The Three Tiers Of Open Mic... Where Are You?

No comedy platform is ever more free and wild than a well run open mike night. You get deliciously crazy people with elaborate costumes and props. Wild character acts. Fresh faces that don’t yet know you’re not supposed to do that (whatever that is). More seasoned acts who know they ought not do that but are going to do it anyway. They have an avenue to test the boundaries and finesse whatever it is they want to say, and learn how to say it funny.

You see the rawest talent. The hardest falls. The blow-you-away unexpected hitters. The gentle whimsical funny. The occasional famous pro popping in to test some new stuff under the radar. And all in front of an audience that is not very invested.

The lack of investment from the audience is a double-edged sword. They did not pay to get in so they don’t have any rights other than to leave. With no entry fee the crowd won’t be paying as close attention as they would if they had laid down some hard-earned. With a solid MC and some of the ingredients already mentioned, audience attention can be grabbed, and held, for 2 hours or more.

There are no agents or show-business movers and shakers to perform to, or to worry about. Boundaries can be pressured, and crossed… with no real repercussions. 

How else do we expect our future brilliant stand-ups to learn where to pressure and where to leave alone? Probe what can be better investigated, what resonates, how best to deliver their angle? And on and on…

Kindergarten. 99.9% of stand-ups did their first gig at an open mike. It is where all acts go to “find their feet”. Simply crossing the psychological rubicon of getting up and doing it is a huge step. Regardless of whether laughs are gained or not. There are other new newbies in the room who share your nerves, what an immediate bond. Fast lessons are learned about what topics or style an act wants to play with. Fast lessons.

Playground. This is comedy, after all. Have fun. Like Orson Welles once bellowed while directing an uptight actor, “Play. Be a child again!”

Newer acts with bold ambitions or regular hobbyists fit well in the playground. You’ve found your feet. Got a good few gigs under your belt. Starting to get a sense of pace, editing your words, re-structuring your set. Working in fresh material, toying with moving lots or keeping the mic in the stand. Everything conjurs with your ideas, words and set. Right alongside fellow players. Some are in the kindergarten and will soon join you in the playground (it’s the same space).

This week I was delighted that a brilliant pro act who did many of his earliest gigs with We Are Funny Project, and was a clear authentic talent from the get-go, popped in to try some new stuff. I haven’t seen him for years, fair enough. He’s been busy with his own TV series, performing in front of thousands of people at huge festivals, and generally being a top level act. 

Open Mic comedy is all of these things all of the time.