5 reasons to go out of town for comedy
My first 2 years of comedy, I stayed fairly close to home. I was learning the ropes. Maybe only doing 1 or 2 open mics a month depending on how much I could write. However, after some time, a comic eventually feels the need to break free.
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That’s when they head out of town for shows. My first out of town show was in the beginning of my 3rd year of comedy. It was in Indy. I try to go out of town to where my family lives so that I always have a place to stay.
Since then, I’ve tried to get out of town as much as I can and here’s why:
1. You can tell the same jokes to different crowds. A comic has to continuously tell the same jokes in order to perfect them and make them better. It gets nerve-wracking when you tell the jokes to the same local comedians. I get self-conscious. Going out of the town is the chance to tell your same jokes with new fervor.
2. You don’t have hear the same jokes. Just as you don’t have to tell the same jokes, you don’t have to hear the same jokes. I adore my comedian friends, but sometimes, I just cannot hear your joke for the 16th time. I'm sure most people feel the same way about me.
Jess performing in Lexington in April 2016.
3. It shows ambition. I’ve driven 3 hours to tell jokes for 10 minutes for $25. If that doesn’t show that I am dedicated, then I don’t know what does. I absolutely love the drive to the shows too. I go alone, so I just practice the entire way there.
4. No one knows you. No one in other cities know too much about you. I kind of feel like a different person when I go out of town. You have to make a good impression on those at the club, so you bring your best self. Plus they don’t know about that one time when you did that one thing on stage.
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5. New connections. This might be the best part. You meet new people and make new friends. More importantly, you get more out of town shows. It’s all an ever-expanding circle of comedy life, so you better get on the road if you haven’t.
