There’s a few “dos and don’ts” guides on the Internet for budding stand-up comedians (I’ve even included one on this blog, although it’s mostly just to say “read Robbie Bonham’s much better blog”). There doesn’t seem to be too much in the way of guides for new comedy promoters. With that in mind, I’ve decided to write up some of the things I’ve noticed while doing gigs. This is all from a comedian’s point of view, not a promoter’s. These are all just opinion. Take from them what you will. I’m not having a go at any particular promoters or at promoters in general. I’m just saying what I see.
- Do make sure that the venue in which you run your gig is right for comedy. The minimum you should have is
- a separate room in the venue (if it’s a pub etc) for the gig
- a stage (or separate stage area)
- lights (if the audience is lit brighter than the performer you’re doing it wrong)
- proper seating for your audience
- a working PA system (or an amp/speaker at the very least)
- a working microphone (have a spare mic and lead also)
- a mic stand that works properly.
- a bar with bar staff that have been briefed beforehand not to shout at the tops of their voices or unload the beer delivery for tomorrow during the acts
- Don’t have too many acts on at the gig. Four – Five acts plus an MC is plenty. There is such a thing as too much. No audience will have the stamina for ten performers and it’s unfair on those going on at the end. The audience will be comedy’d out.
- Do make sure you have a decent MC for the gig and be prepared to pay for quality.
- Don’t have a 15 minute break in the middle just for the sake of it. If there’s hardly anyone in, keep the momentum going, especially if the acts have been good. If people want a drink, smoke or toliet break, they should do it during the MC. Too long a break and the energy goes out of the room.
- Do make an effort with a backdrop for the stage, candles on tables, flyers for the next gig on the tables and appropriate music before the show in keeping with the type of audience (the music is for the audience not you. Not everyone likes Gangster Rap). If you have an email maling list, send a sheet round for the audience to sign up. If the venue does food, consider putting round sausages, chips etc during the gig to keep punters there and coming back next week. They’ll also drink more and keep the venue happy. They may even start to chip in to pay the acts.
- Don’t start up a gig just to give yourself a headline spot or the MC job because you can’t get one elsewhere. It’s self-indulgent. If you care about the gig, hand over the MC spot to others from time to time. If you really want to headline or MC, work harder at being a stand-up. Other promoters will give you gigs when you’re good enough. Learn to walk before you try to run. It’ll stand you in better stead in the long run.
- Do promote your gigs through every means you can find, not just through Facebook. Putting on a gig and then just creating a Facebook event is not promoting. It’s showing you know the very basics about using Facebook. Put up posters, leave flyers around in other venues, cafes, phone boxes or give them out on the street. Get in touch with local radio and give free tickets as prizes. Talk to the local paper. Get them on your side and they can be a great ally. Get in touch with Groupon or sites like that and promote through special offer deals.
- Don’t send messages to performers asking them to “bring all your friends” to the gig, especially if the performer has been doing it for a while. It’s unprofessional and makes you look like an amateur. It’s not the performer’s responsibility to get you an audience. It’s your gig. That’s your job. The performer will most likely share the event on social networks etc but don’t expect them to bring a huge crowd of mates. This may well be their third gig of the week and their friends are not going to come to every gig or in fact any gig. Their friends wouldn’t ask them to come and watch them at work all the time would they?
- Do treat every performer you book with respect, regardless of how long they’d been performing. If it’s their first gig, give them encouragement. You never know, they may be a huge comedy star in 2 year’s time. If you treat them like dirt, they won’t want to come back to do your gig as a “special surprise guest we can’t name” in the future. Without performers, you don’t have a gig so don’t be a dick to them. Unless they’re being dick, in which case, don’t book them again.
- Don’t just run a few gigs and then cancel the whole thing because you have a poor showing one night. Gigs take time to become established and gain a reputation. They take hard work and effort to make a success. This won’t happen overnight. Stick with it, unless you’re doing it for all the reasons in point (4) in which case you won’t.
- Do make sure you pay all the people you’ve said you would. If you’ve set a fee for the MC and the Headliner (or any other performers), make sure you pay them that fee, even if there’s not a good crowd. It’s your gig. You must take the losses. Hopefully they will be offset by the gains you make on other nights. If you don’t pay a performer the full amount owed on the night, you can be sure that every comedian in the country will have heard by the morning. The comedy community is very small. People will be very wary of doing any paid work for you in the future.
- Don’t get an air of superiority once you start to run gigs. It’s true that there are more comedians than gigs at the moment and performers will be asking you for gigs constantly. This will give you a little bit of power. Try not to abuse it and not to lord it over other performers. Remember, chances are that your gig won’t be a long term success and you’ll want gigs from other performers when they inevitably set-up their own.