The First Things I Learned
I made my public debut on the stage of Comedy Works downtown in Denver, on July 21, 2009. I won’t forget that date. In fact, I don’t know many comedians that have forgotten the date they finally got on stage in public. That is one of the hardest parts to getting involved in comedy – beginning.
I took the method of routine and commitment. Comedy Works has new comedians start by calling their hotline (303.477.7844) each week in an attempt to break onto the stage. The hotline also spouts out the names of the lucky 11-12 people that will be on the stage that week. You have to call in approximately 8-10 solid consecutive weeks prior to even getting on for just two minutes. I made a time each Wednesday to call into the hotline and leave simply my name, “Trent Gillaspie” and a polite, “Thank You.” This kept me in check each week, and also kept me thinking about my material for my first two minutes on stage. When you get to Week 9 and call in to say your name, only to find out that Trent Gillaspie is on the list, THAT is your sense of commitment to the comedy scene. If you let them down, they might kill you.
There is no backing down now. You’d feel too guilty not to go through with it. It’s the moment of truth. You call up your friends and family and tell them to go down and mention your name to get complimentary tickets, and you check in at the front desk 30 minutes before the show. If you are like me (and I know I am), then you’ll gauge down 5-6 pint glasses of water prior to going on stage to prevent dry mouth, and you’ll anxiously run over your lines and jokes behind the curtain until that ever-daunting moment of your name being called by the emcee comes. You have to go on stage and you have to maintain your composure.
The first time is different for everyone (I know, I know. Make your sex jokes now.) The greatest feeling though is actually getting through it. I rushed through my first two minutes on stage. RUSHED. Going back and looking at the video, I didn’t even have time to think, AND I didn’t account for laughter from the crowd in between my jokes, so I went about 15 seconds over the strict 2 minute limit. Many clubs WILL signal with a light when you have a 15-30 second grace period, and then cut the lights and mic when you are out of time. Don’t let it happen to you. I have even had the misfortune of watching it demolish a comedian’s chances in the Denver New Talent Competition. It is a ridiculous rush though. Not unlike soldier’s marching towards each other in the Revolutionary War, no shielding or stopping of the march, simply shooting at each other to kill those on the other side, and then winning and going out for shots of whiskey after the battle. Too soon? Probably not. Irrelevant? Welcome to my site.
Heck, I even got a free drink from another comedian after my first time on stage. What is better than that? If you don’t feel like you are prepared to get out and be on stage, just remember the 80-20 rule. If you’re 80% of the way there, it’s much better to go out and do it, as opposed to waiting for that extra 20% to come along over the next few weeks/months/years. Plus, getting on stage will be a great way to see if what you’ve been making your friends laugh with for the past few years is actually funny to the greater audience. If you are in Denver, go HERE and get started with Comedy Works.
Seem too intimidating for you? In the near future, I will be posting a local Denver Comedy calendar of open mics you can go check out. Heck, I’ll even talk about some of the specifics and the nature of each open mic as I know it, which is where I will ask a lot of my fellow comedians already on the scene for their input. I have come to LOVE the Denver scene and that is what makes getting out there so easy with a group of great people to fall back on and connect with to get your footing.
