Do you love stand-up comedy? Have you ever wondered how 99.9% of comedians get their start? They get on stage.

 

It starts with writing your first five minutes of jokes and performing them at an open mic night. Most open mic set times are five minutes, so it’s best to practice your material on people around you and time yourself before getting on stage. Typically, the host will flash a light, ding a bell, or give you some other signal that your time is almost up. When you see or hear it, wrap things up. It’s not a suggestion. Going over your allotted time is one of the quickest ways to annoy the person running the show.
 

My very first written set was about 10 minutes long, which I narrowed down to five for an open mic. I practiced it on some friends around me in Grand Rapids, who thought I was hilarious.  I’ll leave out what actually happened at my first open mic, but luckily I filmed it and afterwards thoughtfully edited my performance. My next three open mics were within two weeks and pretty good for a beginner. But none of those would have happened without that first one. 

So where can you find your voice when writing comedy? Many great comedy writers and storytellers will tell you that some of the best comedy comes from conflict. Something happens to someone, and it’s funny. An embarrassing moment for you can be hilarious to everyone else, especially when they’ve experienced something similar. 

 

As Mel Brooks famously said, “Tragedy is if I cut my finger. Comedy is if you walk into an open sewer and die.”

How often does humor appear after the embarrassment or tragedy disappears? Think about the stories you tell now that weren’t at all funny when they happened - like that terrible date, the humiliating thing you did at the doctor’s, or the disaster that happened when you were simply trying to impress your significant other’s parents.

 

Brainstorm different topics and premises. Think about things that annoy you or unique habits you have. Is there humor hiding somewhere in them? Oftentimes, there is. It’s about working through an idea and finding what makes it funny.

 

Sometimes, you have nothing. Knowing when something isn’t funny and moving on to something else is also a part of writing comedy. 

 

When you think it’s ready and you’ve worked up enough nerve to try it on stage, the next step is finding an open mic and requesting a time slot. In Traverse City, there are currently two open mic nights for comedy: Mondays at The Workshop at 8 pm and Tuesdays at Thirsty Fish Sports Grille at 8:30 pm. The best way to get in touch is to message the USS Comedy Open Mic Facebook page. Also, go check them out ahead of time. Get a feel for the action and help support local comedy just by showing up to a show.

Another important thing in stand-up comedy is not being afraid to fail. Open mics are where people practice. And sometimes a joke bombs, or doesn’t get laughs. Bombing happens to even the greatest comedians. Dave Chappelle, Kevin Hart, and Nate Bargatze have all talked about bombing on stage. 

 

Chappelle had a rough night at The Fillmore in Detroit in 2015. He was seriously booed and heckled during his performance. The following night, he returned to the same stage and performed much better. Either way, that takes guts. If Chappelle can have a terrible night on stage and come back the next night, your first open mic probably doesn’t need to be perfect.

 

Booing can happen. Jokes can fall flat. You might forget what you were going to say. You might tell the joke you were absolutely positive was hilarious and hear nothing but silence. That’s part of learning stand-up. 

 

Most people at an open mic understand that beginners are learning and that getting up there in the first place takes courage, so they usually applaud your effort no matter what. 

 

Since my very first performance, I’ve been on stage hundreds of times, opened sold-out shows for comedians from Last Comic Standing, Letterman, Half Hour specials on Comedy Central, and more. I’ve bombed, I’ve tripped up jokes, and I’ve delivered flawless sets. But when everything is said and done, it all started with the first five minutes. It started by just getting up on stage.