Open mic at Clown Town is for standup only, no music or poetry. In fact, the business is all about standup. Inside, the room is filled with clown paraphernalia: paintings, figurines, even a full length Ronald McDonald, sitting aptly on one of the sofas, which faces the stage. The room seats about 26 -- tonight for open micers -- but at any other time, it is for the students that Adam Barnhardt teaches. The stage is very small, just a circle platform with room enough for a mic and stand and a chair. You definitely have to stand still. Parking is on the streets, and it is 50 cents an hour, and the meters go to 8pm. Talent gets ten minutes total, divided into two parts: everyone goes up first for three minutes to “cleanse”, meaning just talk about life – what’s currently going on in a comic’s life – and the second time up, everyone does seven minutes of standup, the light at six. Sign up is first come first choice, and there are no language restrictions. Admission to perform is $5. Eric is the most current producer of the room, and he has been doing it for about a month, as of this writing. He only produces the Wednesday mic, not the Friday mic. The venue has been going on for five years before Eric took over. We had two signups by 8pm. Eric told me on a good night they’ll get nine or 10. People can bring in outside drinks and even limited food, as long as it’s not messy. Eric purposefully started the room late, hoping more peeps would show, and it paid off. When we started at 8:11pm we had five people in the room, six people by 8:40. A large fan blew air like a small hurricane the whole evening, keeping the room cool, but also being quite loud. You don’t notice it that much when you’re on stage, but when in the audience. . . . Remember that when you’re performing and speak into the mic to be heard. Eric did not open with a few, just welcomed everyone and brought up the first talent. I signed up third and went up accordingly. Everyone present was a comic ready to perform. One comic, the second in the lineup, left after my set, but a late signup arrived and made up for the deficit; we even had a late, late signup at 9:08pm, while the supposedly last comic was performing. In the end, the evening was over at 9:18pm. Guys, this is a good room to do. Eric said the smallest the room has ever been is five signups, but we ended up having more than that. And when they have a good turnout, it’ll be all that much better. Save for the one comic who left, everyone else not only stayed but supported the room, watching the talent on stage and not their phone. Eric tags something the previous comic said, and moves the room along unhitched. Even with talent getting ten minutes total, the evening goes by faster than you would imagine.
Clown House is a great place to do material! I actually got my start there after working up the nerve to actually do some of my stand-up material and it was a great crowd that stayed the whole time. Went on another occasion and the crowd wasn't as great, but that's stand-up for ya. Anyway I really recommend this place, it was really good to me.
Open mic at Clown Town is for standup only, no music or poetry. In fact, the business is all about standup. Inside, the room is filled with clown paraphernalia: paintings, figurines, even a full length Ronald McDonald, sitting aptly on one of the sofas, which faces the stage. The room seats about 26 -- tonight for open micers -- but at any other time, it is for the students that Adam Barnhardt teaches. The stage is very small, just a circle platform with room enough for a mic and stand and a chair. You definitely have to stand still. Parking is on the streets, and it is 50 cents an hour, and the meters go to 8pm.
ReplyDeleteTalent gets ten minutes total, divided into two parts: everyone goes up first for three minutes to “cleanse”, meaning just talk about life – what’s currently going on in a comic’s life – and the second time up, everyone does seven minutes of standup, the light at six. Sign up is first come first choice, and there are no language restrictions. Admission to perform is $5.
Eric is the most current producer of the room, and he has been doing it for about a month, as of this writing. He only produces the Wednesday mic, not the Friday mic. The venue has been going on for five years before Eric took over.
We had two signups by 8pm. Eric told me on a good night they’ll get nine or 10. People can bring in outside drinks and even limited food, as long as it’s not messy. Eric purposefully started the room late, hoping more peeps would show, and it paid off. When we started at 8:11pm we had five people in the room, six people by 8:40.
A large fan blew air like a small hurricane the whole evening, keeping the room cool, but also being quite loud. You don’t notice it that much when you’re on stage, but when in the audience. . . . Remember that when you’re performing and speak into the mic to be heard.
Eric did not open with a few, just welcomed everyone and brought up the first talent. I signed up third and went up accordingly. Everyone present was a comic ready to perform. One comic, the second in the lineup, left after my set, but a late signup arrived and made up for the deficit; we even had a late, late signup at 9:08pm, while the supposedly last comic was performing. In the end, the evening was over at 9:18pm.
Guys, this is a good room to do. Eric said the smallest the room has ever been is five signups, but we ended up having more than that. And when they have a good turnout, it’ll be all that much better. Save for the one comic who left, everyone else not only stayed but supported the room, watching the talent on stage and not their phone. Eric tags something the previous comic said, and moves the room along unhitched. Even with talent getting ten minutes total, the evening goes by faster than you would imagine.
Clown House is a great place to do material! I actually got my start there after working up the nerve to actually do some of my stand-up material and it was a great crowd that stayed the whole time. Went on another occasion and the crowd wasn't as great, but that's stand-up for ya. Anyway I really recommend this place, it was really good to me.
ReplyDelete