Skip to main content

How to Prepare for a Comedy Open Mic - Hey Onicia

Do you think you've got hot bits and struck comedy gold? The only way to know for sure is to test them in the blue-hot flames of a comedy open mic. Follow these 6 steps and be ready for your first open mic. Depending on your prior experience with public speaking, you might be ready to hit the stage in less than a week!

Hey Onicia is a series where I tap into my type-A side and answer questions from my friends about this starving artist life. If you find this helpful, share with your twitter homies or thank me with ice cream. Want to chat or collaborate? Holla at me!

STEP 1
Write down all the funny things. Be sure to organize them, so it's easy to locate and curate. 

STEP 2
Watch all the stand-up. This will help you to become familiar with the different styles and topic ranges.

STEP 3
Actually attend an open mic. If you can, hang out after the show and network. Also, support the establishment and buy a drink. Tip the staff!



STEP 4
Know the rules of the club/bar, then create a set that is both true to you and meets the requirements. Most open mics require advance sign up. Some as early as one week. The time limit may be anywhere from 3-4 minutes per performer.

STEP 5
Once you have a set, practice, practice, practice!!! I typed my jokes long-form. At one point, I got trapped trying to trim the setup. Workshop purgatory was turning into workshop hell.

Switched it up by listening to audio recordings. Then briefly discussed the material with a trusted friend. I did one more long-form edit. Finally - about 24 hours before the mic - I repeated my set until I had it down.

STEP 6
SHOW UP AT THE OPEN MIC AND PERFORM!!!!


Bonus!
Chicago comedian, Elaine Phillips (@Satiristfaction) shared this calendar of comedy open mics.


https://calendar.google.com/calendar/ical/25sesvul5abc9nv6cseeec03fk%40group.calendar.google.com/public/basic.ics

This is a resource for comedians in the Chicago and surrounding suburbs. It is based on all active open mic listings on the Comedy of Chicago website as well as from various Chicago Comedy Facebook groups. See Comedy of Chicago for info about local mics. Hosts often post updates about mics on Facebook (e.g. cancellations or time changes). Always consult their official pages for the most accurate info. If information on this calendar needs to be changed/updated, please message Elaine Phillips via Facebook.

Instructions for importing calendar using Google Calendar app.

I wanna know about your first open mic experience. Comment below!

Diary entry April 8, 2015

Today I performed my first 3-minute set at the Laugh Factory Chicago's open mic night. Our host Paul Farahvar was super funny and accommodating.


What would you do? Tweet me using #JBFxOnicia
Created on St. Maarten. Based in Chicago. Onicia Muller (@OniciaMuller) writes, says funny things, and enjoys hanging with creative minds. Originally published in The Daily Herald's Weekender, Just Being Funny is a weekly reflection where Onicia laughs at life. 
Want more funny? Subscribe. Buy me ice cream. Share.
Onicia TwitterOnicia Muller Newletter Onicia Muller Facebook PageOnicia Muller YouTube

Popular posts from this blog

Add to cart button

Read more

Just be a Cubicle Bible - Just Being Funny

“Sir, your claim was denied due to moisture. Yes, water is moisture.” It started as any other day at the call center - or so I thought. At 8:30 a.m. sharp I began working towards my self-imposed 80-call quota. Arguing with ignorant adults about the terms of their two-page contract which they didn’t read is not something you want to do more than once a day. Eighty was my sanity limit. I also had zero motivation to increase this corporations’ profits. On this particular call, the customer was upset because the warranty company was denying their claim for part which was ‘clearly covered on the contract’. However, the client failed to see that ‘failure due to moisture’ voided anything that was ‘clearly covered on the contract’. We were fifteen minutes into the call. I needed a break. “Sir, let me place you on hold while I review the terms with my Manager.” Instead of calling my Manager, I peeked over the cubicle partition to check in with my office BFF. From her exasperate...
Read more

A French Translator - Just Being Funny

Every Caribbean person comes out the womb bilingual. My goal in life was to speak at the least seven languages and maybe one day work as an interpreter at the United Nations. On my quest to mastering seven languages, I came across a little known tongue called Spanish. As a big headed teenager, I believe French, Dutch and English were the most important languages in the world. Spanish was not going to be a thing. School administrators should stop trying to make Spanish happen, readjust the budget, and double down on teaching French. ‘Cause honesty, anyone who only spoke Spanish probably didn’t do anything great. Obviously, I also struggled with history and world geography – as if you couldn’t tell from those strongly held and embarrassingly ignorant beliefs. The universe would later have me insert my foot – nay my entire leg – into my mouth because my future children are Afro-Latino. A moment of side eye and several seats for past Spanish-hating me. But back to masteri...
Read more