If you are a new comedian, you might not get enough time on good shows to perform. Some experienced comedians always have a good amount of time to go with the audience, but you only get 5 minutes for your performance. How can you involve the audience in only 5 minutes?
So if you want to maximize your set, then you have come to the right place. In this article, I am going to tell you how to do that. Stay till the end of the article to get to know more about it.
To attempt your skills in a comedy show, the first thing you need to focus on is your performance and script. Paper preparation is called the hand, and that takes a good amount of time. But during the stage performance, it is all about your communication skills and how well you can get the audience engaged. Now segment your performance into a timeline, and then arrange your script according to the given time.
0-5 seconds
The first 5 seconds are essential to make yourself comfortable. In this time, you might set up your mic with the stand. Drink water to maintain your voice. Check the mic, and get on the stage with a proper stand or if there is a chair, sit comfortably.
The first 5 seconds should be your introduction also. After the announcement, the podium you get was used by somebody else. So you need to make it yours to get started. These 5 seconds are essential for making it more comfortable for the audience.
Never ignore the first 5 seconds.
5-30 seconds
This time is essential for your introduction. Most comedians try to introduce their names, where they are from, and what they do. They even say “Hi” to the audience.
Experienced comedians take this opportunity to make their audience comfortable by proving that they are funny. They choose their introduction and get involved with the audience.
These 30 seconds are essential for delivering jokes. You may crack one or two small jokes to create a vibe. Otherwise, if there are no jokes, it will make the rest of your performance boring, which will drop the energy of the room.
30 Seconds – 2 Minutes
If you have ever gone through the life cycle in marketing, you might know that there are several stages that every product goes through in the market place. It shows the relative share of the work concerning the time. So a performance also goes like that.
In the introduction stage, you have 30 seconds to introduce yourself. After that, this is the growth stage where you have 30 seconds to 2 minutes to make your audience get your side.
In this period, you need to get your best jokes started. Otherwise, it will be too late for you to get involved with the audience. Some people try to give immense laughter to make the audience assured about their investment in time. Comedians try to give their hearts to this time to crack small and quality jokes in this period to make the vibe go up to a different level. You can’t let this period go down. Otherwise, this can ruin your performance.
2 – 4 minutes
This is the time of execution. You need to keep your energy level high during this time. You can crack your best jokes. This is the time where you need to push your limits by spot improvisation.
Now, what is improvisation?
It is a tactic done by experienced and skilled individuals, where they crack a joke based on observation. This makes people laugh more.
Most of the comedians crack their best jokes at this time. They try to give their hilarious improvisations in this period. Audiences are at their peak enjoyment at this stage; also, if you compare your performance with the PLC cycle, this is your peak. Now it depends on your ability for growth or decline.
If you run out of steam, try improvising.
There is a simple trick. Try to get someone from the audience involved. Ask them something and try to connect it with questions and hilarious answers. This is the trick, also called parroting, where you can say words of someone’s conversations and extend it.
Experienced comedians do these things.
There are also great tricks to the extent of your timing and comedy, but you need to observe great performances to know more about it. That’s why I always say do your research to add these insights into your account.
Last Minute
As I have explained before, the last minute is the thing that depends on you to take the performance to a second growth or a decline. Most of the time, the audience has high energy and has no idea how long the comedian has been on stage. So the person who has the idea is you or the host.
This is the time to wind up your performance. Write unique lines that could be iconic, or you can try to give your jokes an iconic end—making this period iconic can build up your image in between the audience. Doing well will also get you on more shows.
Tips to Write a Good 5 Minute Set
Always believe in writing down your script even if it is a small amount of time on stage.
Never judge someone during their improvisations. This can hurt someone’s feelings during the show.
Never go above your limits. It’s necessary but doesn’t do something that can give you negative feedback; although this is also important to get feedback, the more important thing is to make your performance pitch-perfect.
Always backup some jokes to save you from awkward stage moments. Try to remember when you used to debate, and suddenly you forget your script you have prepared? Always remember about that position and make your back up jokes to save you on stage.
Don’t get on anxiety. This can ruin your show.
Don’t get nervous on stage. Try and look calm.
Your pitch shouldn’t be high or low. This can create a weird sign to the audience that you are not a good communicator.
All of the above things are essential tips for a comedian to write 5 minutes of stand-up. But you will learn by doing. Try to get real-life experience by participating in various platforms. These things could help you to be useful in it.