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    2010 - 03.12

    So, I appear to have a 6 minute slot on 29 March at the Fringe Bar, Wellington. 

    It doesn’t sound tooooo hard if you read it fast, but wait, there’s more! 

    The slot is part of the 2010 Raw Comedy Quest, which began in Wellington NZ on March 8, and goes through 4 weeks of heats to national finals held during the 2010 NZ International Comedy Festival in Auckland NZ.  There are 6 competitors each week.  For further details check out www.thefringebar.org

    So, it seems that in looking for a second opportunity to test improvements in front of a live audience – I have suddenly become a standup competitor!  Yikes!  Crikey! and other G-rated versions of what I am feeling!

    I’ll keep ya posted.
    Cheers – lisx

    Blogvid1 – Losing my Comedy Virginity

    2010 - 03.12

    Here is the fruit of my first go at standup.  I’d be interested in your feedback.   I’ll blog about the feedback I’ve received already from those who were there, and  give a critique of it myself.  but meantime…

     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Fcg7Wg9KkE

    PS. The topic? Well I figure there’s only one time I could do material about ‘losing my comedy virginity’ 

    cheers
    lisx

    raw meat script – final draft

    2010 - 03.11

    Hi all,

    I wanted to show you the before and after scripts, but it looks like I have stoopidly saved the final one over the top of the draft, doohhh!  Anyway, here’s what I ended up with.

     

    Feb 2010 –Fringe Bar

    Hullo, my name is lisx, and up until [43 seconds ago] I have been an actively practicing comedy virgin. But tonight is the night, ….and you are …the chosen.

    Well I just turned 43, time is running out, it’s now or never, and frankly, I can’t afford to be choosy.

    All I ask is that you be gentle with me.

    Actually, there is a hell of a lot going on for me as a comedy virgin, contemplating deflorestation. All that angst! It’s a very vulnerable time. There’s a lot to consider.

    For instance, I’m experiencing a bit of a moral dilemma up here, exposing myself to you like this. After all I really don’t know you very well yet, I just met you in a bar for goodness sake. Shouldn’t we at least have at least had dinner first?

    And to be honest, I’m not even very sure how it’s all done…

    (For instance – ) Should these lights be on? At first I thought I’d like them off altogether. It’s bloody hard to hold my stomach in, and tits out, for this long. Maybe it’s ok as long as they are very dim.  But – isn’t this spotlight just a bit kinky? How would I know? And how’s those guys watching from over at the bar? Is that normal? It’s all very puzzling.

    Then there’s the whole size thing. To put it bluntly, I have no idea if this audience is big enough? It looks quite small to me, but then I’ve got nothing to benchmark against. I have been told on good authority that size actually DOES matter, but I don’t want to offend you on our first night together, so um – I just want to let you know that you are the biggest audience that I have ever seen….

    Strangely enough, I couldn’t find anything in Cosmopolitan about comedy foreplay. Maybe foreplay just isn’t that funny? It sure LOOKs funny, and often it SOUNDS quite funny too.…But if it’s ok by you , maybe we could just take the foreplay as read, and get straight into it?

    Bear with me while I just put on some protection…

    In terms of my overall performance, I don’t want to tease you. But should I be aiming to just… tickle your fancy, and leave you …wanting more? The disadvantage is that you might leave feeling frustrated and , well, just a bit limp, and I’m really hoping you’ll want to see me again.

    So maybe instead I should go all out for a standing ovation, and try to leave you soooo satisfied, that no-one else will be able to do it for you, ever again. I’m just not at all sure.

    Of course, when I get more experienced, I’m sure I’ll be able to take it all in hand. I’ll be able to warm you up in about 30 seconds flat, I reckon.

    And even better, I’ll be able to gracefully and elegantly clean up when things inevitably get a bit messy, like – if you laugh prematurely, or if there are a couple of damp patches, or if, heaven forbid – you fall asleep on me.

    In preparing myself emotionally for the big reveal tonight, I gave myself a big talking to. I decided that it’s no good being all sensitive, I just need to harden up about a few things. So I just want to reassure you, before we go any further, that:

    • I’m NOT not expecting counting on you bringing me a cup of tea tomorrow morning (but if you want to, it’s milk no sugar, ta.).
    • I heard someone laughing in the middle of my performance before, and I just want you to know that I am determined to view this as a good thing. Constructive criticism and all that.
    • And finally, I’d actually be very comfortable if, at the end of this, I end up getting a good dose of the clap out of this.

    Please let me know if the earth moved for you. I can truthfully say that I have NEVER had an audience as expert as you, you’ve been great. And I’ve been Lisx, the comedy virgin.

    Raw Meat Monday – my first stand up opportunity 1

    2010 - 03.01

    Well I took the plunge.   Click on Blogvid1 (under the blog and blogroll lists) for video proof!

     A comedy venue in Wellington city has what they call “Raw Meat Mondays”.  This means that the punters all go knowing that they will be seeing either comedy virgins, like myself, or more experienced comedians giving new material a try.  The cover charge is peanuts at NZ$5, and the crowd are generally very supportive.  There is an experienced comic MC, who will take as much heckling as people wish to give him, and he makes sure the audience are nice and warmed up by the time the ’raw meat’ hits the stage. 

    A friend put me in contact with the MC, who also lines up the night’s acts, as it’s not QUITE an open mic night.   I took a 6minute slot in a show starting in 3 weeks time.  Other options were 10 minutes and 20 minutes, but let’s not get carried away here!!!

    This is what I did next (I’ll elaborate on several aspects in upcoming blogs): 

    1. turned on the computer and started writing something I hoped would be funny. I had a few ideas, and saved them as drafts under different topic headings.

    2. Once I got something (relatively) finished, I gave it to a couple of friends to look at, and they said that they thought it had potential / was funny.  One guy queried a joke I had in there (didn’t get it), so I decided to lose that one!  I’ll post the original and final scripts so you can see how much it changed.  If you check out the video you’ll see that it changed quite a bit on the night as well!

    3. I asked a guy who’se comedy I really like, to meet with me so I could get some advice.  I met him for a coffee, and although it felt a bit weird and cheesy, I quizzed him on how he prepares, etc.  (more on this later!) 

    4. I rehearsed!  I was pretty slack at first, but as the deadline became a bit scary I started to rehearse heaps. 1-2x a day. I spoke into a dictaphone and practised remembering the sequence of the material.  Then I could try different ways of saying it.  On playing it back I just didn’t find some bits funny, so i changed or ditched them. (I’ll post the script I ended up with).

    5. I decided I needed notes, so I made a skinny list of reminder headings next to my final ’script’. I then cut the list off, and used it.

    6.  Relatively last minute I decided I needed a couple of props.  I got them, but I wasn’t sure if/how I would use them besides a general idea.  I didn’t rehearse with them.  In retrospect I have some views about whether i should have – see what you think when you see the video!

    5. I got there on time, went out back with the performers (including a ‘famous’ guy – yikes! I hadn’t expected that!), started to seriously panic, downed a wine pretty quickly, and got halfway thru a second before I pulled myself together.   I made myself stop drinking – although I started feeling better I think I was starting to be in danger of being a bit of a loose unit, and I didn’t want to stuff up the delivery.

    6. I walked out there, and delivered it! I have to say that the relief and the buzz I got from the appreciative audience and other comedians, was outstanding.  I will post a video of it, so you can judge for yourself.

    7. The next day i looked at the video, alternately cringed and thought ‘yay me!’  I could immediately see several areas I could improve on, but also some happy accidents that will defintely affect any future comedy I do.  I’ll post separately with a review of the video, and I welcome your comments too.

    I am sure that raw meat Monday (or something like it) is not unique to my town.  I think it’s really worth having a sniff around for a similar opportunity in your area.  I was seriously sh*tting myself for the week prior, but having that first time behind me is FAB.  After all, the only way from the bottom is up, right!

    Cheers

    lisx