One of the hardest things for comedians is remembering their set. When you are facing people in front of you, all focused on you to make your next move, it can be hard to keep sane and remember the order of your set. We all know that nothing in this world is easy but remembering your set should not be something that is difficult.
Even if someone has never performed stand up or has been doing it for years there are several ways in which it can be easier for comedians to remember their set and not turn their time on stage into a living nightmare.
Remember how hard it was to memorize tables back in math class? What made it even harder was the fact that you had to present them in front of the whole class. Now add in the fact that anxiety multiplies when you are facing a crowd, this is felt by almost every single person in this world. What do you think happens when comedians perform in front of a crowd while the only thing, they notice is the audience’s eyes glued to the performer?
Practice
It’s been said that writing books is easier than writing standup comedy, and if anyone thinks this isn’t true, it really is. In addition to writing your sets, you need to clearly remember them well and see which jokes connect seamlessly and consistently elicit laughter. That’s why most comedians appear in comedy clubs before they’re ready for a full tour. Many comedians perform in their under-construction mode at a small club. People ask why do they do this? It is because they know what will work for a bigger audience and what won’t work.
Some jokes can be great, some jokes disappear as they fall flat and don’t cause any reaction. But through practice, you can make corrections until you are completely satisfied with your set. In this way, where you are practicing more and more before your big show, all bits and jokes can be easily stored in your memory. Repetition off and off stage is a fast way to build the muscle memory for your set.
A good comedian will tell you that there is nothing better than practice to improve your comedy. The time you lay towards practice, it really matters. Even the best comedians in the world took time to look at the material they had and used them in front of the audience to understand what makes people laugh and what should be deleted or considered a bad joke.
Using this technique of practice will not only help you remember comedy sets. You can also use this to remember the entire chemical periodic table, geographic country names and any chemical formula there is out there. Who knows even those might turn into comedy bits.
Cadence
Remembering something as every word is much more difficult than learning a song. We all know how easy it is memorizing a song, right? and why wouldn’t it be, it has a large structure, the same number of words and/ or syllables are often lyrical, this is why they often stay glued to our brain unnoticed. The fact that every lyric holds meanings and stories that we all relate to, that’s what lets a song make its place in our heart and mind.
Of course, remembering your set in comedy is different than memorizing a song, so this is what most comedians do remember it. They say or rhyme certain words in a sentence. This gives them a little rhyme which makes it easier to memorize. They strategically add pauses to some places, make certain funny little gestures or movements and then start using them as a mental marker on their jokes, stories or whatever they are trying to deliver.
They use these pauses, descriptions, and moves to connect everything together, especially in long jokes (like funny stories). this technique is very helpful and it also improves productivity and gives a number of general ideas, such as your next moves, replaying how you managed it while you were learning it as a song.
Repeating your bits and jokes in the same way with the same cadence over and over is like an actor rehearsing their lines while giving the performance. Every movement and reaction has been planned to fit every word they say. Think of stand up as a form of acting that requires both humorous action and hilarious dialouge.
Subliminal Repetition
Recording and listening to your own voice is not most people’s cup of tea. Even when it is not a pleasant moment for the ears, this trick can be of so much help. It is one of the most common approaches used by many comedians where thy record their sets, rehearses through listening to them back to back.
When you are listening (in the form of third-person), you get to know which part is best and which one requires more work. This is also a good way to memorizes your set. The audio stimulation makes your brain process it as an outside delivery and you can hear the cadence, pauses, and moments of laughter that are often missed while on stage.
Writing Your Setlist
Our eyes are weirdly connected with our brains. Have you ever wondered why we dream of someone we don’t recognize or have never seen in real life? It is because we have seen that person with our eyes somewhere. It could be the street, the school, your office – but you have seen them somewhere.
These pictures get printed on our minds without us even knowing. So, if things we don’t even notice that much can be stored in our memory, think about the things we do notice? Write your set, get them printed, take them with you wherever you go and make sure they are always in contact with your eyes. Going through your set, again and again, gives your mind a wild picture. It is like using flashcards. So, when you are on the stage you might not recall the whole joke but you will, for sure know, what is about to come next.
Remembering your set is important as jokes are the currency of the stand up comedian. Forgetting your material is almost as bad as stealing material. Take the time to put in the work to know your set so well that you will be performing in your sleep much to everyone else’s chagrin. Don’t think that writing and performing a joke a few times is enough to make you a better comedian like any other endeavor practice makes perfect.
