Parking at Paddy’s is on the street. Parking is paid on Sundays till 7pm. The room has been going on since January of 2022, and it was started by a gentleman named Travis, who works behind the bar and does standup occasionally. The gentleman who runs the room is Dan. The mic takes place in a back room, separated from the main bar and restaurant by some distance and a curtain. It’s quite an intimate room, seating 16. A mic and stand are set up in the center of one wall, portable speakers set up on either side. A green light is mounted and faces the stage to illuminate the talent. I get that a green light is needed, as a white light would reflect off the TV screen behind the talent and could potentially reflect too brightly on those watching the talent. Talent gets 4 minutes, the light at 3 from the other side of the curtain. (Don’t worry, you’ll see it just fine.) Dan plays music between talent, which adds to the atmosphere of the open mic, which is for standup only. There are no language restrictions. The signup sheet comes out at 7:30pm and it is first come first choice. I counted 21 slots for talent to choose from when performing. The business is an Irish pub. They had obvious selections like bangers and mash and fish and chips, but also a nice selection of salads and appetizers. Know that in Oregon, there are no sales tax, so tip better when ordering something to support the room. As intimate as the room is, Dan wanted comics to give up their seats if non-comics wanted to see the show, which is a good choice. If there are empty seats, of course, talent is invited to sit and watch. Ten people were in the room when we started at 8:11pm. Dan opened with a few minutes of material then brought up the first talent. The room started roughly. As intimate as it is, sometimes it’s hard to get people to laugh out loud when the room is this small. I will say, though, they listened, and I could see an occasional smile and head nod. When I went up fourth, I actually got quite a few laughs, but they were subdued, not outright cackles. This went on for the rest of the night, and about two-thirds into the night, about 9pm, there was a mass exodus of audience, and the last 4 talent who went on stage played to a room of only 4, sometimes 5, as the host came in to watch also. I will say I appreciated how the talent stayed committed to their routine, performing for their entire allotted time to the few remaining people watching. Guys, yes, we all prefer to play to a large crowd. But going in, you see how intimate the room is. You’re not going to play to more than 16, possible 18 or so if people are willing to stand near the closed curtains. That should not dissuade you from doing this room. If you aren’t someone who needs to hear the laughs, can settle for subdued chuckles and big smiles and the occasional head nod of approval, then you should do this room. It’s a challenge, winning over an audience that may be self-conscious to laugh out loud, possibly drawing attention to themselves for that very reason. If you are new to standup, yes, I’d say hold off on this room, till you are more confident in your material and yourself. Then do this room when you are ready. That Travis started an open mic for standup, while he can’t always perform himself because he is running a business, he deserves some recognition and support from both locals and even out of towners looking for a place to perform. Sure, there are other rooms to do on a Sunday evening, but for the more advanced comic, do this room.
Parking at Paddy’s is on the street. Parking is paid on Sundays till 7pm. The room has been going on since January of 2022, and it was started by a gentleman named Travis, who works behind the bar and does standup occasionally. The gentleman who runs the room is Dan. The mic takes place in a back room, separated from the main bar and restaurant by some distance and a curtain. It’s quite an intimate room, seating 16. A mic and stand are set up in the center of one wall, portable speakers set up on either side. A green light is mounted and faces the stage to illuminate the talent. I get that a green light is needed, as a white light would reflect off the TV screen behind the talent and could potentially reflect too brightly on those watching the talent.
ReplyDeleteTalent gets 4 minutes, the light at 3 from the other side of the curtain. (Don’t worry, you’ll see it just fine.) Dan plays music between talent, which adds to the atmosphere of the open mic, which is for standup only. There are no language restrictions. The signup sheet comes out at 7:30pm and it is first come first choice. I counted 21 slots for talent to choose from when performing.
The business is an Irish pub. They had obvious selections like bangers and mash and fish and chips, but also a nice selection of salads and appetizers. Know that in Oregon, there are no sales tax, so tip better when ordering something to support the room.
As intimate as the room is, Dan wanted comics to give up their seats if non-comics wanted to see the show, which is a good choice. If there are empty seats, of course, talent is invited to sit and watch. Ten people were in the room when we started at 8:11pm. Dan opened with a few minutes of material then brought up the first talent.
The room started roughly. As intimate as it is, sometimes it’s hard to get people to laugh out loud when the room is this small. I will say, though, they listened, and I could see an occasional smile and head nod. When I went up fourth, I actually got quite a few laughs, but they were subdued, not outright cackles. This went on for the rest of the night, and about two-thirds into the night, about 9pm, there was a mass exodus of audience, and the last 4 talent who went on stage played to a room of only 4, sometimes 5, as the host came in to watch also. I will say I appreciated how the talent stayed committed to their routine, performing for their entire allotted time to the few remaining people watching.
Guys, yes, we all prefer to play to a large crowd. But going in, you see how intimate the room is. You’re not going to play to more than 16, possible 18 or so if people are willing to stand near the closed curtains. That should not dissuade you from doing this room. If you aren’t someone who needs to hear the laughs, can settle for subdued chuckles and big smiles and the occasional head nod of approval, then you should do this room. It’s a challenge, winning over an audience that may be self-conscious to laugh out loud, possibly drawing attention to themselves for that very reason. If you are new to standup, yes, I’d say hold off on this room, till you are more confident in your material and yourself. Then do this room when you are ready. That Travis started an open mic for standup, while he can’t always perform himself because he is running a business, he deserves some recognition and support from both locals and even out of towners looking for a place to perform. Sure, there are other rooms to do on a Sunday evening, but for the more advanced comic, do this room.