteve Royehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995592400212487711noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824062396231875109.post-1211868982495640372019-11-13T03:00:00.000-06:002019-11-13T14:33:43.376-06:00Small Audiences Should Matter To Every Comedian
I’m going to be bold and say that a new comedian’s ability to entertain smaller audiences holds the key to not only their future performing opportunities, but their ability to entertain bigger and bigger audiences at a high level.
Here’s why I say that:
In the beginning, a new comedian is an unproven performer who is in the process of developing the highest level stand-up comedy act that theySteve Royehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995592400212487711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824062396231875109.post-2921829884547049262019-11-07T03:00:00.000-06:002019-11-07T07:37:43.012-06:00Getting Started As A Comedian Is Different For Everyone
Some people who are looking to jump into stand-up comedy may be under the impression that getting started as a comedian is the same for everyone.
Well, that’s not exactly correct.
While most people start out at comedy club open mic nights, those are not the only avenues that get folks into the stand-up comedy game, nor is it exactly the same depending upon where someone lives.
Let me give Steve Royehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995592400212487711noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824062396231875109.post-60827143995894985652019-11-01T03:00:00.000-05:002019-11-01T06:03:53.354-05:00Comedian Shows: Some Important Audience Factors
A comedian has complete control over most aspects of a comedian show, including stand-up comedy material development and preparation to deliver the tightest, highest impact stand-up comedy act possible.
However, the one variable that a comedian doesn’t usually have much control over is the collective audience that will be in attendance at any stand-up comedy performance.
That doesn’t mean Steve Royehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995592400212487711noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2824062396231875109.post-60891656911488993532019-10-29T03:00:00.000-05:002019-10-29T03:03:49.858-05:00The Problem With Trying To “Find” Stand-up Comedy Topics
There is an interesting thing that happens when a person makes the decision to take a stab at stand-up comedy – specifically, this nagging question seems to pop up:
How do I find funny stand-up comedy topics to write jokes about?
I have firsthand experience with this and it was only after I developed my system for developing stand-up comedy material that I fully understood where the Steve Royehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995592400212487711noreply@blogger.com0