Juxtaposing two of the most common questions I receive*: “What do you do for a living?” I stand in front of a roomful of 300 strangers whom Ive never met. For the most part, theyve never met each other and will likely never meet again. Drama is global and comedy is local; this means that what might work in one part of the country (or world) may offend another part. My entertainment field is unique in that the majority of the crowd has no clue the genre they’re about to witness, whereas in music, almost 100% of the audience members know whether it’s a hip-hop or a classical or a jazz concert. Or whether the movie they’re about to see is a drama, romantic comedy, action/adventure, horror, etc. Not true for this. Under the glare of very bright lights and facing the real possibility of hecklers, I not only have to publicly speak, which is widely regarded as people’s #1 fear, but also I have to make them laugh, knowing full well that even if I had to tell them a joke that somebody else wrote, it would be extremely difficult because everybodys sense of humor is different. I only get one shot to do it because its live. And there’s nobody else to blame because I’m the only one out there on the stage - I wrote, edited, produced, and directed it. Oh, and usually the back row contains my peers, whose own tastes often vary widely from those of the audience members’, so ideally I’m finding that very narrow ledge and walking on it. If I fail, Im humiliated on a level that is one hundred times worse than being shot down by a girl at a bar. I may even be recorded and ridiculed on the internet. In this day and age of peoples extreme and irrational sensitivity, my career could end on any given night. “Why were you single for so long? Marriage is scary.
Posted on: Tue, 06 Jan 2015 18:10:13 +0000
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