Continued from Comedy Page
The best advice is: to act like you are making eye contact with everyone in the room, and that you love that spotlight. Because in the early days of performing, for every gig where the conditions are perfect there will be another where there is no raised up area and no spotlight, and a waiter will walk across in front of you at a crucial part of your act. Sure, you can "adlib" in the crap gags "it is just a stage he is going through" or "that never happens at the Palladium" but as Rod says "it's not the spotlight".
Comedy News for Spring 2008
In comedy, security is, knowing your material.
What I mean by this, is: when a comedian is on stage, and he knows his set so well, he can really perform with confidence and start to enjoy it all. He can "riff" with the audience, knowing he can return to his material at any time. It is a bit like being a jazz musician, who knows when to start playing, and when he is going to end, but has a little fun with the middle section, returning to the song on occasions. So too, the experienced comedian can experiment within his set.
Yes, it is great, but it is also a comfort trap. Many comedians stick with their sets too long, simply because they enjoy the luxury of it all. They hang on to their killer 25 minutes because it took so long to put together. It is their reward to themselves for years of bravery, trying out new bits at comedy clubs around the country, in an effort to get good, to get paid; it is an unforgiving journey.
This made me think of a couple of years ago, when I was walking past the Soho Theatre in London, I saw a sign saying Lenny Henry was performing that night. Then I noticed the sign was not for the Soho Theatre, but was for a downstairs of a pub, with seating for 50 people. Obviously, Lenny was setting off on the new material adventure, in preparation for a new UK tour of large theatres, and was trying out his new stuff bit by bit.
It was then I realised, I should keep on writing new material, and more importantly, try that new material out on audiences. A small audience is a brutal environment for new material, but it has to be done. Their laughter, or lack of laughter, will help a performer to know what is funny, and this knowledge will help him edit and build towards a new set.
So with this in mind, I would like to thank my friends at Long Live Comedy, who week after week provide a platform for professionals to try out new material. The Tuesday nights are starting to get very large audiences (well for the size of the room obviously). So thanks again for your support in 2007 in helping me explore and find a new 25 minutes of comedy material.
I am not going to say too much about my new set for fear of my irrational jinx theory.
Highlights from the Gallery
Below are a few highlights from the Media Gallery. If you would like to view a promotional video of Don featuring clips from performances at the Comedy Store in London, as well as his BBC and ITV appearances, you can request a copy by getting in touch.
