Monday Musings – A Sneak Peek inside the Motor City Comedy Festival – A Day in the life of a comedian

 

Have you ever been to a comedy show and wondered what a comedian does when not on stage? We write, we learn, and we practice. When a comedian can make telling jokes look effortless, that person has done a great job. A day in the life of a comedian is different for each person, but ultimately the goal is to work at becoming funnier. However, there is a business side to comedy.

If you are an aspiring comedian or interested in learning more about comedy, there are ways to become involved. There are comedy classes offered in person and online. There are also humor writing workshops, and comedy festivals. Here are a few workshops I have been a part of:

·         Comedy Writing Workshops at Mark Ridley’s Comedy Castle – check your local area to see who may be offering a workshop of interest to you. I’ve discovered in the classes that I’ve taken that people have various reasons for taking the workshop. Some want to perform stand-up as a career, others try it as a hobby.

·         Dave Schwensen’s Comedy Workshops – Zoom

·         Erma Bombeck Writing Workshop – this workshop is not strictly stand-up comedy but focuses on humor writing.

·         Motor City Comedy Festival – this was my first year attending this festival. I was not one of the performers but learned a lot in the workshops.

Before I tell you about the festival, let me go back to a day in the life of a comedian. I am no different than other comedians when I say we like to grab a mic when we can. We may perform at one location then leave there and perform at another. This is sort of how it happened for me this past weekend.

I had the opportunity to perform at an outdoor event a couple of hours from home. It’s always energizing to hear the crowd laughing. I think that energy is what gave me the boost I need for the turnaround drive home. I was determined to get home and rest so I would be alert for the comedy festival the next day.

Back to the Comedy Festival…

The festival consisted of workshop topics such as:

·         Marketing and Promotion

·         Become a Better MC

·         Touring

·         Contracts

·         Digital Content & Media

The workshops were held during the day, and on the four evenings seasoned comedians performed for the general public at various locations. The entire festival was a great opportunity to hang out with fellow comedians, make new friendships, and learn more about the inner workings of comedy as a business.

I promised you a peek inside the Motor City Comedy Festival.  Here’s a quick view through pictures.

If you’ve ever wanted to try comedy, go for it.