r/Standup • u/Ice_90210 • 1d ago
Advice on Producing Comedy Night
TLDR; I’m looking for any advice from people who have experience running a comedy room, producing live shows, booking comics, and maintaining a good relationship with the venue.
CONTEXT:
I have an opportunity to produce a weekly Thursday comedy night at a really nice bar. The event space is its own separate room connected to the bar, seats around 30–40+ people, and we can close the doors during the show. It’s already well decorated and has a TV behind the stage that we can use for visuals when needed or just turn off during stand-up.
The owner is pretty open to letting us experiment with the room, but wants to make sure we’re not showcasing material that enables sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, etc. I’ve written up a basic content disclaimer for comics, but I also feel like the easiest way to maintain some quality control is to avoid a completely show-up-go-up mic and book the spots instead. I have also talked to more experienced comedian friends about filling some Thursdays with shows the they produce.
Right now I’m booking the opening night. The plan is a four-comic showcase followed by an open mic. After that, I’d like to experiment with different programming instead of doing the exact same mic every Thursday. Some ideas so far are a booked mic, LGBTQ night, writing/premise shows, improv/ stand up, a night where comics get new headshots, completely booked showcases, etc.
Eventually I’d also like to experiment with ticketed shows if we can prove there’s an audience for them.
For anyone who has run a room before: What do you wish you knew when you started? How do you handle booking and comics who become a problem? How do you keep the venue happy without letting them dictate the comedy? What kind of financial arrangement should I be talking to the owner about if we start consistently bringing people into the bar or selling tickets?
Basically, I have a good room, an owner willing to work with me, and a group of comics interested in helping. I want to avoid fucking it up. The room is located in the US. Metro Detroit. Ferndale Michigan.
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u/Open-Nobody-8250 21h ago
1st time is free. (I operate like a drug dealer)
30 year , theater, film, tv, commercial, producer
The open mic is going to fuck you on the “enables sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, etc.” maybe have an open audition before first open mic. nothing more not funny than when bros “know comedy”.
Small and slow. Order of operation.
1. Brand the space
2. Make sure you have proper audio and mixing. This is where all of your money should go. and a person who knows how to use it.
3. Simple stage, back drop, own it make it yours
4. Simple but well designed lighting gives it ambience , make it a place where people can relax and open up.
5. Host, when have spent all your money on sound find the most energetic, postive, unassuming person you know. Some with talent, who doesn’t know they are. I promise they are everywhere. Try to avoid, producing, writing, directing, and acting in your show. You wont realize it bit its a huge conflict of interst, and need to be a special talent to pull it off (i.e Orson Welles, Spike Lee.)
Good luck, what an amazing thing to be a part of. You can do it, just bring logic into creativity.
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u/J-L-S 1d ago
Been producing for a few years. You asked the question on keeping the venue happy wjtvojt letting them dictate the comedy, but honestly my advice is to let them dictate the comedy. If you've got clear instructions from them, write it down in their exact terms, show it to the comics, and let the venue know you've made very clear their exact terms with the comics. That way if somebody crosses a boundary it's not on you.
I don't really love the term "dictate" in this sense - there's so many things to write about, it's more focusing on things other than that material that would make people not come back to the business.
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u/Coneskater 1d ago
Don't forget that you have something very valuable: stage time. Especially if it can be a real audience and longer sets, that should be all you need to find some up and coming comics.
My recommendation? Go to as many other local shows as possible, personally choose the acts you want, and invite them. I would look for good open micers, looking for the opportunity to do their first 10-12 minute sets, try to find one really solid person to close with a longer set.
A lot of this is just setting things in motion and then letting inertia take over. If you are selling tickets, pay the comics what you can. Once it turns into a regular dependable show, see if you can pay the comics.
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u/paper_liger 5h ago
I did a similar show, and I recommend doing the showcase with longer sets but only doing three comics plus the host. I usually gave two 15s and a 20.
That middle area of longer sets is valuable for people trying to stretch their legs and work on a feature set. But 20 minutes is still worth a lot of headliners times just to work stuff out.
A 10 minute host spot, two fifteens and a 20 works out to over an hour which is long enough to consider a real show, plus it also doesn't run through your list of 'solid comics who can do that amount of time' as fast. The list of 'comics who think they can do that amount of time but can't' is much longer.
I usually had the show host thank people at the end, then tell the audience to feel free to stick around for the open mic and told them they had a 5 minute intermission before that started. Then I'd have a different host for the mic.
I did that because I was charging admission, and that give a little dividing line between the 'actual show' and the mic which is a little more uneven. I wanted the show to feel more curated, and I also didn't want people to feel like they were being held hostage. Switching hosts also lets someone a little less experienced get some hosting time which is nice.
Fair warning, I did have the venue sort of start stealing ticket money from me, then totally cut me out and try to use the group chat I always set up ahead of time to go back through and try to rebook every comic I'd ever had on the shows. So. You know. Keep your business business I guess.
It was kind of hilarious that 90 percent of the comics messaged me first and more or less responded with 'fuck that guy' but in any comedy scene there are always folks who will take any stage time no matter the context.
That all stemmed from the the fact that the business didn't want to give me a budget, so I charged tickets, and it was a small enough space that the beer and wings they wasnt enough for them, they needed my sweet 10 bucks a head, which by the way went completely to comics and ads.
So. Keep your eyes open I guess is the point. Maybe get a little written agreement, informal but clearly written, just in case it gets successful and they decide they want to cut you out.
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u/xVIRIDISx 1d ago edited 1d ago
Good comics worth booking should be able to do a showcase spot without borderline hate speech.
Any commenters who claim this is an assault on real comedy/free speech are loser hacks. Good comics can joke about racism, sexism, etc. without being hateful. Really bad comics think the hatefulness is the joke.
This is about a business owner wanting his clientele to feel welcome and safe to enjoy themselves. If this is a truly upscale/trendy place and you get the atmosphere right and ensure everyone has a good time, you could be a very hot show that comics are dying to get booked on, and maybe make a little money for yourself while you’re at it.
Trying to answer your questions:
If you’re involved in your scene, you should do your best to know who the problems are. If they make a stink about not getting on your show, they’ll just be proving you right. Don’t be afraid to have an honest conversation with anyone who seems like they will earnestly be on their best behavior.
Keep the venue happy by keeping the customers happy and spending money. If they’re making money and not getting complaints, they’ll probably stay out of the way creatively.
Finances: if they’re charging you for the room, that’s the first thing to address. If they’re not booking the room already, and you’re bringing customers in, they could be open to letting you have it for free. Beyond that, I think a fair trade is you get ticket sales they get food and drink.
Some tips: work with the owner to make this beneficial for everyone. See if they’ll help pitch in on a curtain, spotlights, good mic/speakers, etc. and try to never let the show run longer than 90 minutes.
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u/presidentender flair please 16h ago
Skip the mic. Book a showcase. Do it monthly instead of weekly.
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u/EsMuchoFunnyProd00 1d ago
First few shows should be easy to book but that is with my assuming you are a comic who knows comics and you should know their material. 4 comics a show, I’m sure that’s at least 3 shows booked.
That should stall you to build an IG page or something where people, if they want to be on your show, should send tape (so you can see if they have hateful crap) and also give the “rules of the business”.
Charge for the show. Even if it’s 2 dollars. A free show is easily dismissed and people think it’s some unprofessional crap they’re watching. If they even pay 1 dollar, there’s more of a commitment.
In terms of business for the bar. Encourage during the show for people to support the bar. Selling tickets I think should go into the show(advertising, fliers) and paying the comics. The idea is the bar makes money because you bring an audience.
Go too busy to proof read this so get the gist.
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u/ReneeGrouxComedy 6h ago
You're absolutely correct about avoiding a show-up, go-up. If you care about your relationship with the venue + the venue cares about their reputation, all acts must be vetted. If you're passionate about giving back to amateurs in your community, book a limited # of short amateur spots each night. only book grown-ups who can be trusted!
My big advice is, don't run a free show. Not in a venue where the focus is 100% on the show. Even a small symbolic amount ($5, $10, even $15) will shift atmosphere of a show. When it's a free show, nobody has any investment or reason to care about it - not the audience or the comics. A wise peer once told me, "if it's a free show that's bad, people will be pissed they chose that over doing literally nothing." A low ticket price tells audience that they paid for an experience, to act accordingly, and to have their expectations adjusted to price.
I keep my own ticket sales, but I ask most of my venues to pay a small flat rate to cover my marketing costs - getting a poster designed, printed, and sponsored ads on Meta.
(Ontario, Canada)
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u/sad_handjob 23h ago
sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia
good luck with that
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u/MaizeMountain6139 23h ago
Only need luck for this if you’re a hack
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u/sad_handjob 23h ago
which 99% of comics are. like I said, good luck with that
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u/MaizeMountain6139 23h ago
Damn, I feel sorry for whatever market you’re in
That is not an issue here. We have plenty of people who can write funny jokes
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u/sad_handjob 23h ago
at open mics in suburbia? certainly not at club shows
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u/MaizeMountain6139 23h ago
Los Angeles
And a comedy club? I would never
Rooms will always be better than clubs
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u/paper_liger 5h ago
look I'm not part of this little argument, but the whole 'rooms will always be better than clubs' thing is kind of so wild I had to chime in.
Rooms will always be easier, and safer, and maybe more comfortable. They can be more experimental and more niche. Sure. There are some truly great rooms. But they can be like that because the stakes are simply inherently lower. And if you can't do both, that's not a condemnation of clubs. That's definitely your limitations showing through.
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u/Sullyville 23h ago
What do you wish you knew when you started? Any comic you book for the night, send them promo material and DEMAND that they re-post on ALL their socials. It's hard the get the word out. You need all the help you can get. TAKE NOTE of who does promo and who shirks. Those who shirk, who don't have a following, you don't ask back.
You should also know that venues are the hot girl here. A venue has a lot of people approaching them pitching events and they have to pick carefully. They are taking a risk on you, but they can quickly just end your event. Probably no contract is being signed here. This is a handshake thing. You aren't paying them anything, so you have no claim should they just shut you down. Keep this in mind. You don't have much power here. That said--BRAND your night. Don't just call it Comedy Night. Give it a NAME. So that if you do have to switch venues, your crowd can find you.
Create an Insta for the night. Remind people at every step of it so they can follow you online to see when the next one is. As a promoter you need to promo. It's actually a lot of work.
How do you handle booking and comics who become a problem? Give em one warning if they cross the line. Keep a shit-list and record when they've crossed the line, and if you've given them the warning. If they cross again, they are not invited back. Same goes for the open mic. The open micers also need to know what sort of comedy isn't welcome. This is important because if the owner hears of this, they can end your night and then you have to find a new venue. While people aren't supposed to be recording, all it takes is one homophobic joke to go viral to taint the venue and your beautiful night that you've been nurturing for months is over.
How do you keep the venue happy without letting them dictate the comedy? You need to sell alcohol and bring people who want to drink. That's it. That's your job. A good vibe, and a crowd that wants to drink. Try to have at least 2 intermissions if you can without it seeming weird. A bar that sells a lot of booze during your event is a bar that will have you back. The bar owner wants you to bring in respectful people every week and try to fill the room. They're going to dictate the comedy because it's their venue, and what happens inside it will affect their reputation. They also sense that the people who would enjoy hate comedy will be dicks who won't tip and will harass the waitstaff. And they're probably right. They dont want to deal with assholes and asshole comedy brings out assholes.
What kind of financial arrangement should I be talking to the owner about if we start consistently bringing people into the bar or selling tickets? If you fill the room with drink-buyers the bar will let you charge at the entrance to the sideroom and not take any of it. If you become a steady earner for them, they might even give you free drinks for yourself, and one free drink for each of your 4 acts. You will probably NOT be getting any percentage of the bar. At no point will you be able to charge THEM for anything. They are letting you have the room for free. Normally those rooms you need to rent. They are doing YOU the favor, and trusting you.
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u/Ryebready787 1d ago
Content disclaimer eh? Already sounds “fucked up”!
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u/MaizeMountain6139 1d ago
If you can’t do comedy without any of what was mentioned, you’re a hack
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u/Ice_90210 1d ago
Thank you. Being a decent human being is really not as difficult as some comics make it seem.
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u/MaizeMountain6139 1d ago
I think there is a time and place to be able to joke about most things (especially if the jokes are actually well written). But it’s not hard to stay away from those things if you’re asked to
90% of writing comedy professionally is staying within some guardrails. I have been on jobs where the “no” list was pages long and would be added to frequently, and I have been on very few jobs where we have total freedom to do whatever we want
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u/Ice_90210 1d ago
Yes. Not being able to write a joke without being racist, homophobic, or making light of SA is fucked up. Unfortunate that it even needs to be said.
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u/LlibNotwal 1d ago
People don't write jokes for an open mic. They go to open mics to work on the jokes they've written. What they are able to do is irrelevant.
But it's not a big deal. If I'm working on a dirty joke, and it's a pg mic, I just go to a different mic.
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u/sasquatchanonymous 1d ago
where in the world?