Practice Makes Perfect

Stand-up is such an interesting art. It is a monologue that you make the audience feel is a dialogue. It is meant to sound unrehearsed, yet to really improve your comedy, you need lots of practice. When new comics ask me for advice one of the first things I tell them is something they don’t want to hear - stand-up comedy is work. I always advise that they record their sets, even if it is just the audio. Then I tell them they need to actually listen to it and transcribe it. See the words on a page, see where the punchlines hit, where there is space for another punch, where words can be cut. Listen to how certain words are pronounced and the rhythm of speech. It is the hardest thing for a comic to do - watch/listen to themselves, but it is vital for growth. You want to see and hear what the audience sees and hears. Sometimes your joke was funny but the way you said it was too long or not long enough or you didn’t pause for your laugh and spoke over the audience’s laughter. These are all things you can pick up on when you review your sets and it is priceless. Practice in front of a mirror, see the way your body moves, your mouth moves, your face moves. This is what the audience sees when you are on stage so if you pick up on something you do, the audience probably will too.

Don’t be scared! You do this in front of strangers, you can do it in front of yourself!