But this one had a good feel from the outset. The client and I chatted on the phone for over a half hour; the longer the conversation the better, I'm discovering. She had taken improv classes and attended open mikes. She knew who I was talking about when I mentioned Stephen Wright.
It sounded great. And it was.
It is not a requirement that I be provided food and/or drink. All I ask is for a mic, an introduction, and to not be shunted to "mop up duty" at the tail end of the evening when everybody is blasted or bored. I'm not a diversion, I am the entertainment. But the offer of refreshment is a good sign to me. It tells me that I won't be ignored or treated like "the help." It permits me the option of mingling if I choose and relieving the pre-show nerves. I was handed a drink ticket from the staff - who knew I was coming and had my name in the reservation book - met the client, who was lovely and lively (and not hammered) and was introduced to a veteran of the comedy stages, now retired, who offered me advice and support.
The atmosphere was low-key, friendly. When it was my turn, I was relaxed and ready to go.
I did okay. Not great, I'm not there yet. But I had their attention and I didn't lose it. A few jokes bombed (blame the writer.) Some were hits. I decided to change my style, combining my usual one line observational and word play (NOT puns) humor with story telling. I've written and performed longer bits recently, and I like it. It give me more options, and pads out the time if needed. My closer, a story about mishearing "tp" for "tv" and the hilarity that ensued, was listened to and greeted with laughter and applause. I was scheduled to do 30 minutes, had timed it out at 28, and I felt that it was only 20. But a quick check of my phone told me that I'd done 30.
Time does fly when you're having fun.
I stayed and chatted for a while afterwards, got paid (yay!) and thanked my client.
Not everybody in the room was interested. But those that were listened and appreciated. Nobody was falling down wasted, nobody held a long conversation over my set, and I saw no one checking their phones.
I still have much to learn; I still felt the need to use my notes as a crutch, as I've written about in an earlier post; I could have used the room more.
But I left feeling confident. It was a fitting end to a whirlwind nine days in which my life literally changed for the better forever. (More on this in future posts.) I will continue to learn, to promote myself, to write, and to experiment.
Happy Holidays!
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| This is me in front of a big tree. |
