But, being a stand-up comic and comedian is a lot different than making a joke and waiting for your friends to laugh. With comedy, you need to be conscious about the audience, learn about stage presence, and write jokes that have a universal appeal.
Yes, being a comedian can be tough, but it is also rewarding. Here is some advice on what you need to know to become a comedian.
Develop your Persona. Think about all the popular comedians out there. Each successful comedian has something really distinctive about them. Chris Rock. Dave Chapelle. Adam Sandler. Dennis Miller. When you hear these names, you can automatically picture what they are, what they say, and exactly why they make you laugh.
It is worth your while to do the same. As a beginner, it may take a few tries to find your signature persona. Test it in front of an audience. Ask for critiques wherever possible. Refine and tweak your stage presence until you're happy with the results.
Different kinds of comedy. Understand that there are several different kinds of comedy. Knowing what they are will help you train accordingly. Do you prefer improve comedy, standup, or would you rather act in a comedy movie or a sitcom? There are plenty of other options, too. Once you understand what type of comedy you would like to do, you can set goals and create a plan that will help you achieve success.
Attend comedy classes. As you will soon learn, standup or any other types of comedy don't come naturally. Sure, you can have the raw talent, the knack for timing, etc. But, you also need assistance understanding the different forms of comedy and how to best use them to your advantage.
When you take a comedy class, you can learn all of these things and get some help from a master comedian. In addition to enjoying a shortened learning curve, you will also have the opportunity to interact with fellow comedians and get feedback.
Practice makes perfect. Write and practice routines in front of people you know. Attend standup amateur nights. Basically, get as much experience as possible so you can get comfortable in front of people. Practice in front of the mirror. Time yourself so you can know how long your routines are. Change and adjust your jokes until you are happy with them. After you do all this, you are ready to start performing in front of people for money.
Enter contests. Entering contests is another great way to get exposure and practice your routines in front of people. No matter if you prefer standup or improve or something else, there are comedy contests for it. You can also enter amateur nights. Some of these may also have a prize. The benefit to these is that professionals may be lurking in the audience looking to spot new talent.
Elaborate stunts and illusions. Beautiful assistants. A crew of well trained exotic animals. You are intrigued by the magician’s life and have decided to give it a shot. Well, don’t be fooled by the magicians you see on T.V. There is more to the profession than that, and you need to learn it from all different perspectives in order to be a true success.
In addition to stunts and illusions, you need to understand the basics. Palming techniques. Small tricks. Not all of your shows will require you to use your big tricks. A true magician knows a combination of both, and knows them all well.
Here is what you need to know to become a magician.
Learn the Basics. Learning the basic techniques is very important. Simple card tricks, coin tricks, and small tricks with props like ropes and hats are good to learn. You can learn from a book, take a class, or learn from a DVD or instruction online. The methods you choose will depend largely on your learning style. Keep in mind that it can be very helpful to have an expert show you how to do it and critique your technique.
Get a Mentor. In your road to becoming a magician, getting a mentor can be a tremendous help. A mentor will not only teach you how to perform tricks and illusions, but will also assist you on the business side of being a magician. Most are self employed and are responsible for booking their own engagements. It can be a big help to also learn things such as marketing, etc from your mentor.
Go to School. Yes, there are magic schools. Some are part of clown school. Others are designed as enrichment programs in middle school and high schools. Attending a school that focuses completely on magic can help you learn quickly and put you on a schedule for success.
What Kind of Magician? What kind of magician do you want to be? Each successful magician out there has some kind of niche. Do you want to be a clown/magician? Would you like to do elaborate stunts? Or maybe you want to focus entirely on card tricks. It’s up to you. Once you define exactly how you envision your future career, you can take the steps necessary to achieve it.
Your Tricks. Each performing magician has not only a broad knowledge of their field, they also have a select amount of tricks that they master. Granted, depending on the performance, you will want to vary your lineup. However, if you have a few tricks you can depend on, it will make your job a lot easier.
Stage presence. Being a technical magician won’t get you far. You need to develop a stage presence. Each trick and illusion you learn needs to have a routine attached to it that will captivate the audience. You can be a mediocre magician and still entertain the crowd with your jokes and anecdotes. What truly matters is that your audience has a good time.
Both David Fishman & Bill Carmel are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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