Open mic at Norton will be celebrating their five year anniversary in February of 2017. They have plenty of parking. Talent gets two songs or ten minutes, and there are no language restrictions, but I am told if the audience is not responding to foul words, discontinue the expletives. The room goes from 7pm to 10pm, and a typical night will bring in about 15 signups. There is no light, but if you exceed your allotted time the host will let you know. Know that there is a $2 admission fee. Susan Dobra runs the mic. She does it to be entertained and to be motivated. She herself is a musician. All genres of talent are welcome, however. The place sells snacks, desserts, cookies, brownies and beverages, and people can bring their own booze if they want. There is no stage, and there are three mics set up. The audience is very good about paying attention. There are no distractions, so the fact that there is no stage should not discourage people. Wherever someone sits, they can see you. About 36 chairs were set up at collapsible tables. More could be brought out if necessary. We started about 7:07pm, and there were 25 in attendance, 26 by the time I went up. Interestingly enough, only the first three signups go in that order. After that, all other signups are drawn from a hat, and the host announces three names at a time. The reason they offer the first three spots as is is because it gives some people a chance to perform who may have to leave early. I thought that was nice. I took the third spot, but stayed almost to the end. At some point a surprise birthday cake was brought out and we all sang to one of the “regular” patrons who frequent the open mic not to perform herself but to see the show, and everyone who wanted got a piece of cake. Guys, this room is so laid back. There was such camaraderie. Most everyone knew everyone, save for a couple newbies, myself included. But even so, I felt very welcomed. Chico is not exactly on the mainstream map, but if you’re in the area, I highly recommend dropping in and doing some time on stage. I did a venue the night before, and there are other open mics on other days of the week, so you can easily find yourself spending some nights up there and having somewhere to go each night and do comedy. Lastly, if you have a book of comedy, a CD or something to sell, they allow you to market whatever you have to offer. One talent promoted her book of poetry. When my book is complete and published, I think I’ll return. As receptive as the audience was to comedy, I think one could easily make some sales. And who knows, another regular might be celebrating a birthday, and you can get a free piece of cake along with some good company. Yum yum.
Open mic at Norton will be celebrating their five year anniversary in February of 2017. They have plenty of parking. Talent gets two songs or ten minutes, and there are no language restrictions, but I am told if the audience is not responding to foul words, discontinue the expletives. The room goes from 7pm to 10pm, and a typical night will bring in about 15 signups. There is no light, but if you exceed your allotted time the host will let you know. Know that there is a $2 admission fee.
ReplyDeleteSusan Dobra runs the mic. She does it to be entertained and to be motivated. She herself is a musician. All genres of talent are welcome, however. The place sells snacks, desserts, cookies, brownies and beverages, and people can bring their own booze if they want. There is no stage, and there are three mics set up. The audience is very good about paying attention. There are no distractions, so the fact that there is no stage should not discourage people. Wherever someone sits, they can see you. About 36 chairs were set up at collapsible tables. More could be brought out if necessary.
We started about 7:07pm, and there were 25 in attendance, 26 by the time I went up. Interestingly enough, only the first three signups go in that order. After that, all other signups are drawn from a hat, and the host announces three names at a time. The reason they offer the first three spots as is is because it gives some people a chance to perform who may have to leave early. I thought that was nice. I took the third spot, but stayed almost to the end. At some point a surprise birthday cake was brought out and we all sang to one of the “regular” patrons who frequent the open mic not to perform herself but to see the show, and everyone who wanted got a piece of cake.
Guys, this room is so laid back. There was such camaraderie. Most everyone knew everyone, save for a couple newbies, myself included. But even so, I felt very welcomed. Chico is not exactly on the mainstream map, but if you’re in the area, I highly recommend dropping in and doing some time on stage. I did a venue the night before, and there are other open mics on other days of the week, so you can easily find yourself spending some nights up there and having somewhere to go each night and do comedy.
Lastly, if you have a book of comedy, a CD or something to sell, they allow you to market whatever you have to offer. One talent promoted her book of poetry. When my book is complete and published, I think I’ll return. As receptive as the audience was to comedy, I think one could easily make some sales. And who knows, another regular might be celebrating a birthday, and you can get a free piece of cake along with some good company. Yum yum.