As you probably already know, there are typically three types of open mics:
1. Club open mics are run by the club, have their own set of rules and come with the onus of wanting to do well in front of possible club reps so you can get into the club. Veteran comics use the club mic to sharpen their skills and work new stuff out, while newer comics are generally trying to get in the club with their best three minutes.
2. Full show open mics are just that, a show with an MC and closer. Notice, I wrote closer, not headliner. Typically, the closer is a really good MC or a feature in the area because the money is minimal. You're charging people to come out on a Tuesday for a show that's basically ten open mikers in between an MC and maybe another MC. You're probably not going to be able to charge more than $5.
3. Of course, the typical open mic is a bunch of comics in a bar/restaurant with one of them starting off as the MC. Usually, there is no charge but you're expected to eat and drink at the establishment to keep using the place for free. Sometimes you get a private room and sometimes it's in the main room with built in audience not paying attention while they drink their beer and watch sports. Sometimes, these also are open to musicians.
For the purposes of the information below, I'm not including club run/sanctioned open mics. As I mentioned above, club mics are a different animal.
WAYS TO MAKE YOUR OPEN MIC GREAT
1. PROMOTE IT!!! Not just the person who started it, but EVERYONE who typically goes to the open mic should promote it. It should be treated like a real show. I don't think it's done on purpose, but it's really weird to me that some open mics seem to be kept secret. There is no point to that. In fact, that's the opposite of what an open mic should be (notice the name: OPEN mic). It's probably more a case of comics just not thinking about promoting it rather than purposely keeping it private, but it happens a lot.
You want a steady flux of comics coming in, whether they're on the road and stopping by, new to the area, or just looking for a few minutes of stage time. If you see the same faces every week, it tends to become more of a coffee klatch (okay, beer klatch). I know, that's a bit harsh since we all live where we live. My point is try to get new blood in as often as possible.
In addition to posting it in the various comedian Facebook groups and your own page, you can list your open mic on BadSlava. It seems pretty thorough, however I noticed some old, cancelled mics on the list. Apparently, once a mic dies no one thinks to let the site know it's done.
And, you really want an audience, too, if you can manage. Did your joke just kill because the comics all know you, or was it really funny? If a bunch of strangers laugh, that's a better indicator. Conversely, comics can also be stingy with the laughs. So, you might have the greatest punchline since Henny Youngman, but your faux hipster cool colleagues are too busy tweeting an ironic reference to laugh.
2. SET SOME RULES - I know, we got into comedy because there are no rules. Bullshit. Do a blue set at a corporate gig, and, as you come home without your check, see if that booker, or company, ever books you again. Or, blow through the light at a club and see how long it takes you to get back in, if ever.
Cram it up your cram hole, Lafleur, there are rules in comedy and you know it. Deal with it.
The rules should mimic club rules. Comics should get there early, as per sign up times. They should obey the light. No heckling. Pay attention. Don't talk during other people's sets. Be a good audience for your fellow comics. They should be expected to stay for the whole show. And, laugh, dammit!
It's up to you how you want to treat comics who come in late, but club open mics won't let a comic go on. Also, if you let one person come in late, eventually everyone will start to show up late.
Don't be afraid to set ground rules regarding type of material, especially if you're charging people to be there. Obviously it's an open mic and comics should be free to explore, but you don't want your audience walking out. There's a difference between a comic trying to go blue with a bit and a person who seemingly just heard his/her voice over a PA for the first time and loves the way cocksucker sounds every three seconds. Well, who doesn't, but still.
3. LEARN TO HOLD YOUR LIQUOR - Really, don't drink...that much. If you need a couple shots to get the nerve to go on stage, so be it. If you think you can have great timing and do a great set while buzzed, who am I to tell you not to have a few beers? But, when you start to stumble, slur your words, spit out 53 "fucks" and a few racial slurs in a four minute set, etc., you can't hold your liquor.
If you do it once, that's okay. Learn from it.
If it's your "thing" then you're more of an alcoholic than a comedian. Get help. Seriously.
If you're in charge, and the person keeps getting sloppy drunk, you have three options:
A. Kick 'em out all together; ban them
B. Always put them on first, so they can't be drunk on stage unless they show up drunk (which is really messed up)
C. Always put them on last, so they don't mess up the show or walk the audience. Of course, they may get loud and obnoxious waiting all that time, so option A might be the best bet.
4. LEADERSHIP - If you're just looking for a place to hang, then this whole post has been lost on you. However, if you're looking to really hone your skills and move up in the comedy world, you will either want to take ownership of the open mic, so as to enforce the rules, or elect leadership for that purpose.
I know, I know, more business world crap that you were trying to escape by being a comedian, but come on, most of us have full time jobs anyway while we try to make it in comedy. It's not a foreign concept.
Besides, I'm not talking about quorums and board meetings with votes and Robert's Rules. I'm simply talking about one or two people who are tasked with enforcing the rules, policing the event and talking straight to comics who cause problems.
Just like you hope the clubs you play have security to handle obnoxious patrons, you want everyone at your open mic to behave professionally.
Remember, the venue owner wants to make a profit, he/she's hoping you eat and drink and attract a crowd. Throwing up on the stage, or complaints from patrons will spell doom for your open mic.
5. CLEAR COMMUNICATION - As with any facet of life, clear communication is key. That means clearly stating the rules you have for your mic. Post them on the sign up sheet, on the door or tables at the venue, and consider having the MC run through them at the start of the show.
This also means talking straight to comics who violate the rules. It sucks, but this is your open mic, your career. If someone can't respect that, can't be professional, they need to be told to shape up or ship out.
Nothing's worse than going to the open mic you know is going to get ruined because Skippy won't shut up and no one will say anything to him because they don't wanna harsh his mellow.
6. CRITIQUES - One of the toughest things to do as a comic is to get better. That's because we typically don't have mentors. We don't tape our sets enough, and critique them. And we certainly don't like other comics telling us what we should or shouldn't do in our acts.
Really, we all have huge egos, and if we wrote something, we know for sure it's comedy gold, dammit!
If you choose, you could have all the comics at the mic take notes, or you could designate some more veteran/accomplished comics to do it. You might even be able to get a headliner, or known comic, in your area to come in as a guest to do the critiquing. Best case scenario for that would be to have a full show where he/she is the closer and gets paid a little something, but you never know. Some comics enjoy helping others for no other reason than helping others.
It's a delicate situation, because, again, most of us don't take too well to being told what we didn't do well. Therefore, you need to make a policy of telling the comic what they did well to go along with any critique. And, let any comics opt out if they don't want to be critiqued.
It might not be feasible to have the critiques on the same night as the open mic, and nothing says they have to be done in front of everyone else. But being given a tag line by a veteran comic is invaluable. Being shown how to make the set up to a joke that much shorter will do wonders for your act.
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If the only things you can do from this list are promote your open mic and not get sloppy drunk, that's a plus. You might not have the power, nor the will to run an open mic like I suggested. And that's fine.
Just be aware of the list, and make sure you are doing your absolute best to utilize the mic for what it's supposed to be...a tool to help you get better.
(UPDATE) Since I first wrote this a video regarding critiquing has come to my attention. Click here to go to my next blog post with the video.
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