Standing on a stage and trying to make people laugh is not easy. Comedy is a serious business.
During my last year in England, I thought I would have a go at Stand Up Comedy, to see if I had what it takes. I took a course run by Logan Murray in London (I’d highly recommend the course to any comedy wannabes) at the end of which was a showcase, where we had around 5 minutes in front of a live paying audience.
I cringe every time I watch the video of my performance, I was nervous and halfway through my set I forgot my routine.
I got a few precious laughs but not a lot. I followed on from the showcase with six more “gigs”, before I left UK for Georgia. I am glad I had a go, but I don’t think I would have made it in the competitive world of stand up, as there are some very funny people out there.
I saw Jimmy Carr perform back in 2000, when he was starting and I was underwhelmed by his performance, a few years after he was a household name (at least in England), he had worked his socks off honing his craft, looking to get a gig every night.
Doing the comedy course I met a lot of fascinating and funny people, many of whom I am still in contact with through Facebook, on Twitter I follow some comedians like Ricky Gervais and Dara O’ Briain. My favourite stand ups tend to be the Irish comedians like Dara, Ed Byrne, Aidan O’Hanlon and Dave Allen. Also on the circuit there are many very funny female comedians like Sarah Millican, Janey Godley, Gemma Goggin, Susan Murray and Karen Bayley…repudiating the myth that women can’t be funny.
I have no aspirations now to do any further stand up, but I might have a go at comedy writing. One of the reasons for starting this blog was to practise writing (not comedy writing per se), as any skill you wish to gain requires an investment in effort (Jimmy Carr being a prime example).
Details of the comedy course I attended
Click to access 14t-04-09_abc98_evs_v2.pdf
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