---
title: "Do you rehearse the first ten seconds after a big laugh? | Tough Crowd"
description: "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"
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# Do you rehearse the first ten seconds after a big laugh?

H

[HannahAfterHundredGigs](/banter/Stand-Up-Comedians/HannahAfterHundredGigs) 30 Aug 

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.

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