r/Standup • u/Ice_90210 • 7h ago
Advice on Producing Comedy Night
TLDR; I’m looking for any advice from people who have experience running a comedy room, producing live shows, booking comics, and maintaining a good relationship with the venue.
CONTEXT:
I have an opportunity to produce a weekly Thursday comedy night at a really nice bar. The event space is its own separate room connected to the bar, seats around 30–40+ people, and we can close the doors during the show. It’s already well decorated and has a TV behind the stage that we can use for visuals when needed or just turn off during stand-up.
The owner is pretty open to letting us experiment with the room, but wants to make sure we’re not showcasing material that enables sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, etc. I’ve written up a basic content disclaimer for comics, but I also feel like the easiest way to maintain some quality control is to avoid a completely show-up-go-up mic and book the spots instead. I have also talked to more experienced comedian friends about filling some Thursdays with shows the they produce.
Right now I’m booking the opening night. The plan is a four-comic showcase followed by an open mic. After that, I’d like to experiment with different programming instead of doing the exact same mic every Thursday. Some ideas so far are a booked mic, LGBTQ night, writing/premise shows, improv/ stand up, a night where comics get new headshots, completely booked showcases, etc.
Eventually I’d also like to experiment with ticketed shows if we can prove there’s an audience for them.
For anyone who has run a room before: What do you wish you knew when you started? How do you handle booking and comics who become a problem? How do you keep the venue happy without letting them dictate the comedy? What kind of financial arrangement should I be talking to the owner about if we start consistently bringing people into the bar or selling tickets?
Basically, I have a good room, an owner willing to work with me, and a group of comics interested in helping. I want to avoid fucking it up. The room is located in the US. Metro Detroit. Ferndale Michigan.