Even if you are delivering new material you should already know it well enough to work without notes. The minute you begin looking down at your notes, you've lost eye contact. And getting the joke requires communication on many different levels, eye contact is one of those levels. My delivery style is similar to Steven Wright's, but even I find myself asking myself if a certain eye roll might enhance the effect of a joke. It's hard to gauge how effective your act is when you're only delivering it halfway. And because many Open Mics are in front of the same comedians over and over, you might only get one chance for a fresh read.

The smartest thing I did two weeks ago at the Coffee Haven was postponing my set. I had written a new bit about the guy who shot his neighbor over a video game. I had six minutes of material and I wanted desperately to deliver all of it. But as I watched the comics that Friday night, I knew what I wrote wouldn't be compelling or stand out. For one thing, only one part of the entire bit was compelling to me (the comment his girlfriend made about his behavior). The set was long anyway, so I went home and vowed to get on the next week with more carefully chosen material, the kind of news article that makes me mad. When I came back I had a much shorter set. I completely focused on what the shooter's girlfriend said about his behavior and dropped all the corny jokes I knew I couldn't deliver with any passion, because I didn't feel it when I wrote them. Even after being second to the last up at a comedy marathon, the set went very well, the material was well received and I knew it was strong enough to be integrated into my old act.

At each show someone refers to something that's happened at that Open Mic. It might be a crazy homeless guy who took the stage. It might be the parking. It might be the odd smell in the bathroom. But if you treat an open mic as rehearsal for a paid show, I don't see how you can afford to waste that kind of time. Let's say I have six minutes of stage time. I have two new bits I want to work on. Both are carefully selected and rehearsed as much as possible without a live audience. Then, I go onstage and start ranting about parking in Hollywood. Next, I rant about the idiot before me who just did fifteen minutes of bathroom jokes until he chased away half the audience. Aside from making the audience re-live something that made them very unhappy, which is never a good thing in comedy, I also wasted half my time doing things I can't use in any other show. Now I have to postpone testing the new material I couldn't work in until I get to the next Open Mic. If my goal was simply to rehearse the old material, I didn't accomplish that either. When you drive 40 miles to do three minutes, know what you want out of the show, and don't settle for anything less.

One day go to an Open Mic and pretend you're a booker or a talent agent. Count how many red flags you push you away from the local talent. Suppose you were looking for an opener/emcee. Count how many comics can't remember their acts without notes. Then ask how they'd remember the names of the people you were paying them to introduce. One of the biggest blessings of my career has being surrounded by great friends that talent agents have sought out for their gifts. Watching a good friend pitch a sitcom premise and see every talent agent in LA told me something about this Industry. Agents want something in a comedy act they can package and they will come to see that pitch in mass. My friend had well developed characters as the underlying foundation. That translates into a great story telling motif. But I have to be honest, that amount of development and thought to an act is rare and unique.

So as you watch an Open Mic, ask how many acts would translate into something more, even if it's not a sitcom script. If you were the talent agent looking for the next big thing to hit the Industry, how many comics would you pass up because they seem to be using the "F"-word like it's a joke all by itself? How many would you pass up because you wouldn't see a potential market for their act? How many would you pass up because you couldn't see them doing much more than playing a comedy club? You'll be surprised how often you find yourself whispering, "next."

Comedy is always a team sport, even when it's not. No matter how bad an Open Mic is, there's always something that can be gained from the experience, even if the only thing is showing that you are a constant professional. The most obvious skill every comic needs, and the most abused, is sticking to his or her time. If you have five minutes do the best five minutes you can. Once you see the light blinking, finish the bit [unless it's five minutes long.] Remember, there are other people waiting for their turn. And nobody's any more or less important than you are. After your set is over, don't just pick up and leave. Support the other performers, just like you would want them to support you. Don't make negative or disparaging remarks about anyone who put together the show. Assume they did the best they could. If you didn't like the room, you don't have to come back. Exercise that right without any unnecessary venom. Make the best out of the time you were given. And say thank you to the person running the show before you go home.

The whole purpose of an Open Mic is usually to test new material before taking the stage at a booked show where bombing would be a bad thing. If that's the case you should always compare what you wanted out of the Open Mic with what you got. If a new bit bombed, this is the time to ask yourself should I rewrite it, or is it simply not worth the time?

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About Shayne-Michael

Aside from being an online humor columnist, Shayne-Michael is a stand-up comic who has been performing since 1989. He's toured 14 states and three Canadian provinces. He's also played 40 cities in Montana alone. Yes Montana has 40 cities. Of course by the time he reached the 40th city it had a population of seven. He ended up playing for the bar owner and his cat. The cat was the better listener.

You can find more of Shayne-Michael's work on his official website:

• Shayne-Michael.COMedy: His Mp3 clips, original jokes, columns, lists, one liners and music.
  
  
• Shayne-Michael.COMedy/forComics.htm: The original open mic database and articles for comics.