Stand up comedy seems the easiest thing to most of the people – because they think making people laugh while you tell jokes you have rehearsed a thousand times on the stage is an easy thing. Spoiler, it is not easy at all. If you thought comedy was easy, you missed this article. There is nothing easy in stand up. From your first open mic to your first comedy show and beyond every time you put effort into comedy, there is a chance you will bomb and contemplate quitting. Only the sharp AND funny survive.
There are many challenges that comedians face when they get into stand-up comedy, and these are the things that people don’t really know about. The following is a list of top ten challenges of stand up comedy that every comedian has to face in the course of their career.
Humiliation
Stand up comedy looks easy, but experts know it’s not easy at all. It takes years to perform great performances on the stage. Getting up the first time on the stage is terrifying, as it is devastatingly humiliating to face the crowd when you expect them to laugh, and they don’t. But it’s fun to make a room full of people laugh with just a microphone, your jokes, and your personality.
A successful comedian can often make people laugh in any situation, and this only happens when he gets over this first challenge like a champ. That’s why comedy clubs have been the hotbeds of Hollywood’s elite section for decades. For comedians, the first step towards success is to create and develop complex and interesting deliveries that entertain and surprise at the same time.
Being Funny
We might think if a comedian is funny, it is because he was born this way. Contrary to popular belief among comedians, it is possible to learn to be funny. Comedy takes hard work and practice. Hours of repetition and revision. Comedians agree that it takes years to develop styles and rhythms on stage.
It is estimated that it will take at least ten years for comedians actually to be funny. This was said in an interview with the person who was behind “Funny People” and “The 40-year-old Virgin”, Judd Apatow. While according to Bill Maher, it will take more than five years. Either way, being funny takes work, and comedians work the hardest at being funny.
Confidence
Public speaking is one of the most common fears people have. More people have a fear of public speaking than any other fear. So getting on stage and trying to make complete strangers laugh seems like something, only a crazy or confident person would do. And you would be correct that it takes both.
Before stepping in front of an audience, many comedians feel dread and fear. They are frightened of performing stand up comedy, and why wouldn’t they be? Having low confidence is the thing which is felt by more than 70% of the people in this world. However, knowing your material, mastering it at open mics, and in the privacy of your own life will make you more confident on stage.
Producing New Material
Comedians usually do many shows, more so once they get known and famous. Many comedians travel around the world and do repeat shows in many clubs, cities, and countries. It is difficult to publish new material and jokes for every show they do. Most comedians have tight sets based on time and use that until they put out an album or special.
Nothing is worse than seeing a comedian again in a show only to let them repeat the same jokes they did in their last show. So, providing and updating new jokes is one of the biggest challenges in the world of stand up comedy. Comedians have to be able to generate ideas fast and turn those into hilarious and crowd grabbing jokes.
Stage Energy
Comedians are normal human beings, well kind of. They get tired, annoyed, and get under the grip of “hormones” just like we do. For them, being fresh on the stage is one of the hardest things to do when they do not feel like it are under the spell of weather or just sleepy. Imagine forcing yourself to be funny in front of a crowd when you are not fresh, and it shows?
This enthusiasm for telling jokes you have told hundreds of times to new crowds is not something that comedians think about when they first start. Having the same energy for your set night after night is one of the most essential skills comedians can nurture. Comedians have to remember while you may have told these jokes a thousand times, it is likely the first time this crowd has heard them.
Commitment
How hard is it being committed for people? As a comedian, it takes a lot from you, sometimes it is tough to stay in it when you feel that you are not getting enough stage time, not getting booked, and you are starting to hate your material. Most people start off excited and driven to be a comedian, but the continuous waiting an hour just for 3 minutes of stage time to practice coupled with unsupportive open mics, friends, and sometimes family, lead them to stop comedy midway. Sticking to stand up comedy and facing the ups and downs of the comedy business will always be your biggest challenge.
Writing Setups
A new comedian looks at a blank piece of paper, pen, or pencil, and I can only imagine how painful it is for them to jot down new jokes, ideas, punchlines, and setups when they feel stuck. The biggest question comedians ask is, “What should I talk about on stage?” It should never be, “What is funny for the audience?”
The best way to start is to brainstorm. There are so many things that can jump-start your comedy creativity that you have to spend time in a creative mode, not just funny mode.
Having A Personal Life
The fact that you are going through a break-up, divorce, or even grieving over the death of someone who was so dear to you matters less when you are a comedian. As they say, “the show must go on.” When it comes to stand up comedy, you have to put on a smile and make people laugh. Imagine being in a place where you have to neglect your feelings and act against them. This is often what comedians face on a daily basis. Many comedians have a mental illness, drug abuse, depression, and other disorders but find that the few minutes they make strangers laugh from a stage is the most rewarding time of their entire day.
Crafting Punchlines
Comedians who end up at the headliner level produce a normal of 4-6 laughs for each minute they are in front of an audience. This is not by mistake and not because they went on stage and “winged it.” Stand up comedy is well-rehearsed, written, and rewritten until it is comedy perfection that produces laughs every time it is delivered.
The issue with attempting to try and approach this level of comedy is confusing for new comedians, who don’t generally have a clue what a punchline is or how to create and use them. Being funny for friends and family is not enough to create a career in comedy. Learning to craft jokes with well thought out and snappy punchlines is a large part of what makes an amateur into a professional comedian.
Reflection
Most people think that they have to change the person they are to become the best comedian. During this process, they forget one thing that being themselves is the only thing that will get them to the top. Adding things to your personality and learning the things you want to adopt is a different thing, but I have seen a lot of people falling because the only thing they forgot was who they were while they were on the stage trying to make people laugh.
Comedy is about the comedian’s point of view being shown to the crowd and allowing them to see that point of view in a way that makes them surprised and laugh. Sure comedy uses common topics and ideas to generate laughs, but it is the unique point of view of the comedian that creates the comedic effect they desire, laughter.
While there are many challenges on the road of stand up comedy, there are few that can’t be fixed through patience, revision, and practice. When a comedian truly dedicates themselves to the craft of comedy and becomes a student of the art, they can grow leaps and bounds of their peers in a fast amount of time.
