I just wrapped up 17 shows in 27 days. I am still learning how to be a comedian, speaker, facilitator, and actor. On top of that, I have to book travel and get myself to and from the gigs. Today I am going to share with you a lesson learned from each of the events.…
This week’s episode “9 stand up comedy lessons learned in 2016” is brought to you by Patreon supporter Kay Dodd Stokes. To learn how you can support podcast through a small, monthly donation, visit Patreon.com/SchoolOfLaughs STAND UP COMEDY LESSONS As we look back at 2016 for the final time, I wanted to make sure I…
Today I am joined by several recent writing students to answer their comedy questions. Specifically, we talk about: What is a good way to know that you should continue pursuing stand-up comedy? How many shows is a good barometer for getting your feet wet? When should you quit! The value in bombing (and recording it)…
Among the listener email questions we tackle are: HOW CAN I BEST MANAGE AN EMAIL LIST? I hate to bother ya. But do you remember what episode you talked about email lists? I’m starting to get enough names on my email list where I should really switch over to a better way of keeping…
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…
When starting your comedy journey, there are hundreds of “first time” occurrences. Some you’ll breeze through and others will blow you away. No sweat. You learn as you go. Just don’t shoot yourself in the foot so many times that people see you hobbling towards them to make the same mistake again. CLICK TO LISTEN No…
As comedians we can get pretty focused on how many Laughs Per Minute (LPM) our jokes are getting. But are you aware of how many words per minute (WPM) you speak? In this episode, we dig into a few ways you can eliminate 90% of the guesswork when estimating the time for a joke.…
It’s been said the number one fear is public speaking. If that’s true, then speaking and being expected to be funny must take that notion and multiply it by 1000x. For some it’s simply a fear of looking stupid or saying something dumb. Hey, guess what – that’s comedy! For others, though, it’s an…
Nothing is more serious in standup comedy than a showcase night. Whether your showcase set is at a festival, for TV or simply to get booked by a club – you’ve got to be prepared. Putting together your set can drive you crazy. This podcast is all about picking the right material for the showcase…
With the talk of presidential candidates in the air here in the United States, I got to thinking about what I want in a leader. Oddly enough, many traits we identified are also traits of great comedians. Candidates are definitely characters. Comedians are as well. But what are the common links that cross over from…