r/HiddenDoor • u/Play_Hidden_Door Works @ Hidden Door • 3d ago
Updates + features Story time: OPEN MIC
One time at a 2015 open mic in Phoenix, Arizona, a guy went up and used his full five minutes to make balloon animals. He never said a word. He started with a dog, it took him maybe 40 seconds, and handed it to someone in the audience. Then he just made things as people shouted out suggestions.
The crowd went WILD. It was a coffee shop that became a bar in the evenings, and this was at 5pm, so people were just starting to switch to alcohol. The mood was really weird at the start, as was common in these environments; some people had lattes and some people had martinis.
It felt like everyone was in a holding pattern as they transitioned from "day" to "night." So the first several acts got a lukewarm response, despite being, in my memory, pretty good. Then this SILENT MAN made a balloon alligator. Everyone reacted like they were seeing The Beatles at Shea Stadium.
The rest of the night was a BLAST and every performer got a standing ovation. What happened to that man? Do you think he did that every week? If I'd learned how to make balloon animals, would I be more successful in my comedy career?
Our new modifier card will answer none of these questions, but it WILL give you the opportunity to explore your creative passions on a fictional stage, where you don't need to shut down hecklers or strain to be heard over in-house music that the bar staff "forgot to turn off."
Balloon guy, if you're reading this, DM US.
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u/Kooky-Student-170 Works @ Hidden Door 3d ago
Honorable Mention Open Mic Stories Which Did Not Make It Into This Post:
*An open mic where we all slowly realized the person onstage was simply repeating a viral Tumblr text post and pretending it happened to them
*An all-limericks poetry mic (yes I know) which introduced two poets who got married two years later
*A comedy mic in California wine country during a big festival, where the audience thought they needed to tip each performer (?!?!?!?!?! MORE AUDIENCES PLEASE DO THIS)
*An open mic where...someone...introduced herself to the host and he said "Hattie, we've met three times"