I was very happy with this open mic. You get 3 min, no restrictions. They posted the list of comedians very quickly and invited us in, instead of making us stand in a line outside. Very comedian friendly place. Only problem was they didn't really adhere to a strict 3 min time, I think they cut me short about a min and a half, so bring a timer. Grade A.
It's a rigged lottery system here: everyone puts names in a bowl and they pick the names and make the list. If you aren't their friend chances of getting on are slim.
I had a good experience with this place. I only went 2 times, but both times I got on and I know no one there. I was told to do my "A" material, and not work on new stuff, because the bookers watch. I am not sure if this is true. It is 3 minutes only, but it encouraged me to go for the laughs right out of the gate!
I smell a bullshit rigged lottery system here. been there 5 times and never got on yet I see the same tired acts go up and still get no laughs week after week.
I only been there 3 times and was not able to get on too but i enjoyed myself watching other acts, this is definitely rigged but what can you do, this is Hollywood Improv, already a established Comedy bar, they can pretty much do whatever they want. I'm not going back, they should call it close mic and Slava should remove this place on his list.
This isn't really an open mic. It's an audition for the Improv to find comics who are ready to make the club money. Don't audition until your set is tight. You will be remembered and it will make it more difficult to become a working comic at the club later. Have at least 30 minutes of original material before you audition, and give your best 3 at the audition. Good Luck...maybe we'll see you on TV.
It's the best opportunity in time, you get real feedback from one of the top clubs in the country. If they don't know you, they aren't going to waste their time with you.
This shit isn't easy, that's why so many cats wait for the opportunity. This ain't communist France, man.
The first time I went there I didn't even expect to get up and I did so I know it's not rigged. Very supportive room. I got A LOT more laughs that I expected from a room full of comics.
I'd love to a system here and other places with a "lottery" where the names are drawn in front of everyone and the comic then takes the stage.
I know this will never happen but am I a nut job for thinking this is a fair way to run things and it forces comics to stick around and respectfully listen to other people's sets!?!?
I was put on my first time there last night. I was also happy to see most of the other comedians sticking around to show support. We all want the same thing, and if you're truly serious about comedy than you'll go out and find and talk to the people you need to talk to. Patience is a key to life, and patience will teach you timing for your act...Thank you Improve I had an awesome night, even came back and bought tix to both shows and stuck around to chat with the pros...Only YOU can sell you...Juston Paskow
I got on the first time I came here. I didn't even expect to so I know it's not rigged. Almost all of the comics stay for the show and laugh as much as you'd expect. I wish it started a little later in the day but that's the only negative thing I have to say about this open mic.
I went for the first time last week and got up. I don't know anybody there, so it wasn't rigged. It was a good mic. There were several other first timers, too. On the sign up sheet you write if it was your first time or not - so they probably like to put up new people first.
The host was positive and supportive and kept the show moving along and didn't do any time between comics (thank god)
Went today with an open mind after hearing negative things..but sorry this is really not an open mic but more a 'buddies list' stooging as an equal opportunity lottery (especially seeing that Improv insiders were the first six acts off the list)..made even more obvious by all the inside jokes conveyed by the MC...disappointing that so many gullible people (including myself) make the effort to get there so early to put your name into a bucket which is then filtered by their cronies based on who gave the best wristy last week. Stayed to watch the first six or seven of the 'chosen ones' who quite honestly pretty much all sucked delivering 3 minutes of pain...better off sparing your energy and gas money to go to a more fair and square run venue.
honestly a bunch of classicly not funny hip looking kids that will end up doing something in life not related to comedy at all... literally a post op tranny in the front row and i was still gun shy due to the i'll suck urs if u suk mine vibe thier.... i miss comics that are actually intresting and funny, not trendy and boring... go for the angle.. fuk it... the host had a really loud annoying laugh that almost felt like a dig on the comics(used loosely)it was unintentionally funny wich made it the only humor of the afternoon...
Get used to it. The world spins the same way now as it did 1,000, 10,000, 1 million years ago, and it'll be spinning the same way in the future. Either be really funny when you do get up, or have some friends who can get you on. Favors don't hurt, and don't quit your job at best buy yet. Life is rigged yo, accept it, deal with it, or get left behind and spend the rest of it feeling sorry for yourself because you were too stupid or weak to figure it out.
I honestly know no one who works there, or even performs there regularly. I'm about as pure an outsider as possible, and I've managed to get on most every time I go. Bring something worth seeing, and maybe you'll get up again.
I used to be as bitter as about half the people here, after going for EIGHT WEEKS without going up I asked the host why I never got up, he said he didn't know because I never made it a point to introduce myself and show I'd been coming every week. The next week I was up. I don't know if that will owrk every time but he was super nice about it.
Hi, I host the open for the Improv and would love for anyone with any problems or complaints to come and talk to me in person at the club after the mic.
sure the people running the mic put up their people. that's why they got the job at the improv in the first place. it is a great lesson in the circle jerk that is los angeles comedy. but, the guy that called eddie (the bartender) a dick is him or herself an ass. eddie has been there for 30 years and can tell you the history of comedy from it's hay-day to the very open mic you're bitching about now. if you take a moment and talk to him you would not believe the knowledge you can obtain from him. the hosts will come and go, eddie will stay. show some respect. -john clark
Welcome to The Great L.A. Circle Jerk! Why the hell are these rigged places even posted on an "L.A. open mic" list? I've killed the last few nights I performed. When I scanned the list tonight I saw a few people who I've never seen get a single laugh in the 5+ times I've seen them- they've just been here for years. Well, there is a reason they have performed at the lowest level for years. BUT such is life. Such a waste of my fucking time. Never again.
How do you get stage time for the open mic? Do you have to email somebody to sign up, or is sign up on site? How long before 5 do you have to show up if that's the case?
great open mic, and i don't know anyone who works here. we showed up at 5p and waited with the crowd on the sidewalk to get in. once the doors open at 5:30, everyone filed in - not the mad crush to the sign up sheet you get at the comedy store. we put our names on slips of paper and put them in a metal pail. i got picked, my friend didn't, but it was fun.
The anonymous people who bitch on a message board about an open mic will be anonymous comedians.
Peter is one of the truly cool people in Hollywood. I don't get up all the time, but there are plenty of people also in line. The Improv is doing this as a favor to us as a chance to develop. They don't owe us anything.
Peter does his jokes at the top, lets people know the rules. Don't run the light, music will play your long-winded ass off.
If you don't get up, come back next week.
And for the record, Eddie is surly, but not a dick.
I've heard that they recently switched the format from insane favoritism to random selection of people's names on pieces of paper. So apparently the anonymous people who bitch on a message board about an open mic.... get results.
This open mic really kind of sucks, the crowd is awful, no one laughs and the comics are all pretty bad. It is supposedly a lottery but the same people seem to get up, i wouldnt recommend this at all
I'm the January 15 commenter. "It is supposedly a lottery but the same people seem to get up," Yeah, I noticed that it was still b.s. when I idiotically returned to this place under the delusion that things had changed based on rumors that they do a lottery now. As soon as they took away the scraps of paper behind closed doors then put the list on the wall I knew it was still a con. A real lottery is done in the open like at the Nerdist's "Meltdown."
Nothing about this place will change. You win, Matt Lewis. You win.
i've gone once for open mic, January the 31st but didn't get up. There were a lot of people there that day. i'm going to keep trying until i get up, i'll keep posting my progress so people can have an accurate, none biased account of the honest statistical chances of one person trying to get up, (although for any statistics nerds, obviously the sample size is too small to derive any actual conclusions with certainty)
This mic is a club open mic. Not everyone is going to get up. That is just a given. It's like that at almost every club open mic in any major city. The host Peter is a very nice guy. I'm not close friends with him and I got up. And to the people who say that this is an audition for the club and they will remember you. That's not exactly true. The booker isn't always in the room, and chances are no one will remember you unless you start to do well there on a regular basis. Plus they put out the list super fast, and it's still super early so everyone who doesn't get up has more than enough time to get to two or three other mics.
I love how all commenters on here feel compelled to live up their comic identities by trying to make each post as witty and snarky as humanly possible. I'll tell ya this, a lot of you people sound like pussies.
Honest breakdown from a first timer's perspective to the Hollywood Improv:
The host was funny, I got on the first time signing up (so it's not rigged, trust me it's not I didn't know anyone there), and there were comics that watched who didn't get picked to perform so you actually had audience members for your jokes.
I signed up and sat in the bar. A comic who signed up came over with someone who worked there and they went into a huddle. The person who worked there said he took the comic's name out of the hat because he didn't want his name drawn later and have anyone see that it was already on the list. So I didn't get on and watched the whole show and spoke to the host after about my work being late and having a hard time getting there and could I maybe sign up a little later than the deadline. I got a speech about fairness and treating everyone the same. I'm a big boy and I understand that people pick their friends for open mics. But spare me the speeches about treating everyone the same.
Believe it or not, I care a lot about fairness. I've always been candid with people how the mic is ran. Improv employees always get priority as well as Improv regulars (per Improv management), that's why people complain about seeing the same people go up every week. There's also comics that Improv management want to see grow, so they get up more often as well. The remaining slots (usually 10-15) are completely random and drawn straight from the bucket.
I could put friends up every week, I could trade spots with people to help bolster my career, but I don't, because it's not fair, and it's something I don't like being an open mic comic myself.
I care a lot about comedy as an art form and those that pursue it. That's why I convinced management to start another open mic on Fridays at the same time (which not many people know about or go to yet so everyone who shows pretty much gets up *at the time of this posting).
Also when shows drop out, I always fight management to do a big open mic called The Mega Mic which pops up on improv.com once and awhile. At the Mega Mic I draw names right from the stage and reward people with more time for doing good, because if I ran a mic, that's how I'd want it ran. But the open mics on Tuesdays and Fridays aren't my mics, they're the Improv's, they're my bosses, and I follow their rules.
I also started two midnight shows with the help of Improv management on Fridays and Saturdays for Improv regulars. But when they run out of regulars, and I see comedians who regularly come the open mic and do well there, I put them up for 3-5 min sets and try to burn through as many comics as possible in front of actual audience members (that's when I host midnights, other hosts are free to do what they want because the midnight shows are NOT open mics).
That's a total of 4 new shows that didn't exist at the Improv 3 years ago, all trying to get comics more time on one of the most famous stages in the US. That's why it kills me inside to read about people slamming me when I try to create as much stage time as possible for comics to work on their craft.
As for the lateness thing at the open mic, I can't help with that. There has to be a cut off/deadline or otherwise everyone would trying to email and call putting their names in late, but it has to be made and posted before 6pm. To circumvent that though, get a friend to sign you up with a note on the slip that says "please put later on list".
So Anonymous, please spare me the condescending remarks on an open forum when you've never even got to know me as a person.
I look forward to meeting you and watching and perhaps performing alongside L.A.'s comics in the near future! And keep on doing what you're doing! I have to check out the midnight shows when I'm out there, too.
I just started doing stand-up 3 weeks ago. I didn't know anyone and I got chosen from the lottery on my 2nd visit to the Fri mic. Things didn't seem rigged to me and if certain people get up because they work there or are regulars, then deal with it and don't hate. I didn't see any favoritism on display since the one employee I saw get up got up towards the end. It was great to be able to get stage time at a legendary spot during my 2nd week. The host, Peter Banachowski, is cool as hell and keeps things moving. He doesn't bust your balls or make you feel like a loser if you bomb. No egos or bs. What more can you ask for to be able to hone your skills at a spot where all the greats perform and get the feel of a real club setting instead of a coffee shop or at a loud bar where no one is paying attention?
I've only been doing stand-up for three weeks and I was chosen in the lottery on my 2nd try at the Fri mic. I didn't know anyone and the night I got up I saw one employee get up, and that was toward the end. Everything seemed fair and legit to me, and even if it wasn't it's a free open mic at a legit club, so stop complaining. Peter the host is cool as hell and doesn't bust folks' balls if they bomb. No egos or bs. Compared to the difficulty you'll encounter trying to get stage time at The Store or The Laugh Factory, The Improv is one place you shouldn't have anything bad to say about. You get to perform at a legendary club for free and hone your skills. If you're mad at that you're probably just a miserable, negative SOB that will never be happy in life. Unfortunately, we all know that there are a lot of comedians that fit that profile.
I'm the nasty bastard who posted the September 5 complaint above. After I read Peter's reply I felt badly. I regret making those comments - I was angry at the time. I have since communicated with Peter and apologized. You can see by reading his post that he's probably the best open mic host in town, fighting for more time for the likes of us. What can I say? I was a dick.
I got up my first time there and ate a fat one. Typically 50-60 people show up, and 20 or 25 get on. Don't go up until you have a solid three minutes; it's obvious.
Had a great set here and got up on my first time at the mic. Great crowd and decent show. However, the "lottery drawing" is almost completely fixed. I watched the host take the bucket off stage and go through the names. A few spots were randomly selected and I was one of them. I got really lucky but I'm not stupid. If you think this mic isn't mostly fixed you're delusional.
I've tried to do this mic maybe 6 or 7 times in the last 2 1/2 years. I just don't have the hobnobbing skills to get on anyone's "favorites" list, so I was fucked. But tonight they did it completely randomly and fairly, and I FINALLY got up there. Jamar Neighbors is a very good dude. He hosted it. I believe that he probably made changed the selection process himself. Before I got onstage I fed the meter where I was parked. When I realized that I was short on change, a very nice and happy comic gave quarters to me. When he got offstage later he looked suicidal despite the fact that he had good jokes, so I was very worried. I saw it myself from the moment I got up: the expression of "Oh, fuck! I might not get on. Say your shit then get off, fool." I did fairly well considering that I was performing in a morgue, but... So there is a tradeoff to this new system: a lot of comics who don't want to be there unless they're onstage will kill the crowd's vibe, but I VERY MUCH prefer it to the dirty insiders system. I hope that it will be as fair when I return there.
Went the other day, and like the previous poster stated Jamar is doing the mic now and pulls the names straight from the can, right in front of you. The vibe was VERY good. Too many people show up for it not to be. Plenty of people were laughing. I didn't get pulled but it definitely would've been my type of crowd. People were cool. Only negative I can say is I don't think anyone that works there was watching so how u utilize this mic to move up the rankings, i'm not quite sure. However its fare and you're at the improv, and some non comedians even roll in eventually. A-
Went there the other week and it was great. Jamar is super friendly and the vibe is great. I didn't think I would get pulled but I was the last name he pulled. Either way I didn't feel like I was wasting any time even if I didn't go up. The vibe is great and people actually stick around for the whole show. Great place. Oh and there's supposedly a parking lot next door you can use but i wasn't sure about it so I parked on the street.
The laws of probability is against you in this medium; conversely enough, the improbabilities are worth the effort. Performing chronologically always seems counterproductive if your objective is a gridlock settings. Ironically, the "on-deck," metaphorical rhetoric is equatable to a stalemate-syndrome; quite a frustration of luxury <--(oxymoronic) if you ask me. Nevertheless, venturing to the Hollywood Improv is paramount notion indeed. I say this without a sense of irony.
SIMPLY MAGNIFICENT Written By: Atelston Fitzgerald Holder 1st http://www.mrpregnant.com
I went last week for the first time to check it out. While it is good that they make it clear that it is a random lottery, but with a few "management approved" drop-ins, it is a terrible system they have to pull one name at a time so you have to stick around the entire hour to see if you're going to go up.
It's completely disrepectful of our time. A system like that is fine in a venue where you know for certain that you're going to get up, but in a situation like this where it's only a 25% chance or so, you need to let the comics know up front so that we can then have time to try to get up elsewhere, since the 5-8pmish time is the primetime for open mics. The other big places in town pull all the names at the beginning (Nerd Melt, Comedy Store, Laugh Factory) and make a list. This is a manipulative effort to create an audience.
I was very happy with this open mic. You get 3 min, no restrictions. They posted the list of comedians very quickly and invited us in, instead of making us stand in a line outside. Very comedian friendly place. Only problem was they didn't really adhere to a strict 3 min time, I think they cut me short about a min and a half, so bring a timer. Grade A.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the very first review!
ReplyDeleteIt's a rigged lottery system here: everyone puts names in a bowl and they pick the names and make the list. If you aren't their friend chances of getting on are slim.
ReplyDeleteI had a good experience with this place. I only went 2 times, but both times I got on and I know no one there.
ReplyDeleteI was told to do my "A" material, and not work on new stuff, because the bookers watch. I am not sure if this is true. It is 3 minutes only, but it encouraged me to go for the laughs right out of the gate!
I smell a bullshit rigged lottery system here. been there 5 times and never got on yet I see the same tired acts go up and still get no laughs week after week.
ReplyDeleteI only been there 3 times and was not able to get on too but i enjoyed myself watching other acts, this is definitely rigged but what can you do, this is Hollywood Improv, already a established Comedy bar, they can pretty much do whatever they want. I'm not going back, they should call it close mic and Slava should remove this place on his list.
ReplyDeleteThis isn't really an open mic. It's an audition for the Improv to find comics who are ready to make the club money. Don't audition until your set is tight. You will be remembered and it will make it more difficult to become a working comic at the club later. Have at least 30 minutes of original material before you audition,
ReplyDeleteand give your best 3 at the audition. Good Luck...maybe we'll see you on TV.
"I smell a bllshit rigged system...."
ReplyDeleteIt's the best opportunity in time, you get real feedback from one of the top clubs in the country. If they don't know you, they aren't going to waste their time with you.
This shit isn't easy, that's why so many cats wait for the opportunity. This ain't communist France, man.
The first time I went there I didn't even expect to get up and I did so I know it's not rigged. Very supportive room. I got A LOT more laughs that I expected from a room full of comics.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to a system here and other places with a "lottery" where the names are drawn in front of everyone and the comic then takes the stage.
ReplyDeleteI know this will never happen but am I a nut job for thinking this is a fair way to run things and it forces comics to stick around and respectfully listen to other people's sets!?!?
I was put on my first time there last night. I was also happy to see most of the other comedians sticking around to show support. We all want the same thing, and if you're truly serious about comedy than you'll go out and find and talk to the people you need to talk to. Patience is a key to life, and patience will teach you timing for your act...Thank you Improve I had an awesome night, even came back and bought tix to both shows and stuck around to chat with the pros...Only YOU can sell you...Juston Paskow
ReplyDeleteI got on the first time I came here. I didn't even expect to so I know it's not rigged. Almost all of the comics stay for the show and laugh as much as you'd expect. I wish it started a little later in the day but that's the only negative thing I have to say about this open mic.
ReplyDeleteIf you get on to perform at the open mic, are you allowed to record your set?
ReplyDeleteLadies and gents, the entire "system" is rigged. Just be outstanding!
ReplyDeleteI went for the first time last week and got up. I don't know anybody there, so it wasn't rigged. It was a good mic. There were several other first timers, too. On the sign up sheet you write if it was your first time or not - so they probably like to put up new people first.
ReplyDeleteThe host was positive and supportive and kept the show moving along and didn't do any time between comics (thank god)
Bartender out front was a dick.
Rigged list.
ReplyDeleteWent today with an open mind after hearing negative things..but sorry this is really not an open mic but more a 'buddies list' stooging as an equal opportunity lottery (especially seeing that Improv insiders were the first six acts off the list)..made even more obvious by all the inside jokes conveyed by the MC...disappointing that so many gullible people (including myself) make the effort to get there so early to put your name into a bucket which is then filtered by their cronies based on who gave the best wristy last week. Stayed to watch the first six or seven of the 'chosen ones' who quite honestly pretty much all sucked delivering 3 minutes of pain...better off sparing your energy and gas money to go to a more fair and square run venue.
ReplyDeletehonestly a bunch of classicly not funny hip looking kids that will end up doing something in life not related to comedy at all... literally a post op tranny in the front row and i was still gun shy due to the i'll suck urs if u suk mine vibe thier.... i miss comics that are actually intresting and funny, not trendy and boring... go for the angle.. fuk it... the host had a really loud annoying laugh that almost felt like a dig on the comics(used loosely)it was unintentionally funny wich made it the only humor of the afternoon...
ReplyDeleteGet used to it. The world spins the same way now as it did 1,000, 10,000, 1 million years ago, and it'll be spinning the same way in the future. Either be really funny when you do get up, or have some friends who can get you on. Favors don't hurt, and don't quit your job at best buy yet. Life is rigged yo, accept it, deal with it, or get left behind and spend the rest of it feeling sorry for yourself because you were too stupid or weak to figure it out.
ReplyDeleteI honestly know no one who works there, or even performs there regularly. I'm about as pure an outsider as possible, and I've managed to get on most every time I go. Bring something worth seeing, and maybe you'll get up again.
ReplyDeleteI used to be as bitter as about half the people here, after going for EIGHT WEEKS without going up I asked the host why I never got up, he said he didn't know because I never made it a point to introduce myself and show I'd been coming every week. The next week I was up. I don't know if that will owrk every time but he was super nice about it.
ReplyDeleteHi, I host the open for the Improv and would love for anyone with any problems or complaints to come and talk to me in person at the club after the mic.
ReplyDeleteThanks, hope to see you there.
~Peter Banachowski
Do the bookers watch the mic?
ReplyDeletesure the people running the mic put up their people. that's why they got the job at the improv in the first place. it is a great lesson in the circle jerk that is los angeles comedy.
ReplyDeletebut, the guy that called eddie (the bartender) a dick is him or herself an ass. eddie has been there for 30 years and can tell you the history of comedy from it's hay-day to the very open mic you're bitching about now. if you take a moment and talk to him you would not believe the knowledge you can obtain from him. the hosts will come and go, eddie will stay. show some respect.
-john clark
Just did this open mic tonight, it was great.
ReplyDeletePeter runs an awesome show!
-Sherwin
Welcome to The Great L.A. Circle Jerk!
ReplyDeleteWhy the hell are these rigged places even posted on an "L.A. open mic" list?
I've killed the last few nights I performed. When I scanned the list tonight I saw a few people who I've never seen get a single laugh in the 5+ times I've seen them- they've just been here for years. Well, there is a reason they have performed at the lowest level for years. BUT such is life.
Such a waste of my fucking time. Never again.
How do you get stage time for the open mic? Do you have to email somebody to sign up, or is sign up on site? How long before 5 do you have to show up if that's the case?
ReplyDeletegreat open mic, and i don't know anyone who works here. we showed up at 5p and waited with the crowd on the sidewalk to get in. once the doors open at 5:30, everyone filed in - not the mad crush to the sign up sheet you get at the comedy store. we put our names on slips of paper and put them in a metal pail. i got picked, my friend didn't, but it was fun.
ReplyDeleteThe anonymous people who bitch on a message board about an open mic will be anonymous comedians.
ReplyDeletePeter is one of the truly cool people in Hollywood. I don't get up all the time, but there are plenty of people also in line. The Improv is doing this as a favor to us as a chance to develop. They don't owe us anything.
Peter does his jokes at the top, lets people know the rules. Don't run the light, music will play your long-winded ass off.
If you don't get up, come back next week.
And for the record, Eddie is surly, but not a dick.
I've heard that they recently switched the format from insane favoritism to random selection of people's names on pieces of paper. So apparently the anonymous people who bitch on a message board about an open mic.... get results.
ReplyDeleteThis open mic really kind of sucks, the crowd is awful, no one laughs and the comics are all pretty bad. It is supposedly a lottery but the same people seem to get up, i wouldnt recommend this at all
ReplyDeleteI'm the January 15 commenter.
ReplyDelete"It is supposedly a lottery but the same people seem to get up,"
Yeah, I noticed that it was still b.s. when I idiotically returned to this place under the delusion that things had changed based on rumors that they do a lottery now.
As soon as they took away the scraps of paper behind closed doors then put the list on the wall I knew it was still a con. A real lottery is done in the open like at the Nerdist's "Meltdown."
Nothing about this place will change.
You win, Matt Lewis. You win.
i've gone once for open mic, January the 31st but didn't get up. There were a lot of people there that day. i'm going to keep trying until i get up, i'll keep posting my progress so people can have an accurate, none biased account of the honest statistical chances of one person trying to get up, (although for any statistics nerds, obviously the sample size is too small to derive any actual conclusions with certainty)
ReplyDelete-andreik
It's not a lottery. This mic is shit. Don't go.
ReplyDeleteThis mic is a club open mic. Not everyone is going to get up. That is just a given. It's like that at almost every club open mic in any major city. The host Peter is a very nice guy. I'm not close friends with him and I got up. And to the people who say that this is an audition for the club and they will remember you. That's not exactly true. The booker isn't always in the room, and chances are no one will remember you unless you start to do well there on a regular basis. Plus they put out the list super fast, and it's still super early so everyone who doesn't get up has more than enough time to get to two or three other mics.
ReplyDeleteJust talked to one of the comics who goes up every week. Assured me the list is 100% rigged
ReplyDeleteIf the list is rigged, just get on your hands and knees. Stop whimpering, and start sucking.
ReplyDeleteI love how all commenters on here feel compelled to live up their comic identities by trying to make each post as witty and snarky as humanly possible. I'll tell ya this, a lot of you people sound like pussies.
ReplyDeleteHonest breakdown from a first timer's perspective to the Hollywood Improv:
ReplyDeleteThe host was funny, I got on the first time signing up (so it's not rigged, trust me it's not I didn't know anyone there), and there were comics that watched who didn't get picked to perform so you actually had audience members for your jokes.
-Tim Snook
I signed up and sat in the bar. A comic who signed up came over with someone who worked there and they went into a huddle. The person who worked there said he took the comic's name out of the hat because he didn't want his name drawn later and have anyone see that it was already on the list. So I didn't get on and watched the whole show and spoke to the host after about my work being late and having a hard time getting there and could I maybe sign up a little later than the deadline. I got a speech about fairness and treating everyone the same. I'm a big boy and I understand that people pick their friends for open mics. But spare me the speeches about treating everyone the same.
ReplyDeleteDear Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteBelieve it or not, I care a lot about fairness. I've always been candid with people how the mic is ran. Improv employees always get priority as well as Improv regulars (per Improv management), that's why people complain about seeing the same people go up every week. There's also comics that Improv management want to see grow, so they get up more often as well. The remaining slots (usually 10-15) are completely random and drawn straight from the bucket.
I could put friends up every week, I could trade spots with people to help bolster my career, but I don't, because it's not fair, and it's something I don't like being an open mic comic myself.
I care a lot about comedy as an art form and those that pursue it. That's why I convinced management to start another open mic on Fridays at the same time (which not many people know about or go to yet so everyone who shows pretty much gets up *at the time of this posting).
Also when shows drop out, I always fight management to do a big open mic called The Mega Mic which pops up on improv.com once and awhile. At the Mega Mic I draw names right from the stage and reward people with more time for doing good, because if I ran a mic, that's how I'd want it ran. But the open mics on Tuesdays and Fridays aren't my mics, they're the Improv's, they're my bosses, and I follow their rules.
I also started two midnight shows with the help of Improv management on Fridays and Saturdays for Improv regulars. But when they run out of regulars, and I see comedians who regularly come the open mic and do well there, I put them up for 3-5 min sets and try to burn through as many comics as possible in front of actual audience members (that's when I host midnights, other hosts are free to do what they want because the midnight shows are NOT open mics).
That's a total of 4 new shows that didn't exist at the Improv 3 years ago, all trying to get comics more time on one of the most famous stages in the US. That's why it kills me inside to read about people slamming me when I try to create as much stage time as possible for comics to work on their craft.
As for the lateness thing at the open mic, I can't help with that. There has to be a cut off/deadline or otherwise everyone would trying to email and call putting their names in late, but it has to be made and posted before 6pm. To circumvent that though, get a friend to sign you up with a note on the slip that says "please put later on list".
So Anonymous, please spare me the condescending remarks on an open forum when you've never even got to know me as a person.
Sincerely,
Peter Banachowski
Excellent post, Peter.
DeleteI look forward to meeting you and watching and perhaps performing alongside L.A.'s comics in the near future! And keep on doing what you're doing! I have to check out the midnight shows when I'm out there, too.
Ciao,
Suzie
I just started doing stand-up 3 weeks ago. I didn't know anyone and I got chosen from the lottery on my 2nd visit to the Fri mic. Things didn't seem rigged to me and if certain people get up because they work there or are regulars, then deal with it and don't hate. I didn't see any favoritism on display since the one employee I saw get up got up towards the end. It was great to be able to get stage time at a legendary spot during my 2nd week. The host, Peter Banachowski, is cool as hell and keeps things moving. He doesn't bust your balls or make you feel like a loser if you bomb. No egos or bs. What more can you ask for to be able to hone your skills at a spot where all the greats perform and get the feel of a real club setting instead of a coffee shop or at a loud bar where no one is paying attention?
ReplyDeleteI've only been doing stand-up for three weeks and I was chosen in the lottery on my 2nd try at the Fri mic. I didn't know anyone and the night I got up I saw one employee get up, and that was toward the end. Everything seemed fair and legit to me, and even if it wasn't it's a free open mic at a legit club, so stop complaining. Peter the host is cool as hell and doesn't bust folks' balls if they bomb. No egos or bs. Compared to the difficulty you'll encounter trying to get stage time at The Store or The Laugh Factory, The Improv is one place you shouldn't have anything bad to say about. You get to perform at a legendary club for free and hone your skills. If you're mad at that you're probably just a miserable, negative SOB that will never be happy in life. Unfortunately, we all know that there are a lot of comedians that fit that profile.
ReplyDeleteI'm the nasty bastard who posted the September 5 complaint above. After I read Peter's reply I felt badly. I regret making those comments - I was angry at the time. I have since communicated with Peter and apologized. You can see by reading his post that he's probably the best open mic host in town, fighting for more time for the likes of us. What can I say? I was a dick.
ReplyDeleteI got up my first time there and ate a fat one. Typically 50-60 people show up, and 20 or 25 get on. Don't go up until you have a solid three minutes; it's obvious.
ReplyDeleteHad a great set here and got up on my first time at the mic. Great crowd and decent show. However, the "lottery drawing" is almost completely fixed. I watched the host take the bucket off stage and go through the names. A few spots were randomly selected and I was one of them. I got really lucky but I'm not stupid. If you think this mic isn't mostly fixed you're delusional.
ReplyDelete^ great, honest review
DeleteI've tried to do this mic maybe 6 or 7 times in the last 2 1/2 years. I just don't have the hobnobbing skills to get on anyone's "favorites" list, so I was fucked.
ReplyDeleteBut tonight they did it completely randomly and fairly, and I FINALLY got up there. Jamar Neighbors is a very good dude. He hosted it. I believe that he probably made changed the selection process himself.
Before I got onstage I fed the meter where I was parked. When I realized that I was short on change, a very nice and happy comic gave quarters to me. When he got offstage later he looked suicidal despite the fact that he had good jokes, so I was very worried.
I saw it myself from the moment I got up: the expression of "Oh, fuck! I might not get on. Say your shit then get off, fool."
I did fairly well considering that I was performing in a morgue, but...
So there is a tradeoff to this new system: a lot of comics who don't want to be there unless they're onstage will kill the crowd's vibe, but I VERY MUCH prefer it to the dirty insiders system. I hope that it will be as fair when I return there.
-Michael Gowdy.
oops-- strike "made changed" ... changed....
DeleteWent the other day, and like the previous poster stated Jamar is doing the mic now and pulls the names straight from the can, right in front of you. The vibe was VERY good. Too many people show up for it not to be. Plenty of people were laughing. I didn't get pulled but it definitely would've been my type of crowd. People were cool. Only negative I can say is I don't think anyone that works there was watching so how u utilize this mic to move up the rankings, i'm not quite sure. However its fare and you're at the improv, and some non comedians even roll in eventually. A-
ReplyDeleteWent there the other week and it was great. Jamar is super friendly and the vibe is great. I didn't think I would get pulled but I was the last name he pulled. Either way I didn't feel like I was wasting any time even if I didn't go up. The vibe is great and people actually stick around for the whole show. Great place. Oh and there's supposedly a parking lot next door you can use but i wasn't sure about it so I parked on the street.
ReplyDeleteThe laws of probability is against you in this medium; conversely enough, the improbabilities are worth the effort. Performing chronologically always seems counterproductive if your objective is a gridlock settings. Ironically, the "on-deck," metaphorical rhetoric is equatable to a stalemate-syndrome; quite a frustration of luxury <--(oxymoronic) if you ask me. Nevertheless, venturing to the Hollywood Improv is paramount notion indeed. I say this without a sense of irony.
ReplyDeleteSIMPLY MAGNIFICENT
Written By: Atelston Fitzgerald Holder 1st
http://www.mrpregnant.com
I went last week for the first time to check it out. While it is good that they make it clear that it is a random lottery, but with a few "management approved" drop-ins, it is a terrible system they have to pull one name at a time so you have to stick around the entire hour to see if you're going to go up.
ReplyDeleteIt's completely disrepectful of our time. A system like that is fine in a venue where you know for certain that you're going to get up, but in a situation like this where it's only a 25% chance or so, you need to let the comics know up front so that we can then have time to try to get up elsewhere, since the 5-8pmish time is the primetime for open mics. The other big places in town pull all the names at the beginning (Nerd Melt, Comedy Store, Laugh Factory) and make a list. This is a manipulative effort to create an audience.