Lingo

Comedy, like every other esoteric occupation has its own language. Fortunately for you, that language is based in english! But in discussing comedy I noticed I have slipped in some of this lingo. Now we both know YOU are smart and able to use context clues, but the person next to you... ugh.



Alt Show: comedy where the audience has no pre-set expectations about the crowd, and vice versa. In comedy clubs, there tends to be a certain vibe—alternative comedy explores different types of material. -- Patton Oswalt


Bachelorette Party: The worst most obnoxious group of guests at any comedy venue.

Bomb: bombing can be defined in many ways, but it boils down to not getting the laughs you expected.

Booker: Someone whose job is to book shows, they don't really care who they book, so much as they get a guy to fill a slot.

Bringer Show: Bringer shows are more popular in big cities, and are a terrible burden on beginning comics. The way a bringer show works is you get a slot, and to keep your slot you have to bring a certain number of people to the club/venue. The problem with this model is you only have a finite number of friends/people who will come watch you talk, so doing these types of shows causes you to burn through your friends rather quickly, and sometimes before you were ready to have a lot of people you know see you.

Closer (joke): USUALLY the biggest joke of your act. Guys like Bill Cosby just close on whatever joke, Paul Mooney also does this. One time Carlos Mencia closed a set with a some weird advice piece he probably stole? I don't know, it was weird.

Crowd work: Interacting with the crowd. Some comics see this as taking the easy way out, those comics are dumb and probably terrible, and you probably don't know their names. F*ck those guys.

Emcee: The worst, dumbest slot in a show. And sometimes the first paid slot you can get. The emcee has to set the tone for the crowd, go on cold, and bring up all the comics. It isn't that being an emcee is bad, it's just that people don't see you as a comic just a guy who works at the club and you have to do dumb things sometimes. Basically the emcee is the opener, the most forgettable person on the show. Some guys are great emcees, awesome.

Feature/Middle: The awesome spot in the show, you do 20-30 minutes, you can come to the show kind of late and you can leave early. 

Hack: A comedian who consistently fails to generate original material, and often results to stealing other comics hard work. Also a comedian who's jokes lack any sort of depth.

Headliner:

Open Mic: Anyone can sign up and do time, you have to do these to do showcases.

Set: an allotment of stage time, in minutes.

Showcase: A chance for advancing comedians to show bookers, club owners, or other industry types a tight  set.

Urban show: A show with a mostly black or hispanic audience.