ACTORS
ACTORS
The Comic, Comedy Spaces, Comedy Agents
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ACTORS
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The Comic, Comedy Spaces, Comedy Agents |
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In stand-up comedy as opposed to traditional theater, differences occur not only in performance style and telling jokes, but in also what are different performance situations. Theater audiences in voyeur mode, sit in relative silence, while comedy club audiences can be a bit more engaging with the performers onstage. But a common notion that stand-up comics are spontaneous in their performances as opposed to actors who must closely follow a script might not quite be the case. Although many professional comics alter their acts on a regular basis, and often make jokes off the tops of their heads, a good portion of what makes up their show is tightly scripted.
The Catch-22 of getting paying comedy jobs is that in order to work you need to be good, but in order to be good you need to work. And since a club owner is always looking to fill seats every time the club opens its doors for a performance to justify the cost of an event, if not to make money overall, it certainly helps if the comic has a following which can be a matter of passing around a mailing list at club dates, using the media to generate press coverage, and/or networking and winning awards.
Terms To Know |
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Afterpiece. In eighteenth-century London theatres, a short comedy performed after a five-act tragedy, providing comic relief for the audience. Billing. The size of an actor’s role such as starring or guest starring. Also, where the actor’s name will be placed in the credits and if the name will be shown on the screen alone or with others. Booker. An agency employee who sets appointments for talent/models. Double-take. An exaggerated facial response to another actor’s words or actions, usually used for comic effect. Laugh Track. The laughter of a live audience of a situation comedy or other television show that actors are performing in front of, that is recorded to be played back when the show is aired. Mimicry. An actor’s ability to sound and/or look like someone else, usually a famous person. Self-Contained Artist. An artist who writes and performs his or her own material. Also refers to artists who require no production or personnel assistance from promoters. |
There are places you can perform in while you are developing your act, self-starting strategies to create work, and places to perform where you will get paid.
When starting out, comics perform wherever they can. Places you can perform in while you are developing your act include amateur nights, where a great majority of stand-up comics begin their careers sometimes performing for weeks, months or even years.
In the beginning of your career you will most likely not be performing under conditions you have control over. In comedy clubs, the choice spots are usually reserved for the pros, and the up and coming are relegated to the graveyard shift. Often, you will be performing at 1:00 a.m. Under these circumstances, you have to make adjustments. Other performance venues can include:
Get a video of yourself performing in front of an audience. The tape should be no longer than 20 minutes. Put your best jokes first , and stay away from filler, such as "Where are you from". Don’t edit the tape. The club owner wants to see exactly how you work with an audience without any special video effects.
You also need an 8 x 10 glossy black-and-white picture of yourself. A simple head shot on a white background will do. A club owner wants a face shot, because the newspapers are more likely to print that for publicity than an out-of-the-ordinary kind of picture.
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Admire Presentations, Inc. |
APA (Agency for the Performing Arts) |
APA (Agency for the Performing Arts) |
| Ambassador Artists P.O. Box 50358 Nashville, TN 37205 Phone: 615-352-2500 |
Arne Brav Associates 1143 Arno Road Franklin, TN 37064 Phone: 615-791-1213 |
Banner Artists International 1650 Broadway, Suite 508 New York, NY 10019 Phone: 212-581-6900 |
| Bernie Young Agency 6006 Greenbelt Road, Suite 285 Greenbelt, MD 20770 Phone: 301-937-2600 |
Bill Feggan Attractions 131 North Second Street Raton, NM 87740 Phone: 505-445-5528 |
The Blade Agency P.O. Box 1556 Gainesville, FL 32602 Phone: 352-372-8158 |
| Buddy Lee Attractions 38 Music Square East, Suite 300 Nashville, TN 37203 Phone: 615-244-4336 |
Celebrity International 1020 16 Avenue South Nashville, TN 37212 Phone: 615-259-3400 |
Coconuts Comedy Productions 12016 Lagoon Lane Treasure Island, FL 33706 Phone: 813-360-7935 |
| Comedy Connection 3004 Semmes Avenue Richmond, VA 23225 Phone: 804-232-3181 |
Comedy Line Productions 2378 Calvin Extension, #4 Tonawanda, NY 14150 Phone: 716-822-4356 |
Comedy West 1206 Mill Creek Boulevard, C-201 Mill Creek, WA 98012 Phone: 206-485-4674 |
| CAA (Creative Artists Agency) 1888 Century Park East, Suite 1400 Los Angeles, CA 90067 Phone: 213-277-4545 |
Creative Booking Service 5009 Monroe Road, Suite 103 Charlotte, NC 28205 Phone: 704-532-1980 |
Creative Talent Consultants 333 North Broadway, Suite 3011 Jericho, NY 11753 Phone: 516-433-6588 |
| Lil Cumber Attractions 6515 Sunset Boulevard, Suite 300A Hollywood, CA 90028 Phone: 213-469-1919 |
Dana Pennington Associates 8721 Santa Monica Boulevard West Hollywood, CA 90069 Phone: 213-850-1909 |
DCA Productions 437 West 44 Street New York, NY 10036 Phone: 212-245-2063 |
| DMR Booking Agency The Galleries of Syracuse, Suite 250 Syracuse, NY 13202 Phone: 315-475-2500 |
Eastcoast Entertainment (ATL) 1780 Century Circle Atlanta, GA 30345 Phone: 404-634-0016 |
The Entertainment Connection 401 Pennsylvania Parkway, Suite 104 Indianapolis, IN 46280 Phone: 317-575-5777 |
| Entertainment United 64 Division Avenue Levittown, NY 11756 Phone: 516-735-5550 |
Fireball Entertainment P.O. Box 1769 New York, NY 10025 Phone: 212-666-6881 |
Fleming/Tamulevich and Associates 733-735 North Main Street Ann Arbor, MI 48114 Phone: 313-995-9066 |
| Funny Bone On Tour 734 Westport Plaza, Suite 275 St. Louis, MO 63146 Phone: 817-265-2277 |
Funny Business Agency (Canada) 1280 Bay Street Toronto Ontario Canada, M5R3LI |
Funny Business Agency 4519 Cascade Road Grand Rapids, MI 49506 Phone: 616-949-7387 |
| G.G. Greg Agency 1288 East 168 Street Cleveland, OH 44110 Phone: 216-692-1193 |
Gary Grant Talent Associates P.O. Box 928 Port Washington, NY 11050 Phone: 516-744-9547 |
Gersh Agency P.O. Box 5617 Beverly Hills, CA 90210 Phone: 213-274-6611 |
| The Gilchrist Agency 310 Madison Avenue, Suite 1003 New York, NY 10017 Phone: 212-692-9166 |
Greater Talent Network 150 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1002 New York, NY 10011 Phone: 212-645-4200 |
Hollander-Lustig Entertainment 321 North Lake Boulevard, Suite 103 North Palm Beach, FL 33408 Phone: 407-863-5800 |
| ICM (International Creative Management) 40 West 57 Street New York, NY 10019 Phone: 212-556-5600 |
ICM (International Creative Management) 8899 Beverly Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90048 Phone: 213-550-4000 |
In-June Talent 1800 North Highland Avenue Hollywood, CA 90028 Phone: 213-465-9135 |
| Irvin Arthur Associates 9363 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 212 Beverly Hills, CA 90210 Phone: 213-278-5934 |
Jackman & Taussig 1815 Butler Avenue, Suite 120 Los Angeles, CA 90025 Phone: 213-478-6641 |
The Joey Edmonds Agency 2669 North Building Chicago, IL 60614 Phone: 312-871-1444 |
| Just for Laughs Agency 22 Miller Avenue Mill Valley, CA 94941 Phone: 415-383-4746 |
Knapp Comedy Promotions P.O. Box 838 Highland Park, IL 60035 Phone: 708-433-8669 |
William Morris Agency 1350 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10019 Phone: 212-586-5100 |
| William Morris Agency 151 El Camino Drive Beverly Hills, CA 90212 Phone: 213-274-7451 |
NY Entertainment 221 West 57 Street New York, NY 10019 Phone: 212-586-1000 |
Omnipop 223 Jericho Turnpike, Suite 200 Mineola, NY 11501-1606 Phone: 516-248-4019 |
| Omnipop 10700 Ventura Boulevard, Suite C Studio City, CA 91604 Phone: 818-980-9267 |
Prime Time Entertainment 2 Crow Canyon Court, Suite 210 San Ramon, CA 94583 Phone: 415-820-2379 |
Progressive Artists Beverly Hills, CA Phone: 213-553-8561 |
| Pyramid Entertainment Group 89 Fifth Avenue, 7 Fl. New York, NY 10022 Phone: 212-242-7274 |
QBO Entertainment 48 East 50 Street, 4 Fl. New York, NY 10022 Phone: 212-752-8040 |
Radioactive Talent 476 Elmont Road Elmont, NY 11003 Phone: 516-315-1919 |
| Rick Morgan Entertainment 132 Norwalk Avenue Medford, NY 11763 Phone: 516-654-0507 |
Roger Paul Agency 581 Ninth Avenue, Suite 3C New York, NY 10036 Phone: 212-268-0005 |
The Snikkers Agency 1905 Powers Ferry Road, Suite 240 Marietta, GA 30067 Phone: 404-971-9292; 404-935-3633 |
| Spencer-De Francis P.O. Box 5946 Denver, CO 82017 Phone: 303-279-4310 |
Spotlite Enterprises, Ltd. 221 West 57 Street New York, NY 10019 Phone: 212-586-6750 |
Spotlite Enterprises, Ltd. 8665 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 208 Beverly Hills, CA 90211 Phone: 213-657-8004 |
| The Stephen Gingold Agency 245 El Camino Drive Beverly Hills, CA 90212 Phone: 212-557-1021 |
Terry Lichtman Company 12456 Ventura Boulevard Studio City, CA 91604 Phone: 818-761-4804 |
T.H.E. Agency Tracy Hubley Entertainment 125 South Clark Drive, #3 Los Angeles, CA 90048 Phone: 213-550-1125 |
| Treehouse Comedy Productions 354 Connecticut Avenue Norwalk, CT 06854 Phone: 203-855-9910 |
Triad Artists, Inc. 10100 Santa Monica Boulevard, 16 Fl. Los Angeles, CA 90067 Phone: 213-556-2727 |
TSM Artista Management P.O. Box 4129 Louisville, KY 40204 Phone: 502-459-5532 |
| Turner Talent Network 8940 North Malibu Drive Bayside, WI 53217 Phone: 414-351-0060 |
Yvette Bikoff Agency 9255 Sunset Boulevard, Suite 510 Los Angeles, CA 90069 Phone: 213-278-7490 |
The best place to start a comedy career is at your local comedy club. In nearly every city there is a comedy club. Usually these clubs book three acts a week. In most clubs, the opener gets 10-20 minutes; the middle gets 20-30 minutes; and the closer gets 35-60 minutes. Most clubs have at least one night a week for newcomers, and very often the opening act is booked from these slots. After gathering at least 20 minutes of solid material on video, try to make a connection with the booker by phone or by letter before mailing your tape. It is not necessary to have been on television to get booked into a comedy club. But don’t expect a lot to happen, and tapes are not usually returned. Club owners on the average get a hundred calls a day and 60 tapes a week. Avoid performing at the top comedy clubs until you have really developed your act. Producers and directors are always in the audience in the major clubs in Los Angeles and/or New York, and first impressions are lasting. If you are from a small town, stay there until you are ready. Chicago, Denver, Dallas, Philadelphia are good comedy workshop towns where you hone your skills.
A comic who has 60 minutes of jokes that are clean material, and has an act that appeals to college students can earn decent dollars in the college market, even with no television exposure. College bookings are organized by the National Association for Campus Activities (NACA). Each year NACA sponsors 11 regional conventions and one national convention that is held in February. At these conventions, comics showcase 20 minutes of their act before a group of 400 to 2,000 students who are directly responsible for booking you. At the showcase, all performers’ prices are set and made available to the buyers before the convention. In the Exhibit Hall each agency maintains a booth with publicity, prices, and availability of the acts they represent.
The best way to participate in the college market is to submit a 20 minute video of your act to the NACA selection committee through a college agent. This videotape needs to show how good you are, what you can do, and how well you appeal to the college audience, and it needs to do all of this in three minutes, because that is they can be expected to view of each tape.
A comic can choose to be self-represented at a NACA conventions , but would have to contend with the expense involved in maintaining a presence there. Not only do you have the expense of airfare and hotel, but you have the added expense of developing quality promotional materials and maintaining a booth in the Exhibit Hall. According to NACA, acts that have representation have a much better success rate than that of self-represented acts. College agents usually charge 20 percent.
Most college agents will ask you to submit current press materials (8 x 10 glossies, resume, bio, clippings) and a video. The college market is good to approach when you have an hour of clean material that appeals to college students (material on cafeteria food, fraternities, teachers, dorms, etc.). If you do manage to get a gig before you are ready and you don’t deliver, it could mean a bad first impression. Also, know that there is a tremendous amount of travel involved.
Corporate enterprises will hire comics to entertain at their meetings or conventions, but they are known to be careful when making a selection. Most companies do not want to risk hiring anyone too controversial. A comic in this field needs to have 40-60 minutes of material that has good jokes with a broad appeal.
Certain agents book comics exclusively on cruise ships, although many ships prefer to book the comic directly. In order to be considered to work cruise ships, you need to have three different 20 minute sets of clean, non-controversial material. You need to have three different sets because on a ship the audience stays the same. Generally, a comic will only work a few nights a week on a ship. To apply, you send the cruise ship company a videotape with two totally different 25-minute sets.
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Style: Acting in High Comedy |
American Musical Comedy: The Story of the American Musical Stage as Told Through the Careers of Its Foremost Composers and Lyricists |
Acting in Restoration Comedy |
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The Comedy Bible: From Stand-Up to Sitcom--The Comedy Writer's Ultimate How To Guide |
Stand-Up Comedy: The Book by Judy Carter 204 pages; (September 1989) Dell Books; ISBN: 0440502438 |
Step by Step to Stand-Up Comedy by Gregory D. Dean 224 pages; (July 2000) Heinemann Publishing; ISBN: 0325001790 |
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Improv Comedy |
Playing Commedia, A Training Guide to Commedia Techniques by Barry Grantham 256 pages (June 2001) Heinemann Publishing; ISBN: 0325003467 |
Truth in Comedy: The Manual for Improvisation by Charna Halpern 160 pages; (April 1994) Meriwether Publishers; ISBN: 1566080037 |
| Comedy Writing Secrets by Melvin Helitzer 325 pages; (March 1992) F & W Publications; ISBN: 0898795109 |
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Wake Me When It’s Funny: How to Break Into Show Business and Stay There by Garry Marshall 352 pages; (July 1997) W W Norton & Co.; ISBN: 1557042888 |
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Successful Stand-Up Comedy: Advice from a Comedy Writer by Gene Perret 270 pages; (June 1994) Scb Distributors; ISBN: 057369916X |
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Zen and the Art of Stand-Up Comedy by Jay Sankey 216 pages; (June 1998) Routledge; ISBN: 0878300740 |
Click the titles of the above books for their availability, or enter the title of a book not shown in the above listing in the search box below. |
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Most of the big rooms in hotels and casinos are reserved for comedy’s brighest stars. But it does happen that a newcomer opens for a headliner and ends up playing some of the bigger rooms.
At some point in their career, most comics will get at least one opportunity to be looked at by a TV show’s bookers. Naturally, to heighten your chances of landing the gig, you should have acquired a good amount of experience in the field before presenting your material at an audition. Doing your act on television can be a very different experience from the clubs. In most TV studios, the studio audience is far away from you, and sometimes there is no audience at all. In this case a comic needs to know how to relate to a TV camera - possibly leading to training for television acting.
TV’s Star Search is a talent showcase that will book a comic without an agent or union card. If you would like to be considered for Star Search, send in a tape that is over 5 minutes long, but less than 30. They will look at all tapes. Sometimes Star Search will book comics from audio tapes , sight unseen, as well as from auditions across the country, even in small town comedy clubs. They usually will take a club owner’s suggestions.
Casting directors and network casting executives all go to stand-up clubs to discover talent. But just because comics do well in stand-up doesn’t mean that they will know what to do when they walk into a casting director’s office and are handed a script to read. Rule of thumb guidelines that can aid a stand-up comic at a reading include the following:
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Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities (APCA) |
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