How To Become A Comedian | The Art Career Project

Becoming a comedian in the traditional “stand-up comedy” sense is something of a unique situation in terms of creative professions. By and large, there are no “comedy schools” that you can go to in order to pick up a degree like there are graphic design schools, film schools, and more. While this is true of all of the arts, comedy is something that you absolutely learn by doing.

Luckily, there are comedy clubs in most major cities in America that are desperate for hours of programming seven days a week. Many of these clubs have “open mic nights,” often multiple times a week, where amateurs are invited to get up on stage and tell jokes to a paying audience. This is, by far, the best way to learn, hone and cultivate your craft.

These open mic nights are often unpaid opportunities, but they’re also exceptional in terms of not only getting you the experience you need but also building your “portfolio” (the jokes that you tell, also called a “set”) and your personal brand. You can hone your on-stage persona in front of a live audience, getting immediate feedback and learning what does and what does not work in real time. You can also make a mental note of which jokes are successful and which ones aren’t, throwing out the ones that aren’t and building upon the proven material. Little by little, this is how a comedian is born.

If a comedy club owners likes you, they may offer you paid opportunities. Once you graduate to this status, you will continue to develop your act and hone your persona until eventually you’re given the opportunity for higher paying jobs. If word begins to spread about your act, you may also be able to obtain “road gigs” in other cities, requiring a certain degree of travel that will almost always be unpaid. If you have a particularly good set in front of the right room of people, however, there’s no telling what doors may unlock – especially if that single right industry connection is in the audience.

Remember to check out and join a local improv comedy troupe, which will put you in a setting with other like-minded individuals with the same goal in an environment where you’re required to think on your feet. Not only will this continue to develop your craft, but it will also make it much easier to come up with material.