I have seen approximately 3 billion comics perform on open mics and shows. Certain topics come up again and again.
Some of these can lead to well-crafted jokes. Others should be retired.
Just be aware that if you do jokes on these topics you need to have a unique angle. These paths are well worn.
Can you get laughs with them? Sure. But if you can have a unique voice, all the better.
I know I look like …
Once when I reviewed video clips from comics, six comics in a row opened with an “I look like” joke.
Granted, this can be funny, if you actually look like a Dollar General version of a famous actor.
But I also hear comics say thing like, “I know I look like I have ADHD.” What does that even look like?
Or, I know I look like I like Star Wars. Unless you’re wearing a Chewbacca costume, no you don’t.
Dating apps
Anyone on the dating apps? Apparently 100% of comics are.
There are a million ways you can go with dating and dating apps jokes. Just be aware that this field is pretty well trampled, so look for a fresh take.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t molested as a kid …
So many jokes by guys who weren’t molested by priests, Jeffrey Epstein or hot teachers.
If have seen comics pull this off and also comics lose the crowd.
Bonnie Blue/porn
One adult actress has sex with a thousand guys in one day and some comics can’t stop talking about it.
Guys who perform on open mics appear to have a lot more expertise in porn than the audience member and might need to dumb down their porn jokes a bit.
I’m not gay but …
If you start jokes like this, we’re immediately searching for you on Grinder, buddy.
CPAP machines
CPAP machines were funny at first, but now everyone is doing jokes about them.
And when you joke about how difficult it is to have sex with them on, we wonder why you don’t consider taking them off for a couple minutes.
I identify as …
We see this punchline coming a mile away, and the they/them has worn off of it.
Hating your kids or spouse
Can’t you just be frustrated by your kids? Why so much hate for your wife?
Maybe talk about why your kids/spouse are such a challenge instead of assuming everyone hates them?
Casual racism
Whit people don’t season food; Asian people can’t drive; Black folks are always late.
Who here likes to get high?
I’m not sure if this is a start of a bit or you just forgot how high you are.
A list of the upcoming comedy shows and open mics in the Louisville area and information to sign up or order tickets. You can also sign up to get on stage yourself.
SIGN UP TO PERFORM
Sign up to perform at Louisville Laughs open mics HERE
Sign up to be considered for Louisville Laughs shows or showcasesHERE
CHECK OUT UPCOMING SHOWS AND OPEN MICS
Wednesday, Aug. 5
7 p.m. — Louisville Laughs presents: Wednesday Open Mic at TEN20 with host Creig Ewing and special guest Sean Turley, TEN20 Craft Brewery. Freetickets. Sign up to perform HERE
To sign up for weekly Wednesday open mics with Louisville Laughs plus other monthly mics, fill out this form
Sundays — The Sunday Sh!t Show, all-entertainment showcase with Uncool Randy, Planet of the Tapes. Message @UncoolRandy on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. Starting Nov. 10, signups will start at 5 p.m. and show at 5:30
Sundays — Comedy Attack! open mic, Kaiju. First Sunday of the month. Show up and sign upstarting at 9:30 p.m.
Mondays — The Planet of the Tapes Monday Mic, Planet of the Tapes. Show starts at 7:30 p.m. To sign up, email planetofthetapesopenmic@gmail.com
A list of the upcoming comedy shows and open mics in the Louisville area and information to sign up or order tickets.
SIGN UP TO PERFORM
Sign up to perform at Louisville Laughs open mics HERE
Sign up to be considered for Louisville Laughs shows or showcasesHERE
CHECK OUT UPCOMING SHOWS AND OPEN MICS
Wednesday, July 29
7 p.m. — Louisville Laughs presents: Wednesday Open Mic at TEN20 with guest host Greg Welsh and special guest Jamie Shade, TEN20 Craft Brewery. Free. Sign up to perform HERE
8 p.m. — Not Tonight Comedy Show open mic, Hereafter Louisville. Free. Signups at 7:30 p.m.
10 p.m. — Stand & Deliver variety open mic, Kaiju. Signups at 9:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 5
7 p.m. — Louisville Laughs presents: Wednesday Open Mic at TEN20 with host Creig Ewing and special guest Sean Turley, TEN20 Craft Brewery. Freetickets. Sign up to perform HERE
5:30 p.m. — The Sunday Sh!t Show, all-entertainment showcase with Uncool Randy, Planet of the Tapes. Signups starting at 5 p.m.
TO SIGN UP FOR OPEN MICS
To sign up for weekly Wednesday open mics with Louisville Laughs plus other monthly mics, fill out this form
Sundays — The Sunday Sh!t Show, all-entertainment showcase with Uncool Randy, Planet of the Tapes. Message @UncoolRandy on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. Starting Nov. 10, signups will start at 5 p.m. and show at 5:30
Sundays — Comedy Attack! open mic, Kaiju. First Sunday of the month. Show up and sign upstarting at 9:30 p.m.
Mondays — The Planet of the Tapes Monday Mic, Planet of the Tapes. Show starts at 7:30 p.m. To sign up, email planetofthetapesopenmic@gmail.com
A list of the upcoming comedy shows and open mics in the Louisville area and information to sign up or order tickets.
SIGN UP TO PERFORM
Sign up to perform at Louisville Laughs open mics HERE
Sign up to be considered for Louisville Laughs shows or showcasesHERE
CHECK OUT UPCOMING SHOWS AND OPEN MICS
Wednesday, July 22
7 p.m. — Louisville Laughs presents: Wednesday Open Mic at TEN20 Clean Comedy Mic with guest host Lena Beamish and special guest Big Jake Hovis, TEN20 Craft Brewery. Freetickets. Sign up to perform HERE
5:30 p.m. — The Sunday Sh!t Show, all-entertainment showcase with Uncool Randy, Planet of the Tapes. Signups starting at 5 p.m.
TO SIGN UP FOR OPEN MICS
To sign up for weekly Wednesday open mics with Louisville Laughs plus other monthly mics, fill out this form
Sundays — The Sunday Sh!t Show, all-entertainment showcase with Uncool Randy, Planet of the Tapes. Message @UncoolRandy on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. Starting Nov. 10, signups will start at 5 p.m. and show at 5:30
Sundays — Comedy Attack! open mic, Kaiju. First Sunday of the month. Show up and sign upstarting at 9:30 p.m.
Mondays — The Planet of the Tapes Monday Mic, Planet of the Tapes. Show starts at 7:30 p.m. To sign up, email planetofthetapesopenmic@gmail.com
A list of the upcoming comedy shows and open mics in the Louisville area and information to sign up or order tickets.
SIGN UP TO PERFORM
Sign up to perform at Louisville Laughs open mics HERE
Sign up to be considered for Louisville Laughs shows or showcasesHERE
CHECK OUT UPCOMING SHOWS AND OPEN MICS
Wednesday, July 15
7 p.m. — Louisville Laughs presents: Wednesday Open Mic at TEN20 with guest host Jazmin Smith and special guest Mista G’Cue, TEN20 Craft Brewery. Freetickets.Sign up to perform HERE
7:30 p.m. — Louisville Laughs presents: Clarksville Comedy Open Mic with guest host Sean Turley and special guest Luke Fitzgerald, TEN20 Clarksville Taproom. Free tickets
To sign up for weekly Wednesday open mics with Louisville Laughs plus other monthly mics, fill out this form
Sundays — The Sunday Sh!t Show, all-entertainment showcase with Uncool Randy, Planet of the Tapes. Message @UncoolRandy on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. Starting Nov. 10, signups will start at 5 p.m. and show at 5:30
Sundays — Comedy Attack! open mic, Kaiju. First Sunday of the month. Show up and sign upstarting at 9:30 p.m.
Mondays — The Planet of the Tapes Monday Mic, Planet of the Tapes. Show starts at 7:30 p.m. To sign up, email planetofthetapesopenmic@gmail.com
Join Louisville Laughs on Sunday, July 19, for a standup comedy showcase.
Comics include Lucious Williams, who just won the Funniest Person In Louisville contest. Plus Mike Nilsson, Donna Watts, Bonita Elery, Lena Beamish, Creig Ewing and host Aimee Jewell.
Come out for a night of laughs, craft beer and delicious food. Use Promo Code SUNDAY19 and save $5 per ticket while they last.
To sign up for weekly Wednesday open mics with Louisville Laughs plus other monthly mics, fill out this form
Sundays — The Sunday Sh!t Show, all-entertainment showcase with Uncool Randy, Planet of the Tapes. Message @UncoolRandy on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. Starting Nov. 10, signups will start at 5 p.m. and show at 5:30
Sundays — Comedy Attack! open mic, Kaiju. First Sunday of the month. Show up and sign upstarting at 9:30 p.m.
Mondays — The Planet of the Tapes Monday Mic, Planet of the Tapes. Show starts at 7:30 p.m. To sign up, email planetofthetapesopenmic@gmail.com
A list of the upcoming comedy shows and open mics in the Louisville area and information to sign up or order tickets.
SIGN UP TO PERFORM
Sign up to perform at Louisville Laughs open mics HERE
Sign up to be considered for Louisville Laughs shows or showcasesHERE
CHECK OUT UPCOMING SHOWS AND OPEN MICS
Wednesday, June 24
7 p.m. — Louisville Laughs presents: Wednesday Open Mic at TEN20 with host Creig Ewing and special guest Danny Hucks, TEN20 Craft Brewery. Freetickets.Sign up to perform HERE
To sign up for weekly Wednesday open mics with Louisville Laughs plus other monthly mics, fill out this form
Sundays — The Sunday Sh!t Show, all-entertainment showcase with Uncool Randy, Planet of the Tapes. Message @UncoolRandy on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. Starting Nov. 10, signups will start at 5 p.m. and show at 5:30
Sundays — Comedy Attack! open mic, Kaiju. First Sunday of the month. Show up and sign upstarting at 9:30 p.m.
Mondays — The Planet of the Tapes Monday Mic, Planet of the Tapes. Show starts at 7:30 p.m. To sign up, email planetofthetapesopenmic@gmail.com
Congratulations! You have a comedy show coming up that you’re on or maybe producing and want to help promote it.
Here are some quick tips to make the most of your social media posts:
Use an image
If you have a flyer, use it to make a post letting people know about the show. I sometimes see people post just a sentence or two of text on Facebook about the show. Nothing else.
If you can’t even bother to slap together a flyer, what makes you think people are going to come to the show?
Include a ticket link
You made a post. You included a flyer and have people’s attention. Include a ticket link in the post or in comments or in linktree or somewhere handy. A QR code on the flyer is nice, but you want to make it as easy as possible for potential audience members to grab tickets.
Promote one show at a time
You may have 4 shows this week at four different venues. Good for you. You can promote them all at once to show off a bit, but you need to promote each separately as well. You give people that many options and they are going to pick none.
When you get to be a headliner touring the country, you can do a post with links to all the cities you’ll be in. For now, take it one at a time.
Don’t just share someone else’s post
If the booker or another comic on the show posts about the show, grab the flyer and create your own posts. Don’t just share or like theirs.
But absolutely do also like theirs. You should engage as much as possible with any post, stories or reels about the show you’re on.
Don’t wait until the day of the show
Ideally, you start promoting a show 2 weeks out or so. Don’t wait until the day of the show to start. People already have plans.
A list of the upcoming comedy shows and open mics in the Louisville area and information to sign up or order tickets.
ENTER TO WINBILL ENGVALL TICKETS
Enter to win a pair of tickets to see Bill Engvall on his “Here’s Your Sign, It Wasn’t My Time” tour on Friday, June 26 at 7:30 at the Louisville Palace. SIGN UP HERE
Sign up to perform at Louisville Laughs open mics HERE
Sign up to be considered for Louisville Laughs shows or showcasesHERE
CHECK OUT UPCOMING SHOWS AND OPEN MICS
Wednesday, June 17
7 p.m. — Louisville Laughs presents: Wednesday Open Mic at TEN20 with host Creig Ewing and special guest Ben Scobee, TEN20 Craft Brewery. Free tickets.Sign up to perform HERE
To sign up for weekly Wednesday open mics with Louisville Laughs plus other monthly mics, fill out this form
Sundays — The Sunday Sh!t Show, all-entertainment showcase with Uncool Randy, Planet of the Tapes. Message @UncoolRandy on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. Starting Nov. 10, signups will start at 5 p.m. and show at 5:30
Sundays — Comedy Attack! open mic, Kaiju. First Sunday of the month. Show up and sign upstarting at 9:30 p.m.
Mondays — The Planet of the Tapes Monday Mic, Planet of the Tapes. Show starts at 7:30 p.m. To sign up, email planetofthetapesopenmic@gmail.com
