"Fake it until you make it." This is going to have to be my mantra for the next 7 - 10 years. Yes, that's the collective average of how long it takes to "make it" in comedy.
I feel like comedy in comparison to other forms of media (acting, singing, etc.) is like walking on pins and needles.
Or perhaps like roller skating on a cruise ship?
Just to say that's it's safe in one area, but in another you're completely vulnerable. The ability to dodge and weave and remain flexible allows you remain viable--current...
...Brevity is king...
With acting or singing, you can rehearse and rehearse and rehearse and pretty much nail it. And know that THAT's how you're going to perform it that night. But with comedy you can rehearse, practice, perform as many little shows as possible before you get to your major show and not even do what you originally had planned. I mean, don't get me wrong, you went in with a set list, but you came out with something totally different-- a completely new set and a completely new response (either from yourself or the audience). It's like the New York Lotto, "Hey, you never know."
This week I've gone on at least once each night, starting Sunday. Crazy, huh? I didn't even think I could handle it. But I did. And there's a certain momentum involved that I need to maintain. So I need to continue this practice in order to keep it in my system.
My biggest dilemma (which to most comedians would be a Godsend) but I have a lot of material to work with. Perhaps, too much material? I am rife with material! But I don't know how to develop it into:
premise, set-up, punch...premise, set-up, punch,.. premise, set-up, punch...
Short pithy statements are a necessity in comedy, especially with the waning attention span of audiences. Brevity is king!
And the delivery itself should be like a rhythm. Comedy should have a beat to it. I'm black, so beat should come naturally to me. (Ha, ha, this is joke, mind you.) But my dilemma lies in delivery. And I still have yet to find my voice.
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