Oshawa's Best Kept Comedy Secret!

I participated in an open mic on May 10 (the week following Hamilton's performance) in Oshawa at a place called the Down 'Omer.  I won't lie, when I showed up I had my doubts about this place.  I had just totally bombed at Yuk Yuk's in Hamilton because there were only 10 people in the room.  From the outside, The Down 'Omer looks like it has a 10 person capacity limit.  When I went inside and introduced myself to the guy running the place (Bobby), he said: "Hey! Thanks for showing up!" This made me more nervous.  THEN I didn't even have to have sex with him to get stage time.  This is when I became really suspicious.

I was pretty nervous about getting up on stage again and I thought the night had a real ass kicking to my self-esteem in store.  But it was such an awesome time.  The guy who runs the entertainment here is named Bobby Fraser.  He is such a fun and encouraging guy. The crowd is also great and a lot of fun. The comedy night here is new and it was only on it's second week when I participated the first time. Emcee Russell Roy did a great job of working off of everyone's enthusiasm and pumping up a very fraternal atmosphere.

When I got up I wanted to focus on my stage presence so I used notes. When I have to remember my sets, I feel I have too much to think about to concentrate on stage presence.  When I am performing, I am worried about my speech (being heard, not talking to fast and speaking clearly, etc.), remembering my jokes, trying to read the audience and overcoming nervousness all at once. Having learned from my experience in Hamilton, I really wanted to make it through my set without worrying about a small crowd. I thought with one less thing to worry about (remembering my set), I could focus on other things. I think it worked and while I was onstage I felt free to be a little bit more silly and playful with my material, which always helps sell the jokes.  Looking back at the video, however, I was annoyed with myself for not trying to memorize my set better. Stopping at looking at my list really breaks the flow of my performance. I have done it a few times again since, and I feel more comfortable on stage.  It's time to get back to committing my material to memory though, so I don't look like a dope who can't remember what she's saying.  It's all trial and error. I am just documenting my fascinating mental processes for your benefit.  You're welcome. 

Here's the performance. My boyfriend said I made the room sound bigger than it was, which I took as a very nice compliment.  Feel free to leave your own compliments friends. Self confidence is a lot like cigarettes - I want some most when I don't have any.