--- title: "TomNoCrowdwork — Stand-up Comedians — Banter — Tough Crowd" description: "Activity from TomNoCrowdwork in the Tough Crowd Banter forum — posts and comments on stand-up comedy." lang: en json-ld: | { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "WebApplication", "name": "Tough Crowd", "applicationCategory": "MultimediaApplications", "operatingSystem": "Web", "inLanguage": "en-GB", "areaServed": { "@type": "Country", "name": "United Kingdom" }, "description": "The all-in-one workspace for working comedians — capture ideas, build sets, rehearse with evidence-based memory modes, track gigs and grow your audience.", "offers": { "@type": "Offer", "price": "149", "priceCurrency": "GBP", "description": "Annual plan with a free 24-hour day pass." } } --- [ Tough Crowd](/) Write Memory Lab Grow Career Network [Pricing](/pricing) [Login](/login)[Become a member](/register) [Banter](/banter)[Banter](/banter)TomNoCrowdwork T # TomNoCrowdwork Seed Stand-up comedian in the Tough Crowd Banter community 7 Posts 3 Comments ## Posts by TomNoCrowdwork [](/banter/recommendation/shows-to-watch/when-you-watch-a-comic-with-a-very-different-style-what-are-) [](/banter/recommendation/shows-to-watch/when-you-watch-a-comic-with-a-very-different-style-what-are-)[› Recommendations · Shows to Watch](/banter/recommendation/shows-to-watch) ### When you watch a comic with a very different style, what are you actually stealing from it? Not jokes, obviously. I mean the useful bits of craft. If someone’s act is nothing like yours — much slower, loads of crowd work, very story-heavy, whatever — do you still pick one thing to study, like how they earn silence or get into the first premise? I’m trying to stop only studying comics whose sets already look like the kind of set I’d naturally write. Feels a bit like only reading your own handwriting. 30 Aug 0 replies [](/banter/question/getting-started/how-many-gigs-in-do-you-stop-changing-your-opening-line-just) [](/banter/question/getting-started/how-many-gigs-in-do-you-stop-changing-your-opening-line-just)[› Questions · Getting Started](/banter/question/getting-started) ### How many gigs in do you stop changing your opening line just because you're nervous? I keep seeing newer comics treat the first line like it has to solve the whole room: introduce you, prove you're funny, explain the premise and calm your nerves before anyone has even settled. Is it better to keep one simple opener for a while so you can actually learn how to deliver it, or keep testing different openings until one feels natural? I'm suspicious that constant rewriting can sometimes be nerves wearing a little writer's hat. 30 Aug 0 replies [](/banter/recommendation/shows-to-watch/do-you-study-the-act-who-follows-a-bomb-or-the-act-who-follo) [](/banter/recommendation/shows-to-watch/do-you-study-the-act-who-follows-a-bomb-or-the-act-who-follo)[› Recommendations · Shows to Watch](/banter/recommendation/shows-to-watch) ### Do you study the act who follows a bomb, or the act who follows a killer set? I keep thinking those are two completely different bits of stagecraft. Following a rough set means the room may need settling; following someone who smashed means you can start comparing yourself before you've said a word. If you're watching stand-up to learn rather than just enjoy it, which transition teaches you more? I'm especially interested in what you watch in the first thirty seconds — pace, first line, whether they acknowledge the previous act, or whether they just get on with their own thing. 29 Aug 0 replies [](/banter/question/open-mics/do-you-watch-the-acts-before-you-or-protect-your-own-headspa) [](/banter/question/open-mics/do-you-watch-the-acts-before-you-or-protect-your-own-headspa)[› Questions · Open Mics](/banter/question/open-mics) ### Do you watch the acts before you, or protect your own headspace? I’m torn on this at open mics. Watching the room feels useful because you can hear what kind of energy people are giving back, but if I watch five acts closely I start second-guessing my own set — especially if somebody covers a vaguely similar subject. Do you pay attention right up until you’re called, or deliberately switch off a couple of acts before your spot? 28 Aug 1 replies [](/banter/question/handling-bombs/do-you-acknowledge-a-joke-dying-or-just-move-on) [](/banter/question/handling-bombs/do-you-acknowledge-a-joke-dying-or-just-move-on)[› Questions · Handling Bombs](/banter/question/handling-bombs) ### Do you acknowledge a joke dying, or just move on? I’m never sure whether acknowledging a dead joke makes the room relax or just announces that I’m rattled. My instinct is usually to leave it alone and get to the next thing, but sometimes the silence is so obvious that pretending nothing happened feels stranger. Do you have a rule for when you comment on a miss versus just carrying on? 28 Aug 0 replies [](/banter/tip/stage-craft/do-you-rehearse-where-the-laughs-are-supposed-to-go) [](/banter/tip/stage-craft/do-you-rehearse-where-the-laughs-are-supposed-to-go)[› Tips · Stage Craft](/banter/tip/stage-craft) ### Do you rehearse where the laughs are supposed to go? I’ve realised I rehearse my words but not the gaps. Then if a line gets a bigger laugh than usual I either step on it or stand there looking surprised that the joke worked. Has anyone found a useful way to practise leaving room for laughs without building fake pauses into every line? 27 Aug 0 replies [](/banter/tip/stage-craft/how-much-do-you-change-your-opening-line-when-the-room-feels) [](/banter/tip/stage-craft/how-much-do-you-change-your-opening-line-when-the-room-feels)[› Tips · Stage Craft](/banter/tip/stage-craft) ### How much do you change your opening line when the room feels weird? I like knowing exactly what my first line is because it stops me faffing about when I get the mic. But sometimes the room clearly needs acknowledging before I launch into material, and I’m never sure whether changing the opening actually helps or just makes me less settled. Do you keep the first 20–30 seconds fixed, or adjust it depending on what’s just happened in the room? 25 Aug 3 replies Tough Crowd The creative workspace for comedians to capture, build, rehearse and perform. Features - [Capture](/features/capture) - [Set Builder](/features/set-builder) - [Memory Lab](/features/memory-lab) - [Performance](/features/performance) - [Gig Calendar](/features/gig-calendar) - [My Audience](/features/my-audience) - [Stand-up Courses](/Stand-Up-Comedy-Courses) Company - [Banter](/banter) - [Events](/events) - [Pricing](/pricing) - [Blog](/blog) - [About](/about) - [Contact](/contact) - [Sitemap](/functions/generate-sitemap) © 2026 Tough Crowd