14 Problems Only Comedians Will Understand
The funny man's burden.
14. Open Spots Are Often Set Up To Fail
Open spots are slots at a gig that are handed out regardless of experience. They're the first step on the road to becoming a comedian. They are _harrowing_ experiences. More often that not, these gigs are presented in the form of open spot nights, an entire night of amateur comedy.
Sounds fun, right?
Well, truth be told they're often not, no, but a lot of the time, comics get hurt when promoters try and explain away this fact to an audience. A lot open spot organisers will try and 'adjust the audience's expectations'. I have performed at too many of these nights were the MC will come out and say "look, a lot of these guys are gonna be sh*t, but let's get through it together." Thanks, mate. Die in a fire.
Even a host that pleads for compassion and an audience's charity will end up belittling the comics. Stop switching off the crowd before we can even get to the mic!