Scoring a guest set at The Improv
Hey Dave – I hope all is well in Comedy Land, a strange but fun and twisted place! I wanted to reach out to you to see if you could offer a suggestion or any advice. I am definitely interested in performing at The Improv and doing a guest set so (the manager) can see my stuff. I just wanted to see your take on what was the best bet to get in front of him. I just want him to know who I am. I have video clips I can send. Any advice would be great. Thanks – JW
Hey JW – First of all, great description of Comedy Land. You not only described a place, but also the inhabitants. We all have a lot in common.
Comedy Land
You specifically mentioned The Improv, but the suggestion I’ll throw at you is the same for just about every major comedy club. In fact, it’ll work for even the non-major clubs.
I’ve been fortunate in experiencing the audition / showcase / guest sets part of the comedy biz on both coasts and in between. In fact, I should get a new business card pointing out that I’m the only person – ever since the beginning of time – who’s managed the NYC, LA and Cleveland Improv Clubs. Okay – to get technical I was talent coordinator for the Hollywood club, which is cooler in my book, but all the titles wouldn’t fit on a single business card. And since the NYC Improv is no more, I’ll continue to hold that record until the end of time.
Guess that secures my space in Comedy Land…
So I’ve been part of auditions, showcases and guest sets from “coast to coast to coast,” (Cleveland is on the coast of Lake Erie for our geographically challenged readers). From experience, I can tell you there are different ways to be seen by the club bookers. Workshops at the club and scheduled audition opportunities are always options…
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There is also a reason why comedians have been hanging out at comedy clubs since the beginning of comedy time. They hope for the chance to meet the club booker and personally ask for a showcase. If they already know the booker, they can still hang out and hope they are picked to do a set if another act is late or cancels.
This was always a great opportunity for newer comedians at the NYC Improv. We’d only pre-schedule comedians until midnight, but if we still had an audience, we could keep the club open until 4 am. That meant for the last four hours of the show I’d walk through the bar to see who was hanging out and ask if they’d like to do a set.
Pretty funny guy
To share with you one of my name-dropping memories from doing this at the NYC club in the late 80′s, I remember walking through the bar with my main door guy at the time – Dave Attell. Of course this was waaay before he scored BIG TIME as the host of Comedy Central’s Insomniac and went on to become one of the funniest comedians working today.
We were looking for someone new to do a short set and I saw a young comedian I didn’t recognize, so I asked Dave about him. He told me the guy’s name was Jon Stewart. I asked Dave if he was funny and he said, “Yeah. He’s pretty funny.” So I put up Jon Stewart for about five minutes. And Dave was right, he was pretty funny…
In LA the comedians still hung-out, but we relied a lot on video and promo packages to find new comedians to showcase. There was also a New Faces Workshop at that time where the new comedians could benefit from coaching and Monday evening showcases on stage at the (now gone) Santa Monica Improv. This could eventually lead to a showcase and MC opportunities at the main club on Melrose Avenue.
Except for the headliners and some feature acts, most regional clubs (for example, The Cleveland Improv) rely on local comedians. This is especially true for the opening / MC spots. So you need to find out when your area clubs are doing showcases, workshops or both to be seen in person. That’s always a step up from sending in YouTube videos or DVD’s (that most bookers assume are edited anyway).
BUT the best way to be seen by a comedy club booker? Easy. Get a referral from a comedian who already works at the club. As I said in an article about a year ago, that’s your Golden Ticket.
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If you’ve worked with a comedian who is a headliner or even a feature act at another club where you want to play – AND, (this is the important part), that comic LIKES your act – then ask him to refer you to the club booker. Ask the comic to ask the booker if you could have a guest / audition / showcase set.
From my experience from coast to coast to coast, it’s the No. 1 best way to be seen. There’s no waiting in line to pull a lucky performing number from a lottery, no wondering if your emails are seen with links to your video, no late night hanging-out, (at least to be seen the first time), and no sitting through long open-mic audition nights as the booker sits through dozens of other comics.
No waiting in line
A good referral from a comedian who is already a regular – and liked – performer at the club is your in. It’s your Golden Ticket to be seen.
You need to start by networking with the comedians you’re already working with. I’m not talking about kissing-up or being a pain in the you know what. Comics and bookers already get enough of that from hacks and wannabes. You – as a comedian – really need to have the material and experience to be ready to play The Improv or any other major club.
Don’t fool yourself and think you can jump right into the big-time because you know the right people. I don’t care if the referring comic is your best friend. If he’s smart and cares about his career, he’s not going to stick his neck out and refer someone who’s not ready. He may say he will just to shut you up – but he won’t. Working comics have worked too hard to get there and they’re not gonna blow it on someone who will make them look bad.
So that being said, experience and stage time will put you in contact with comedians working clubs you want to play. Using J.W. (who asked today’s question), as an example, I went to his website and saw two fliers for shows coming up this month that also include TWO acts who are regular performers at The Improv. Both play his area Improv and ONE is also a regular at the LA club. If J.W. does an outstanding set opening these shows and the Improv comedians like his work – then J.W. should ask them about referring him to the club bookers. They may say yes or no – but it’s an opportunity for a Golden Ticket.
Dave Attell on stage
at The Improv
So my best advice is just that – personal references can give you a Golden Ticket. Just like when Dave Attell told me Jon Stewart is funny. The choice to put him on during a late night show at The Improv didn’t make his career – but at least he got stage time that night and that’s how you build experience and contacts. And as anyone who’s working in Comedy Land knows, experience and contacts can help you grab a Golden Ticket to get inside.
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Dave Schwensen is the author of How To Be A Working Comic: An Insider’s Business Guide To A Career In Stand-Up Comedy, Comedy FAQs And Answers: How The Stand-Up Biz Really Works, and Comedy Workshop: Creating & Writing Comedy Material for Comedians & Humorous Speakers.
For information about these books, upcoming comedy workshops in Chicago and Cleveland, and private coaching for comedians and speakers in person, by phone or via Skype visit www.TheComedyBook.com
Copyright 2013 – North Shore Publishing
