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.