I don’t know how long open mic has been going on at Bang Bang. I asked the host of the room, Sarah Budgen, but she was too busy to answer me. Talent gets four minutes. There are no language restrictions. This room is for standup only. No music or poetry. Parking is on the street. The lineup is done by lottery. I recommend you get there early. Upon making a drink purchase, you get a ticket and write your name on it and give it to the bartender. The first ten people’s names go into the first bucket (or first hour) of the show. The next ten people are drawn from a second bucket (10pm to 11pm) for the second hour. The last group – late arrivals – is drawn from a third bucket (11pm to midnight) or until last comic has gone up. I arrived at 8:45pm and got my name in the first bucket. For every four open micers, a booked talent goes up. Bang Bang is a full bar. I ordered a beer and learned I could get free popcorn, which I took advantage of, as I hadn’t eaten dinner yet. The room seats about 28. While there is no stage, in the center of the room to one wall, opposite the front entrance, a mic is set up. For a backdrop you have red curtains parted and red and silver tinsel, like those found on a Christmas tree. It gives the room a showmanship look. One downside is, if you have to use the bathroom, you have to cross in front of some of the audience watching. Otherwise, the focus is on the stage. The room got off to a late start, 9:13pm. We had 27 people packing the place. Sarah welcomed everyone, announced who was on deck, did a couple minutes of material, allowing the first comic to prep themselves, then brought up the first talent. I ended up going up fourth, playing to a room of 30 at 9:32pm. In the second hour, attendance started to wane. I counted 23 people at 10:15pm. While spilling into the street with people attending, so packed was the place, the energy in the room was lacking, if not aimless. I sat at the bar, and the people behind me, furthest from the stage, were talking to each other and not watching. But mostly the room paid attention to the stage, just did not respond well to the material being offered. Sarah noted more than once between talent that “everyone” was bombing, and, in a bit of self-fulfilling prophecy, sort of cinched the rest of the night, as no one – not even the booked talent – did especially well. Guys, this room should be better than it was that night. Perhaps it was a singular evening. I thought the open micers did better than our host remarked. But maybe she is comparing it to other nights when the place may very well be rockin’. Certainly, this room has the makings of a great open mic. It probably is. I’m just going by what the host and producer of the venue said. Do this room. Sarah looks for talent to book, so infuse some of your better material into the new material you’re doing and not only win over Sarah, but win over the room.
I don’t know how long open mic has been going on at Bang Bang. I asked the host of the room, Sarah Budgen, but she was too busy to answer me. Talent gets four minutes. There are no language restrictions. This room is for standup only. No music or poetry. Parking is on the street.
ReplyDeleteThe lineup is done by lottery. I recommend you get there early. Upon making a drink purchase, you get a ticket and write your name on it and give it to the bartender. The first ten people’s names go into the first bucket (or first hour) of the show. The next ten people are drawn from a second bucket (10pm to 11pm) for the second hour. The last group – late arrivals – is drawn from a third bucket (11pm to midnight) or until last comic has gone up. I arrived at 8:45pm and got my name in the first bucket. For every four open micers, a booked talent goes up.
Bang Bang is a full bar. I ordered a beer and learned I could get free popcorn, which I took advantage of, as I hadn’t eaten dinner yet. The room seats about 28. While there is no stage, in the center of the room to one wall, opposite the front entrance, a mic is set up. For a backdrop you have red curtains parted and red and silver tinsel, like those found on a Christmas tree. It gives the room a showmanship look. One downside is, if you have to use the bathroom, you have to cross in front of some of the audience watching. Otherwise, the focus is on the stage.
The room got off to a late start, 9:13pm. We had 27 people packing the place. Sarah welcomed everyone, announced who was on deck, did a couple minutes of material, allowing the first comic to prep themselves, then brought up the first talent. I ended up going up fourth, playing to a room of 30 at 9:32pm. In the second hour, attendance started to wane. I counted 23 people at 10:15pm.
While spilling into the street with people attending, so packed was the place, the energy in the room was lacking, if not aimless. I sat at the bar, and the people behind me, furthest from the stage, were talking to each other and not watching. But mostly the room paid attention to the stage, just did not respond well to the material being offered. Sarah noted more than once between talent that “everyone” was bombing, and, in a bit of self-fulfilling prophecy, sort of cinched the rest of the night, as no one – not even the booked talent – did especially well.
Guys, this room should be better than it was that night. Perhaps it was a singular evening. I thought the open micers did better than our host remarked. But maybe she is comparing it to other nights when the place may very well be rockin’. Certainly, this room has the makings of a great open mic. It probably is. I’m just going by what the host and producer of the venue said.
Do this room. Sarah looks for talent to book, so infuse some of your better material into the new material you’re doing and not only win over Sarah, but win over the room.