Tips for Raw Comedy or other comedy competitions.

Raw Comedy as a competition.
Yes, Raw Comedy is a competition, but don’t get caught up trying to outdo the other acts. It’s not a race. It’s more like the Archibald Prize. Present your best work and let the judges decide. Competitive types can be off-putting, but try not to be fazed.

What are the judges looking for?
- Originality.
- Interesting personalities and attitudes.
- Fresh angles on old ideas.
- Relevance and appeal to a wide audience.
- Professional delivery and attitude.
- A good laughs per minute rate. The more punch lines the better.
- People who keep to time.
- Acts that could go on to other things like TV or radio.

Best Insurance
- Use your best, most reliable and well tested material (it doesn’t matter if you think people have heard it before).
- Make sure every 'bit' has a punch line.
- Have at least 3 good strong jokes and use one at the start, one in the middle and one at the end.
- Keep to 4 minutes. With laughter, it will come in right on time.
- Rehearse it until you are sick of it and can do it word perfect in your sleep. (The excitement of the day will re-energise it.)
- Have a definite ending to your routine.
- Be confident in your performance.

What to wear
- You must feel comfortable.
- Your clothes must reflect the persona you are projecting.
- Don’t dress up too much unless it’s vital to your act.
- Don’t be too scruffy unless it is vital to your act.
- Don’t wear anything that distracts people from your face and what you are saying.
- Neat casual is best if you are unsure.

Stagecraft essentials
- Know how to use the microphone and stand.
- Make sure you can be seen, heard and understood.
- Address the whole audience.
- Make eye contact with the audience.
- Don’t shuffle your feet.
- Physicalise things where you can. Facial expressions and movement are fun to watch.

Finer points for a special performance.
- Vary your emotions, or energy through the routine. Have clear attitudes towards things.
- Structure your routine with a through line that is resolved.
- Talk about topics that have an emotional hook to engage the audience or create a greater reaction.
- Use timing and pauses to create suspense and anticipation.
- If it suits your persona, be bigger than life. Take control and ‘razzle dazzle’ them!

If you are on first in the line-up.
Be likeable and friendly. The audience will be cold and will want to be reassured that you are funny. Give them a good joke early on to put their mind at ease.

If you are on last in the line-up.
The audience will be tired. Don’t ask them ‘how they are going’. Acknowledge their tiredness if need be but don’t dwell on it. A simple ‘thank god I’m the last one’ might diffuse any ill will.

If you have to follow someone who has bombed.
Hopefully the MC has ‘reset’ the audience for you. If not, don’t acknowledge it, but as with the first act, be friendly and get a good joke out early. The relief that the audience will feel knowing that you aren’t going to ‘suck’ will actually help you.

If you have to go on after someone who has done amazingly well.
This is probably the hardest spot. The idea is to ride on their success but not be overshadowed by it. The audience will always drop off a bit after a really strong act out of exhaustion. They may also get chatty as they discuss it. Acknowledging how good the act was may help, but resetting their attention may work even better. Start strong, but pull it back a bit and get quieter if necessary. That will force people to listen more intently. Eye contact with a couple of key people in the audience will be very important. If you engage some, others will follow. Whatever you do, just be true to your act and deliver it as well as you can.

This is where rehearsal really helps. If you know your act backwards you can concentrate on delivering it in the best way rather than worrying about what your next bit is.

Have fun
This is the most important thing. It’s a big enthusiastic crowd, so enjoy it. If you bring you’re ‘A’ game and are prepared, it’s your chance to have a kick arse gig. Remember too that if you are having a good time the audience will too. Enthusiasm is infectious.

THE TEN (COMEDY) COMMANDMENTS

I. Thy audience is your master. Respect them at all times.
II. Keep silent while the other acts are on stage. Respect what they do.
III. Respect the venue and organiser. Be professional in all your dealings with them.
IV. Thou shalt always keep to time.
V. Thou shalt always have a point or a punch line.
VI. Thou shalt always be prepared and rehearsed.
VII. Thou shalt be original.
VIII. Thou shalt not steal material.
IX. Thou shalt not covet thy contemporary’s careers.
X. Thou shalt not be boring.

If you remember these things and are funny enough , THOU SHALT KILL.

NB: As with the real Ten Commandments there are occasions when they can be deliberately broken, but generally keeping to them will help your comedy (and your career).

What do you need to be a comedian?

Stand up comedy is a rare art form, in that anyone can give it a go. There are no licences, qualifications or credentials needed to get on stage and try to be funny. There are a few things, however, that will be necessary if you wish to be in any way successful.

A sense of humour
Any sense of humour counts! What one person finds hilarious another may find boring. Don’t let anyone tell you what is ‘funny’. That is the audience’s job and, believe me, they will let you know. Even the most successful comedians tell tales of the audience that didn’t laugh. All you can do as a comedian is be true to your particular sense of humour and hope that it will appeal to your audience. That said, there are ways to increase your chances of being found ‘funny’ by an audience.

Material
Despite what many think, every successful comedian has material. Even if that material is made up on the spot. Material is what a comedian says that makes an audience laugh. Without material you have nothing to say or no act.

When you are starting out it is vital that you know what your material is. The safest way to perform comedy is with well written, well rehearsed material.

The biggest myth about stand-up comedians is that they just ‘make things up’ on the spot. The truth is that comedians are only acting like the thoughts they are expressing are just occurring to them. That is why it is called an ‘act’.

(NB.Even comedians who ad lib or improvise their material do not come to a gig unprepared. They bring with them years of improvising experience and a wealth of natural talent. If you are considering improvising your act to a live audience you will need that same level of experience and natural talent behind you. I would recommend doing some improvisational courses or workshops first.)

A willingness to perform
Obviously, it’s hard to be a comedian if you don’t actually perform as one. Getting up on stage is sometimes the biggest hurdle.

Public speaking is one of the greatest fears people have but if you can conquer that and get up behind the microphone you will be half way to being a comedian. After all, there are only two steps to being a comedian.

Step 1: Get on stage.
Step 2: Make the audience laugh.

If you have a sense of humour, material and a willingness to perform you have the basic requirements to begin your comedic journey.

If you have any inclination to give it a go I highly recommend it!

Break a leg!