In my previous blog, How to Be a Comedian – Tip 25: Acknowledge Idiosyncrasies, I discuss why comedians need to talk about things the audience may fixate on in order to get their attention back on the show. In this blog, How to Be a Comedian – Tip 26: Opening Line, I’ll show the importance of getting that first laugh quickly.
How to Be a Comedian
Tip 26: Opening Line
After you greet the audience, it’ll help you to relax if your first shot at being funny gets a big laugh. What most comics don’t know is it also helps the audience to relax. They have anxiety about having to sit through a comedian who isn’t funny. So getting that first laugh right out of the gate helps everyone to relax.
To learn how to be a comedian who writes great closing lines, check out my book How to Improve Jokes and Routines.
A great opening line can also help establish who you are. For instance, a student, Mel McKee, was a cantankerous and crazy old man performing in a club filled with mostly young people. So to establish his character, Mel began his show with:
“I wake up almost every morning.”
With this first big laugh, Mel continued to build his unpredictable old man character.
Opening lines can also help bring up the topic of a routine. For instance, a black student, Carol McGrath, started her show by standing at the mic and giving the audience time to check her out, and then said:
From this first big laugh, Carol followed it with an entire routine about begin black in Canada.
In my next blog, How to Be a Comedian – Tip 27: Closing Line, I’ll discuss the importance of having a closing line which helps you get off stage with a final big laugh.
How to Be a Comedian – Take Comedy Classes
Greg Dean’s Stand-Up Comedy Workshop