One of the biggest benefits of taking stand-up comedy classes is the ability to learn from an expert. Comedy teachers know exactly what they should look for within a student’s performances. Learning how to be a comedian can be difficult because it is such a complex field.
Benefits of Stand-Up Comedy Classes
There are always a host of factors that go into any given performance. While people are learning how to be a comedian they’ll be introduced to many of these factors. However, it can takes years to learn each factor one by one. In order to learn a factor you first have to perform stand-up comedy. Once you get your material on stage you’d then have to pick out what’s working and what isn’t. But this isn’t as simple as figuring out which jokes get laughs and which don’t because within each joke there are both pros and cons. A joke might get a laugh but suffer from any number of other ailments that are taking away from the audience’s laughter. So maybe they laugh for 3 seconds, but if a comedian discovered exactly what to look for they’d realize that they can generate 5-6 seconds of laughter from the same punch line. When you’re learning how to be a comedian, taking stand-up comedy classes allows you to benefit from a comedy teacher’s expertise, someone who does know exactly what to look for.
Consistency From Stand-Up Comedy Classes
One of the most important ways your material can take away from a joke is by giving the audience too much information. In my experience leading stand-up comedy classes, this is one of the most common mistakes of new comedians. As you progress through a very long setup the audience increasingly has to sort through more and more information. Eventually, when the comedian hits the punch line, the audience has to sort through so much extra information that it takes them much longer to get to the laugh… if they even get to the laugh at all. Many audience members won’t even bother listening if that person hasn’t learned how to be a comedian that can get to the point quickly.
A comedy teacher will also have a deep understanding of what can add into your set in order to make it more entertaining. Again, this can sometimes take an expert who knows exactly when something is missing and how to fix it.
Why Stand-Up Comedy Classes Can Help You Create a Better Career
Altogether, the advice you get in stand-up comedy classes helps people learning how to be a comedian to produce far more consistent performances. New comedians generally have to take a “shot in the dark” when they are just learning how to be a comedian. As they progress through their career they’ll make finer and finer distinctions.
Online stand-up comedy classes can teach you how to be a comedian from home. By combining video-based stand-up comedy classes and workshops you can get the best of both worlds at CreativeStandUp.com
Jared Volle