Stage Craft
Mic technique, timing, presence
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Become a memberDo 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.
Do you rehearse the first ten seconds after a big laugh?
I think people rehearse the line, but not always the silence after it. If something gets a much bigger laugh than expected, the temptation is either to step on it or stand there looking surprised until the room goes completely flat. Do you practise holding your next line until the laugh has actually peaked, or is that something you can only learn by feeling it onstage? I’m interested in whether anyone marks deliberate breathing/holding points in a set, especially before a line that needs to be heard cleanly.
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?
Do you rehearse what you'll do with the mic stand before the first line?
Tiny thing, but I’ve noticed I can waste the opening seconds of a set doing admin: move the stand, realise it’s in the way, move it again, then finally start. Do you make the mic/stand setup part of rehearsal so your first line can happen cleanly, or is that overthinking something you should just deal with in the room? I’m especially curious whether people who move around a lot put the stand somewhere specific every time.
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.
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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 change pace when the room is listening but not laughing much?
There’s a type of set that isn’t really bombing — people are listening, they’re with you, but the laughs are smaller and further apart than usual. I think the temptation is to speed up because it feels like you need to manufacture momentum, which can make everything worse. When you can tell the room is attentive but quiet, what do you actually adjust: pace, pauses, energy, or nothing until you have a clearer reason?
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?
Do you practise picking the mic up and putting it back, or just the actual set?
Tiny thing, but I’ve noticed the first and last five seconds can make me look much less settled than the middle. Taking the mic out of the stand, moving the stand, then putting everything back while trying to remember my closing line suddenly feels like choreography. Do people actually rehearse the physical start and finish of a set, or does that sort itself out quickly once you’ve done enough gigs?
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?
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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?
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?
Going over your time is not the same as having a strong set
Tiny promoter plea because this comes up constantly: if you’re given five, build a five. Not a six-and-a-half that you’re hoping nobody notices. I’d much rather see someone finish with thirty seconds spare than watch them panic-cut their last bit after the light. What are people actually using to get their set length reliable before a gig?