So You Want To Be A Comedian

You’ve finally gotten tired of your boring nine to five job and decided to become a comedian. You think you have that unmistakable talent that would make audiences burst out in laughter. For someone like you that enjoys humor, it’s an appealing job. But how exactly do you go from an everyday person to full-fledged comedian?

The first step on your journey to become a comedian is to study the greats that have come before you. You can do this by renting videos of stand-up routines done by the likes of Jerry Seinfeld, Adam Sandler and Chris Rock. Study how they go about their routines and why they are funny. Learn about timing and notice how every comic has a different persona. Being unique is the ultimate goal that could ensure you getting laughs.

The second step to become a comedian is to write your own routine. Write everyday about what you know and then put a comedic spin into it. Go with what interests you and what interests other people. Celebrity impersonations, musical gags, and the use of props are just some of the things that you could do in your routine. Take note of having setups as transitions from one joke to another.

The next step to become a comedian is to train for the stage. Taking improvisational acting classes and public speaking classes can help make you a better performer. Part of being a comedian is your confidence on stage. Memorize your routine and run it with a test audience. Make changes to your routine based on the reactions that you get. Also, be prepared for those that would heckle you during your routine. To become a comedian is to have a thick skin and taking everything with a grain of salt.

To become a comedian, you need to start somewhere. Start out by joining open mics to see how you are received. The practice you get from performing for different audiences can represent your growth as a comedian. Once you’ve mastered the open mics, you can now head to the big comedy clubs.

But to become a comedian that would be deemed, at the very least, good, you need to avoid some amateur mistakes like thinking you can do better than others before you, thinking you can be famous easily, talking badly about other comedians, blaming the audience for having a less than successful show or reacting badly to hecklers.

Remember that to become a comedian is no easy task. Persistence is key. It’s a hard road as it does not necessarily bring in big money. But if you have the qualities for the job, you should know how to have fun along the way.