Handcuffed Learning
My career path into stand-up comedy was different than most. Before I set foot on stage as a stand-up comedian I was working as a “corporate comedy magician”. The word “corporate” in that job description is limiting. I (quite obviously) can’t curse during a corporate show and I can’t talk about a wide variety of topics that would potentially make audience members uncomfortable. The word “magician” in that job description is also limiting. Everything that I do on stage during a “magic show” must involve magic (I know: duh!). Moving from this world into stand-up comedy opened up an incredible amount of “resources” to me by removing those limitations.
Stand-up comics in comedy clubs can curse and talk about whatever they choose. No topic is taboo. No word is too “dirty” for a stand-up comic. (Again: this is all within the most common settings of stand-up comedy, not during a corporate show.) Luckily I had a leg up on the other new comedians: I knew how to handle limited “resources” with great success.
Working within the limitations of a corporate show while still having to be funny and entertaining gave me a good understanding of the basics of “show business”. (Or at least my small corner of the industry.) Since I wasn’t wasting a bunch of time trying to decide from a seemingly endless list of topics (because they had to be magic-related) or trying to figure out the most shocking swear word, I was investing my time learning about things like stage presence, timing, and structure. (Even though I probably didn’t know at the time that these things were what I was learning about.) It was these fundamental skills that were instantly scalable once my show’s “resources” were increased. Learning how to perform with these limitations in place cut down my learning curve in stand-up comedy substantially and (to this day) makes me a more versatile performer.
I’ve been thinking about how fortunate this method of entry into stand-up comedy was recently because I have been watching a new group of amateur comics take to the stage for their first times. None of them (to my knowledge) have the performance background that I was lucky enough to have so the sheer volume of information and skills that they have to learn must be intimidating. This fear (for lack of a better word) often leads to the most basic mistakes that amateur comedians and performers make.
In a recent post on Seth Godin’s blog he talks about riding his bike and how he learns on the uphill sections (the difficult parts) not on the downhill sections of his rides. He applies this to a business lesson but the same can be true of learning to perform: it’s during your most difficult shows that you learn the most. Just as a baseball player weights his bat for practice swings; putting challenges, obstacles, or conditions in the way of your learning can often lead to not only faster results but a better end product. In the case of entertaining, these limitations can help you to more quickly learn the basics (fundamentals like pacing, delivery, etc.) that are necessary when appearing on stage.
So, how you can handcuff your own learning today?
————————————————-
On a personal note: Congratulations to my dear friend, Shawn Farquhar! I found out on Friday morning that he has been awarded the most prestigious competition trophy in magic: the Grand Prix in Close-Up Magic at FISM. I was rooting for him all last week and can think of no performer more deserving. Congrats, Shawn. I’m looking forward to hearing the “story” in September!
