Tips for a successful night of comedy.
Although I have seen parties as small as 6 people hire a comedian and they had the time of their lives, generally speaking, you need at least 50 guests attending your function. This is for two reasons. First, laughter is contagious and it is best to have an epidemic. People love to laugh, but they don’t want to be the only one, so the more the merrier. Second is to justify the expense. A stand up comic can add a lot towards the success of a function, but keep in mind these are very talented people doing a very tough job. Most people would rather die than stand in front of a group of people and talk. Comics not only have to do that, but the have to make everybody laugh as well. For this reason, and many others, comics aren’t cheap, but again, if you have the budget, they are WELL worth it.
You need a decent sound system, and a microphone with mike stand. Avoid podiums at all costs. Podiums work for speeches and award ceremonies, but not for comedy. Comics need to move around and be seen.
You need a stage. Again, it is important for a comic to be seen. It does not need to be dramatic, but they do need to be raised up somewhat. Most hotels and banquet centers have these items.
You need decent lighting. Think Movie Theater, not sports arena. The audience should be darkened and the comic should be visible. Put the comedian in a part of the room where the lights can be turned up, and the audience where they can be dimmed. A spotlight is also helpful, but not life or death.
Again these are not hard set rules, but at least have them in mind and you will make the comic's job a lot easier and your group is sure to have an awesome time.
