Do you practise your first line with the applause still happening?

I think there’s a weird difference between rehearsing an opener in a quiet room and actually starting while people are still clapping from the intro. Do you practise walking to the mic, getting settled and waiting for the room before you say the first line? Or deliberately learn to start over a bit of noise if the opener can survive it? I’m increasingly convinced the first ten seconds need their own rehearsal rather than just being the bit before the set starts.

When you’re MCing, how much time do you leave between acts?

I’m interested in the tiny reset between one act finishing and the next one starting. If the room’s already warm, do you basically thank them, give the next intro and keep the momentum moving, or do you still want a short beat of your own so it doesn’t feel like a conveyor belt? I can see the danger both ways: too much MC between every act and you’re constantly restarting the show; too little and the handovers can feel rushed. What tells you the room needs thirty seconds from you rather than three minutes?

When you get the light early, what do you cut first?

I’ve been thinking about this from both sides of the mic. If you’re expecting ten and suddenly get the light with two minutes left but you’ve clearly got more than two minutes of set, what’s your safest move? Jump straight to a closer you know the length of, cut a whole bit rather than trying to shave every setup, or keep going but accelerate? My instinct is that rushing three bits is worse than calmly dropping one, but I’m interested in how people build a set that can lose time without looking like it has.

How much should an MC explain before bringing on a newer act?

I’m never sure where useful context ends and accidentally making the act sound like they need protecting begins. If someone’s newer, is it better to give them exactly the same clean intro you’d give anyone else, or can a little extra warmth help the handover? I’m leaning towards keeping experience level out of it completely unless the act has specifically asked for something. Curious how other MCs handle it.

Do you have a plan for getting the room back after an interval?

I’m finding the restart after an interval can be stranger than opening the show. People are still coming back from the bar, conversations are half-finished, and the first act is waiting while you try to get everyone looking the same way again. If you MC, do you usually have a short reliable bit for that restart, or just read the room and get the next act on as soon as they’re listening?

How much material should an MC actually do between acts?

I’m doing more MC spots and I keep noticing the same temptation: if a bit works in the opening, I want to keep doing material every time I come back on. But I’m not sure that’s always helping the room or the next act. How do people judge when to do a proper bit between acts versus just reset the room, say what needs saying and bring the next comic on?