bo Schuster

HAVE A SEAT ON THE COUCH [EP. 153]

Are you starting stand up comedy later in life? Trying to find a way to get more stage time? Looking for realistic goals? Then this episode is for you! Today I talk with former student Bo Shuster, about all things comedy. This episode is brought to you by Patreon supporter Dwight McCormick and by the…

Managing a comedy club

MANAGING A COMEDY CLUB [EP. 146]

On this episode I sit down with Lucy Sinsheimer,  Zanies Comedy Showplace in Nashville, TN to talk about managing a comedy club. This week’s episode is brought to you by Patreon Sponsor Brian Bates.   MANAGING A COMEDY CLUB SHOW NOTES We cover a lot of ground about managing a comedy club in this episode, including: The first comedy show she…

Jeffrey Jena

JEFFREY JENA – 38 YRS IN THE BIZ [EP. 096]

  Jeffrey Jena started comedy in … 1978! Were you even born? Ha. I was just 10 years old eating fruit loops in my jammies when Jeffrey Jena first hit the stage. Thirteen years later I worked with him for the first time.  And now, some 18 years later, we catch up. Jeffrey is still performing…

Dan Swartwout

DAN SWARTWOUT – LET YOUR STYLE DEVELOP [EP. 092]

Are you trying to emulate your favorite comedians? Have you already determined your comedic style before your third open mic? If so, you may be limiting yourself and shortchanging your potential. In this episode, Dan Swartwout (or “Swarty” as his friends call him) and I discuss how our influences are like training wheels. They help at…

Comedy Writing Session Follow Up

PRODUCING YOUR OWN SHOWS – PAULINA COMBOW [EP. 041]

Former student Paulina Combow stops by the studios to inspire and inform us of her progress. Paulina attended college in a small town in Western, KY where she learned Mass Communications. After graduating, she felt a “comedy internal clock” ticking and decided to berth that comedy baby. She started in the Fall of 2011 and…

Your Comedy Score Card

KEEPING A COMEDY SCORECARD [EP. 040]

A common question I hear is “what do I do if I feel my comedy has leveled off, or plateaued?” Check out this episode! It’s a great, insightful question that infers both frustration and aspiration. To help relieve the first and achieve the second, we’ve put together a podcast and a “scorecard” to help you…

8 Tips For What to Wear on Stage

8 Tips For What To Wear On Stage

by Rik Roberts | www.SchoolOfLaughs.com You spend a lot of time working on your act, networking, and beefing up your web presence. Have you spent any time thinking about what you wear onstage? It is easy to forget that part of the equation. Don’t believe me? Attend any comedy show and most likely you’ll see one or more…

trouble shooting a slow start on stage

Troubleshooting A Slow Start Onstage

By Rik Roberts | www.SchoolofLaughs.com At some point, every new comedian will have a show that just gets off to a sluggish start. The laughs aren’t coming, the crowd looks confused, and something seems amiss. The comedian can blame the crowd, shrug it off and forget about it. Or, if the set was recorded, they…

Shold a host do crowd work

Should a Host do Crowd Work?

by Rik Roberts (www.SchoolOfLaughs.com) This question was asked as a follow up to the post on hosting tips last week. As with nearly every comedy topic the short answer is, “find what works best for you by experimenting and see how it goes.” So that’s one answer. More specifically, I feel the host (or as…