So, you have decided that comedy is what you really want to do? You are willing to sacrifice your physical, mental, spiritual, financial and, heck, even sexual well-being so you can put smiles in the hearts and faces of strangers night after night; total strangers who will show little to no appreciation for your craft? You have tons of material written down somewhere waiting to be delivered to the final consumer? Do you have a mental image of audiences going crazy to the point of gasping for air at every punchline you deliver?
If you answered yes to all of that, and if you indeed have material written down; congratulations, you have completed the first step.
The second step is to identify where you are going to perform your first set; that would ideally be a comedy club. There are a few comedy clubs and open mic spaces in Nairobi, for example, the Nairobi Laugh Bar in Lavington, and Two Grapes Restaurant in Kilimani. Every comedy club has an open mic schedule and a process of incorporating new talent – call your preferred club to find out what theirs is and ask for a spot. Once you do that, you’re ready for step 3; Your first performance!
Naturally, your first set will be short. Three to five minutes tops, maybe less than three minutes; however long the set is, you should write at least three times that amount of material. Most of what you write initially will not be very funny because that is just how the game is. No one ever got it right on the first try. You’re probably going to have to trash most of your initial material. Don’t let that discourage you – just keep writing and use the best stuff you have.
After your first performance; however how it goes, try not to dwell on it. Start getting ready for your next performance. Don’t take a break; you don’t have that luxury and you probably never will. Start writing more. Create a writing schedule and stick to it. Memorize your jokes, not necessarily word for word but the key points; what goes where? What comes next? Where does the punchline come in?
Be realistic. No one is good at stand-up, or anything really, when they first start. You will not be the exception to that rule. Your job in those first few performances is not actually to be funny – it’s to get comfortable enough on stage that maybe one day in the distant future, you will be funny. If you get any laughs, count that as a bonus! You’re just learning how to walk. You will learn how to race much later.
Finally, always film, or at least get a voice recording of all your sets. Not to post on social media or to show to anyone, but to have for yourself. The more you record, and listen to your sets, the more you can see what to improve upon, and the more you can look back at your progress.
For you to have even the slightest chance of becoming a professional comedian, you’re going to have to do thousands of sets at tens of different locations for years, but as someone once said, if you do it right, and pay attention to the finest details, it will all be worth it in the end.
So, get out there as soon as you can and hop on that stage! Don’t wait to be ready because you’ll never be. Good luck!
