Comedy at First Sight

Comedy at First Sight

Everyone loves to laugh; comedians help people feel better. A comedian's job isn't just to make the audience laugh, but to make the audience think. Think about what? Think about the things society does not notice. To be a comedian, someone has to be able to feel the audience, understand the observations on society, and create the opportunity to make people feel better.

After looking up "comedian" in the dictionary, I got four different answers: A professional entertainer who tells jokes or performs various other comic acts; an actor in comedy; a writer in comedy; and a person who tries to be amusing. These definitions of comedy pretty much mean the same thing with one exception, how comedy is portrayed. A funny definition for a comedian is someone that is willing to laugh at himself. A good comedian is humble, and will not try to be funny, but let it flow in naturally. Everyone wants to be funny from time to time, and everyone has a general idea of a funny guy. The point being, a comedian is someone that can turn even the tensest moments into something fun, to make people feel better. There are people who don't think my jokes are funny, that's fine. At least those certain people will ask in a very serious tone, "Are you being funny?" Even though they did not laugh, they still knew it was a joke. Joining the comedian society means out thinking the audience to make them laugh, watching society do stupid things, and making sure the feeling to laugh is there.

Being able to feel the audience can be very tricky because not all crowds are the same. For a comedian, being able to feel the audience is a gift. If you don't have this gift, it will come in time, with plenty of practices and performances. "There is no thrill than the feel of a friendly audience," (Brice 10). Given the time, a comedian will know how the audience feels after the first couple of jokes. If the audience isn't catching the material the comedian is trying to convey, the comedian will know that he or she is doing a bad job.

To feel the audience, a comedian will have to know what the audience wants. Whether the audience wants an act of body language or a simple "did you ever notice…" joke, it will have to be a joke to change the mood. Knowing you have an audience that's tough to crack can be a little unsettling. But have no fear, a simple word of the mouth can change the mood. Going into an act with a tough crowd will easily change once a comedian wins the audience. This will be rewarding and it can change the audience into a friendly environment.

Feeling the audience does not mean getting off stage to know the audience. Knowing the feelings of the people in the audience does not mean asking them if they're sick, heart broken or feeling emotional. Also, feeling the audience is definitely not jumping off stage and touching