Okay I’m a total noob to this world so sorry if this is a dumb question. okay, how often should a comedian use new material? I know if you are on the road you can do the same thing every night, but what if you are hitting the same clubs ever 2 weeks or so? can you use the same stuff or is that lame? Should every set incorporate new material?

I just did an open mic about a week ago and I wanted to try out some new material, about 85% worth of new material.  I rehearsed for about a 4 days and thought I was ready.  I got to the club and found myself, before I went on, going through my set in my head….bad idea.  I went up and got crickets for the most part.  Two things I learned, 1) I was just going through the motions with the new material, resiting it if you will and not performing it.  2)  Start off with your strong jokes or sets and squeeze about 1 to 2 new jokes within the set, that way if the new ones don’t get any laughs you know you might have to edit them in some way.  The analogy is the old material is the safety net, something you KNOW will work to get the audience back.  That way you should finish somewhat strong as apposed to completely bombing.

jaketheripper - 27 September 2010 07:47 PM

Okay I’m a total noob to this world so sorry if this is a dumb question. okay, how often should a comedian use new material? I know if you are on the road you can do the same thing every night, but what if you are hitting the same clubs ever 2 weeks or so? can you use the same stuff or is that lame? Should every set incorporate new material?

I think this is really a question of first how good the joke is, whether or not it’s the same crowd, and possibly the comedians before you….. Sometime people will write a similar joke to yours and so it’s always good to have a back up joke just in case they do it better than you do.

The reality is…. If you are not constantly writing new stuff all the time, you will get eaten alive eventually. I carry a note pad with me and write down shit I think is funny. Writing is an art form and you get better the more you do it.

Not that you should be listening to me, if I was any good do you think I would be posting here?

I agree with both posts there.  I don’t think there’s a definite number of new jokes you use each time.  But as you write new stuff, lose the weaker parts your act and put the new ones in.  Also keep in mind that a bit might not hit the first time because of the audience makeup or just the way you sold it.  For me, if a new joke doesn’t work three times, it’s out. 

The idea of surrounding the new material with proven stuff is very good.  Gives you a benchmark to judge the new joke against.

Basically, in every set, do what you feel is your best material.

It is all in the audience.  You might not get the same audience twice, even if the venue is the same.  So get your feel of the audience first, before you start.  Try making a joke about yourself first, if they find it funny, you’ve already won.  Even if it is the same joke as the last time you opened with.  Working a tough audience is a nerve wrecker.  Yes, use old material, material you are comfortable with, stay away from sensitive material if you want to avoid looking like a fool.

I like Richard H.‘s idea of carrying a note pad and scribbling down funny ideas.  It is true that you have to evolve all the time, that means writing new jokes or updating or revamping old ones.  LOL, and dude, you might be funnier than you think!

I found the following site helpful, give it a try:

http://www.samsproductsandservices.com/killerstandup.html

I’ve talked about this with headliners that know a LOT more about comedy than I do, and the consensus seems to be that, no matter where you are and/or what the situation is, avoid doing more than 30% new stuff.

You’re able to get comfortable with the crowd by using your tried-and-true stuff, and (more importantly), you’re able to get a read on what they like: you know how previous crowds have reacted to your tried-and-true, so when you bring up your new stuff you have a good gauge for what kind of crowd it is.

For example, if your set is all new, really blue (dirty) stuff and you bomb, you might assume the material is bad, when in fact the audience just doesn’t like blue material.

Or, if your usual stuff is about topic A, and your new stuff is about topic B, the crowd reacts differently to both topics. One isn’t funnier than the other, certain crowds just like one better than the other. You won’t know that if you’re doing all old or all new stuff. Its good to get a balance.

So…for every 10 minutes, only 3 should ever be new, even if its only a mess-around room that you don’t care about.