I learned about open mic at Robin Hood Village Resort when another room I had intended to do was canceled. My only regret is I didn’t stay at the resort the night I performed, so peaceful and inviting was it. Open mic has been going on almost 20 years, the last 3 years being produced and hosted by a gentleman named Scott. At the resort they have a pub and and adjoining restaurant, not as noisy and meant more for families. The mic takes place in the pub, which seats about 35, and almost every seat has a good view of the stage. The stage is not really a stage, so much as an elevated portion of the pub that has steps up to the “stage area” as well as a wheelchair ramp on one side that leads to the outside patio. Three mics are set up, and the area is well lit. Signup is first come first choice. There are no language restrictions. Talent gets 12 to 15 minutes. Of course, the resort has plenty of parking. Something of note: though the mic is open to standup and music at this room, in the nearly 20 years this mic has been going on, I am the first comedian they ever had. Talk about taking the bullet. I was the first ever to try to win over a room that, for all these years, is used to listening to music in the background and talking among themselves. Two muted TVs, one behind the bar, are not a distraction to the talent on stage. It’s the audience that is the distraction. The backdrop of the staging area is a black curtain and the entrance to the patio, which during talent’s sets, people came in and out all evening. The room goes from 7pm to 11pm, 11:30 latest. For the first hour a featured artist performs. For that very reason I wanted to take the first spot, offering comedy after an hour of music. I arrived way early, eating dinner there and taking advantage of their final minutes of Happy Hour, that ended at 6pm, with a $4 pint. Scott came about 6:50pm and started to set up the sound system in time for the featured artist. At 7pm, the guitarist sure enough was ready to play, and it was into his second or third song that Scott brought out the signup sheet, giving me the first spot as I requested. Other talent signed up after me, and pretty soon, the list was full. We had 14 people in the room when we started at 7pm. By 7:30 the room had increased to 18 people, and 26 by 7:55pm. After the featured performers finished about 8pm, Scott announced that “we have a special treat,” making sure the audience knew standup was about to take place. I played to 33 people, doing almost the full 15 minutes. The people sitting closest to me were the only ones listening at first. Scott, standing off to the side and adjusting the sound for my performance, was watching, and I could see he was having a good time. During my set, there were moments when the whole room was silent, but for the most part, someone or someones were always talking. Still, I think I did very well, as people came up to me after my set to congratulate me. By 9:08pm we had 22 people in the room, but its peak happened at 9:50pm when I counted 35. Robin Hood had another first in their 20 years when, towards the end of the mic, a woman sang opera unaccompanied by music. The whole evening ended at 10:53pm. Guys, this is a very good room to do. I get that in 20 years it’s hard to expect people to suddenly have to stop eating dinner and chatting at the bar and what have you to see standup. And yet, at times I was able to win the room over, enough that they gave me some slack and listened for a minute or two. Those sitting close to the stage enjoyed my set, and you can see your audience, so you know if they are on board, watching, smiling, even laughing at times. I do recommend, however, staying at the resort. You can go right from 4 hours of live entertainment to a short walk to your cabin. Now that the Seattle community knows about this room, I hope more comics make their way here when they are ready to try a lengthy set, see if they can win over an audience not against comedy, just not used to it.
I learned about open mic at Robin Hood Village Resort when another room I had intended to do was canceled. My only regret is I didn’t stay at the resort the night I performed, so peaceful and inviting was it.
ReplyDeleteOpen mic has been going on almost 20 years, the last 3 years being produced and hosted by a gentleman named Scott. At the resort they have a pub and and adjoining restaurant, not as noisy and meant more for families. The mic takes place in the pub, which seats about 35, and almost every seat has a good view of the stage. The stage is not really a stage, so much as an elevated portion of the pub that has steps up to the “stage area” as well as a wheelchair ramp on one side that leads to the outside patio. Three mics are set up, and the area is well lit. Signup is first come first choice. There are no language restrictions. Talent gets 12 to 15 minutes. Of course, the resort has plenty of parking.
Something of note: though the mic is open to standup and music at this room, in the nearly 20 years this mic has been going on, I am the first comedian they ever had. Talk about taking the bullet. I was the first ever to try to win over a room that, for all these years, is used to listening to music in the background and talking among themselves. Two muted TVs, one behind the bar, are not a distraction to the talent on stage. It’s the audience that is the distraction.
The backdrop of the staging area is a black curtain and the entrance to the patio, which during talent’s sets, people came in and out all evening. The room goes from 7pm to 11pm, 11:30 latest. For the first hour a featured artist performs. For that very reason I wanted to take the first spot, offering comedy after an hour of music.
I arrived way early, eating dinner there and taking advantage of their final minutes of Happy Hour, that ended at 6pm, with a $4 pint. Scott came about 6:50pm and started to set up the sound system in time for the featured artist. At 7pm, the guitarist sure enough was ready to play, and it was into his second or third song that Scott brought out the signup sheet, giving me the first spot as I requested. Other talent signed up after me, and pretty soon, the list was full.
We had 14 people in the room when we started at 7pm. By 7:30 the room had increased to 18 people, and 26 by 7:55pm. After the featured performers finished about 8pm, Scott announced that “we have a special treat,” making sure the audience knew standup was about to take place. I played to 33 people, doing almost the full 15 minutes. The people sitting closest to me were the only ones listening at first. Scott, standing off to the side and adjusting the sound for my performance, was watching, and I could see he was having a good time. During my set, there were moments when the whole room was silent, but for the most part, someone or someones were always talking. Still, I think I did very well, as people came up to me after my set to congratulate me.
By 9:08pm we had 22 people in the room, but its peak happened at 9:50pm when I counted 35. Robin Hood had another first in their 20 years when, towards the end of the mic, a woman sang opera unaccompanied by music. The whole evening ended at 10:53pm.
Guys, this is a very good room to do. I get that in 20 years it’s hard to expect people to suddenly have to stop eating dinner and chatting at the bar and what have you to see standup. And yet, at times I was able to win the room over, enough that they gave me some slack and listened for a minute or two. Those sitting close to the stage enjoyed my set, and you can see your audience, so you know if they are on board, watching, smiling, even laughing at times. I do recommend, however, staying at the resort. You can go right from 4 hours of live entertainment to a short walk to your cabin.
Now that the Seattle community knows about this room, I hope more comics make their way here when they are ready to try a lengthy set, see if they can win over an audience not against comedy, just not used to it.