Stand-up Showdown!
This coming Tuesday 24th February I will be one of the eight comics competing in the Comedy Bar’s Stand-Up Showdown – a contest to see who can write and perform the best material on three given topics in less than a week.
The show is hilarious, owing mainly to the banter between the host, Craig Brown, and the judge, Mark Forward. Each comic starts by presenting two minutes on the first topic. Craig asks them how they thought it went and then Mark gives his (often barbed, sometimes harsh, but always funny) comments. The comics that make it through to the next round then do three minutes on the second topic. Only two comics make it to the final round, and they have to do five minutes on the final topic!
I’m writing like a crazy woman – then comes the memorizing. I don’t like to go on with notes – in my first stand-up performance I was determined not to use notes and I haven’t done ever since. My teacher Dawn has them in her back pocket like a security blanket, but never refers to them. I like her style.
I don’t want to give the topics away, but I’ll let you know next week how I got on……in the meantime, if you’re in Toronto, come check it out. It’s only $5 – at the Comedy Bar on Bloor at 8pm. I laughed my ass off the first time I saw it. A great night out.
An update – I realize I never told you how I got on! I actually came second. I was well chuffed that I got to do all my material (all 10 minutes) and since this gig I’ve used two of the three pieces in other performances. The three topics were space, sex in advertising and the death penalty. I’ve worked space and the death penalty into other sets. I can’t wait to do this show again – it was amazing!
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