Over the years I’ve been near the managers as MCs try to make the show’s announcements funny…they don’t like that. I’ve also been the MC who made this same mistake for years and looking back I want to punch myself. Here’s this week’s lesson: Announcements that the club has you make during the show are not/should not be funny. I was misled by seeing MCs be able to get laughs while I was a doorman at the Columbus Funnybone. The thing is, the manager doesn’t expect you or want you to get laughs during the announcements. They want the announcements delivered correctly and quickly (Who’s there next week, drink specials, tip the servers, etc.)
So why not be funny? It’s hard enough to get laughs from your regular material; trying to improv a joke with an announcement won’t work. You did your time, you got laughs during your set (hopefully), so deliver the announcements correctly if you want to be booked for another MC week. A club manager will be more upset if you mess up an announcement compared to messing up a joke.
One more tip about this: Do not make a crack at the servers when reminding the crowd to tip them. You’ll recall an earlier post about how the booker isn’t the only one to determine your fate.
For other MC advice please read Don’t Wear Shorts on Stage. It’s also available on iTunes, Kindle, or other formats on Smashwords.
And since this week’s post is so short. If you’re in the St. Louis area and want to see me perform. I’ll be at the Westport Funnybone August 7-12 with Bob Biggerstaff.
*One last thing: I’m getting a lot of hits from South Africa and Brazil…Shoot me an email if that’s you.
Don't Wear Shorts on Stage 