Turning up and Advice for Open Spots and
New Acts
All acts should arrive 30 minutes before the scheduled start of the show unless otherwise agreed with the promoter - this is so we can organise a running order, get a good mix of acts, the compere can prepare, and generally
so we can run a good show. We do not run pay-to-play, bringer shows or other scams, so our aim is to put on a good show for the audience, and this means not wanting to pull our hair out worrying about if acts are going to make it. (although we obviously welcome friends of acts if you'd like to bring them along, the more the merrier)
Please allow plenty of time to reach your gig, public transport
is notoriously unreliable, much like the weather. Especially on
Sundays when most public transport providers think everyone stays at
home, and who were experts at this policy long before covid-19.
Also, you did not 'miss the train', you arrived at the station too
late for the train.
If you arrive late we reserve the right to replace you with another act. If you think you are going to be late, call us so we know.
If you cannot perform at a show you have booked email the promoter to cancel as soon as possible (or of it's on the day,
text or phone), don't just not bother turning up. Many open spots seem to do that now and treat turning up as merely optional. Any acts that do not turn up for a show without letting us know will simply not be booked for any future shows.
Full maps and directions for all venues can be found on this website for all venues. We will not respond to acts’ emails requesting directions to venues.
They are not hidden. This information is always available on the venue website,
Google Maps and the Internet in general - and we simply do not have the time to continually repeat this information to every act we book
who thinks this is easier that using Google.
Etiquette when turning up at the venue: When you arrive at the door, the promoter will have been there for at least an hour setting up the room,
maybe longer. They will be expecting a mixture of acts and audience to turn up and they may not remember the names of all acts on that particular bill. Introduce yourself as
“Hello, my name is…..I am one of the acts tonight”. If you stand in the door and just say “hello”, the promoter will assume you are an audience member. If you say
“ I’m on tonight” then you have merely given the Promoter
anywhere between a 5-1 and 30-1 chance of guessing your name.
The chairs and tables at shows are set-out in a particular way for a reason - they have been set out in a particular way, that we think is best for audience views so the audience can enjoy a comedy show. If you have ambitions to become a feng-shui expert, interior design guru, or
want to get a job for Pickford’s removals - please resist the urge to practice this at the venue.
If there are audience members there, the seats are for them. They have paid to watch the show so get the seats first, and it makes the show better for them, us and you if the audience are sitting, watching and enjoying the show. Being a stand-up comic starts before you get on stage. Do not sit in the audience with your friends even before the show starts – you are taking up a seat that an audience member may want – the closer everyone is the better the show.
Stick to the set length that is asked for. If the audience is howling with laughter that's a good time to get off; if there is deafening silence that's an even better time to get off. And carrying on to try get a laugh only makes things worse. There's often a lot of acts on so all you are doing is making the rest of the night difficult for everyone else if you over-run. You will quickly become unpopular if you often over-run and may find it harder to get booked.
When it's your turn to go on stage try to avoid standing at the
furthest point in the room physically possible from the stage. Doing that just means that by the time you have reached the microphone all of the energy that has been built for you by the compere has gone, making it more difficult for you to perform.
Speak into the microphone. It may seem very basic, but many new acts do not get the laughs they should because they are not being heard. Make sure you hold the mic near your face, not too far down away from your mouth. Some acts get nervous and start wrapping the mic cord around their hands, this can damage the cable, and can sometimes pull the lead out of the amplifier.
Neither of which help.
When taking part in a competition it is wise to remember that if you
are not judged to be a winner then in the subjective view of judges
on the night, you were not as funny as some of the other acts. That's competitions. At another show, on another
night it may have gone better, or indeed worse. The judges on the night will be looking for one thing – the funniest performer on the night. Comedy is subjective – some people cannot stand some of the most famous acts on television – it doesn’t mean they are not funny, it just means that style of comedy doesn’t work for certain people. Even if you think you were the best act on the night, that may not be the way others see it.
If you are not booked for a show there is no guarantee you will be able to get a gig on-spec,
but given the points above about open spots not turning up it's always worth a go at the newer act nights, but don't be grumpy if you can't get on.
That all important contact email is
admin@laughinghorse.co.uk, and phone number is 07768 584 881.
If you decide you need to call someone at 3am in the morning, that is not the number to ring