Does Standing Up Make One Funny?

Telling Jokes vs. Being Funny
Getting on stage, holding a microphone, and telling jokes is all it takes for most people to consider themselves comedians. I have met many hard-working performers who have "polished" their act only to realize that they were polishing burnt rubber. It's important to have funny material, but it's more important for your funny material to matter. It's one thing to make a person laugh, but to make them think is the real challenge.
More than Entertaining Drunks
Comedy can and should be about more than striking the lowest note on the ladder of taste and waiting for the mere shockwave to destroy the audiences ability to think, and instead go for the "gut reaction". If it was more than a bit difficult to make a crowd of strangers laugh at the mere mention of orgasms, or sex, or the church, there would be far fewer operating comedy venues.
Shouting, Swearing and Others Ways to Get Laughed At
People considering careers in comedy should start by reading about what interests them, and getting a real deep perspective on their topic of choice, whether it's masturbation, broken families, or religion. When a performer has nothing to say, and is just reciting things off the top of his shallow head it's not going to get the same kind of reaction (at least not as long-lasting) as when he thinks about the issue, and really let's himself experiment. Why should comedians get to hurry through their work, while playwrites, poets, architects, and even visual artists have to put time (if even just thinking time) into their work? Comedians are not separate from the performing arts, or the arts in general. It's a myth that Stand-up comedy is "something beyond, something else" it's really just rhetoric designed to stimulate our sense of irony. Stand-up is a one-sided faux-discussion about events, issues, and people important to the comedian, and hopefully important to the audience as well. In our desire to entertain people we should strive not to educate them, but to make them think. For when people think and laugh at the same time they change, and when comedy influences change it ceases to be something "else" and begins facing up to the reality, comedy like everything else designed for an audience must be honest with itself, and look at more than just the laugh meter for feedback.
Endnote
I cannot say that I know what comedy is, after all if that was true I'd be getting paid to do it. However, I am certain that as an audience member I am almost always more satisfied when the artist (comic) makes me think, and not just react.

Surprised by an Open Mic

An Interesting SMS
I wasn't planning on doing anything that night. While sitting in the kitchen doing nothing in particular I received a text message, "Open Mic tonight. Want to go?" The message was from Stephen, a friend of mine from the United Kingdom. I responded with a request for details. I killed time surfing the web, and thinking of ways to stay calm. This would be my first solo performance since comming to Poland in May of 2009. I hadn't been doing anything like Open Mic nights for over 18 months, so I was quite rusty.

It's My Time
The host of the evening a bearded man holding a wireless microphone and standing in front of a large LCD screen introduces me, "Rich Greenfield." I fumble up to the stage and grab the mic. I was excited about the peformance not only because it was my first in a long time, but also because I could try and see how I would do performing in Polish. I decided earlier in the evening that I would use a bi-lingual blended method for getting my ideas across to the audience. The people at the show where these hipster-artist types, and probably all lived in lofts. When I spotted their funny hats, and sharp colored outfits, I knew that English would have to be used to wooh them, and Polish to put them into their place. After 10 minutes of rambling and improvisation I was finished.

Post mortem
All in all, I think it was a performance that would of been better had I been really warmed-up. When I would do shows at Thai Joes in Milwaukee I would have a good amount of time (and quiet) to get into "my zone." However, at this cafe I didn't have a place to hide. It was raining outside and I had been fighting a cold for a few days and didn't want it to get worse. I had no place to hide inside as the place was packed. So I just kind of burned myself out talking to people and getting distracted. My main issue was my lack of focus, and a distinct cohesiveness or plot in my performance. In the future I must force myself to warm-up before going on stage, and most importantly to refrain from idle chit-chat prior to performing, as it tends to melt everything in my mind together into a glob of nonsense, rather than a well-formulated tale.

Open Mic Night in Warsaw, Poland

I am going to be hosting the first "Rich & Steve's Non-Stop Laugh Factory" Open Mic Night in Warsaw Poland on September 20th 2010. We are trying to promote English language comedy in Poland and we are also interested in providing a place for comics to test their material. The location is great, we managed to work closely with the owner and got a great deal on the venue. I am excited, and will post a video when I am finished. For facebook users interested in our group visit here"

Booked for My First Poland show since 2002!

I am very excited to announce that I have been booked for my first performance in Warsaw, Poland in over 8 years. When I performed here back in '02 I tried to do a show in Polish, as there wasn't much of a demand for English performers back then. Today the situation has changed quite a bit as many more youth are English-capable. The first show will be this Sunday and the next date is a Tuesday.I will try to post excerpts from both shows.

UPDATE: Both shows ended up being cancelled by the event organizer. I was quite surprised as such things are quite rare (in terms of Stand-Up comedy shows) in the USA. I don't remember the last time a show was cancelled due to low attendance. My group "Scrambled Ed's Happy Farm" performed in front of 10 people in a theatre made to seat 250.

Chłopaki z Taśmy UPDATED

I recently taped an appearance on the Polish dating/reality tv show "Chłopaki z Taśmy" (the boys from the tape). I had a great time, and it was my first speaking role on Polish television. I appeared as myself, however I consider the experience to have been more acting than reality. I had a great time, the other talent was really professional and they treated us to some great food. I can't tell you who won, however I can say that the experience was a lot of fun. The episode should air sometime in May or June. I'll let you know if I find anything out.

UPDATED

I watched the show a few days ago and was pleased with the way that I was presented. I was second in the show to be interviewed. My entire on screen time lasted about 4 minutes and 30 seconds. I have posted three screen captures from the show to give you an idea of what it looked like on tv.

Apetyt Na Zycie

I will be appearing as an extra in the Polish language tv show "Apetyt na Zycie" (an Appetite for Life) sometime in 2010. I had a great time filming scenes in the semi-permanent coffee shop film set built especially for the show. I had never been an extra in a professional production and it was a rewarding experience. Everyone else was focused on complaining. I made myself stand-out and managed to get into at least 3 scenes. I am doing an assortment of things while in my role as background-character. In one scene I am reading a book on the steps. At one point I run across the shot and fetch some desert, which I eat. In my second shot I am chatting up a nice looking girl in a colorful dress and drinking some beverages. In my final shot I am seen outside of the cafe playing frisbee. I was glad to be offered so many chances to be on camera. I am not focused on the money ($20) nor the exposure (minimal if any). I had a great time taking part in a project of this caliber, and consider it training towards my acting career. Most of the other extras just sat hidden away in the break-area and most didn't get any camera time at all. I was very eager to get on camera and made myself noticed. I think that is the most important thing in a situation with a "grab bag" of extras talent. You have to make yourself stand out. The crew was nice and we were fed sandwiches for breakfast and for lunch we got served some surprisingly delicious mushroom soup. I'll make sure to post information on when these episodes air.

Another Audition

I recently auditioned for a TV series to be filmed in Warsaw starting sometime in Spring, 2010. The audition was held in a seedy-looking pre-war building that featured an art gallery, an antique shop, and of course the photography studio where the audition was held. The response to my audition was positive, however I am beggining to think that that is how they talk to all the actors in Poland, as I have not gotten any time on-camera for national tv yet. Hopefully this will happen soon, and I will launch my acting career in Poland.