Doing comedy, whether it be stand-up, sketch, or improv can be anxiety-inducing. This is especially true if you’re used to doing comedy in one city but then have to move to a different city and start anew. I know this because I did stand-up, sketch, and improv in Philly until I had to move to DC. Anxiety ensued.
I moved to DC in July 2018 from Philadelphia. I first started doing stand-up in college (at an open mic on a dare) and went to mics around Philly for about five years before I started doing sketch comedy at the adventurous Good Good Comedy Theatre. I fell into a comfortable habit of performing mostly in Philly (and NJ or NYC on occasion). It became easy to get booked after getting to know and work with brilliant comics and becoming ingrained in the scene. That is, until I landed a sweet day job in DC and had to move.
I’ve never lived on my own outside of Philly and didn’t really know anyone in the DC scene. Before moving, I dreaded the idea of having to work my way back up in a new scene. But now I do shows in DC and Baltimore practically every week. Over the last few months, I learned how to maneuver cultural differences between Philly and DC, became buds with fun DC comics, and landed sweet gigs in the process. If you’re not new to comedy, but are new to DC (or any other city for that matter), don’t fret—you can easily get yourself back in the game!
5 tips for comics moving to a new city
Here are some tips I’ve learned during the transition over the past year. They’ve worked out for me so far, and hopefully they help you find your comedy footing in a new place.
1. See shows and talk to performers after
Go online, find comedy shows, see those shows, and talk to comics after!
Yeah that’s right, you have to actually socialize with local comedy regulars if you want to make new comedy friends. They need to know who the person behind the funny is before they’re sold on you as a comic they want to work or associate with.
One of my closest DC friends is an incredibly kind and talented performer and producer. She’s had me on a couple of her shows and helped connect me with other showrunners in the city. We met at an open mic in Adams Morgan because I approached her and said, “I’m a comic that’s new to DC, and I couldn’t help but notice you’re the only other woman comic here. Let’s be friends?” Now we are!
Talk to comics about being well-versed in comedy or about how well-ingrained you were in your former scene. Definitely be funny with them! Start by really listening to them and understanding their vibe—then do bits and riff with them. Let the showrunner know that you’re from out of town and an established funny person. If they like your stuff and dig your energy, they may book you on the spot.
Just be wary that some people may be put off by a newbie trying to get on a show they haven’t seen before, especially if it’s a free show. Make sure to enjoy that show a couple times and study how the performers do time there before you hint at getting a spot on it. You want to make sure you’ve gotten a good sense of the type of humor in that room or scene before you try and get your name on the lineup.
2. Go to an actual open mic or jam
I know it can be really hard to get yourself to go to an open mic or improv jam session. I wasn’t really going to any when I first moved because it felt like there’d be more pressure performing in front of audiences and comics I wasn’t already familiar with.
It may be hard, but you eventually have to go to open mics and jams! To get yourself into a new scene, you have to get yourself on a stage, talk about things that the audience can relate to, and meet regular comics coming to those mics. They are the ones who will get to know your spiel and be your support system.
Just make sure it’s a proper open mic. Some of the popular “open mics” in DC are what I’m used to calling “showcases.” In other words, comics are pre-selected and already booked—it’s not a free-for-all mic where anyone can sign up and work on jokes. Make sure the show advertises a physical, first-come-first-serve list and sign-up time. Those are the real deal “open mics” that allow you to work stuff out. If you do well, you might run into someone who can get you on another show. Some of my favorite mics to go to in DC are at The Pinch and Wonderland Ballroom.
3. Take classes or go to workshops
I was nervous about making funny friends in DC. I had a silly, stereotype-fueled fear of being surrounded by fancy people with fancy political jobs who would think I was too “Philly” for them. Philly is an artist’s town functioning almost solely on a gig economy. It makes for lovably quirky broke people and abstract, “out there” comedy that speaks specifically to the wonderfully weird Philly experience.
So how did I acclimate to a new town with new audiences when I felt like my sense of humor might be culturally different? I joined a class with other people new to DC comedy. It doesn’t matter whether it’s sketch or improv or whatever—my advice is to sign up for a comedy class as soon as you move! You’ll be able to find friends you can learn from and be all-out silly with. This was a good way for me to not only learn how to relate to Washingtonians, but also the best way to make myself a close group of supportive funny friends.
The first thing I did when I moved to DC was sign up for an improv Level 1 class, and it was the best decision I’ve ever made. I’m in Washington Improv Theater’s (WIT) Level 4 class right now, and there are six amazing weirdos on my class team that I’m tight with. We’ve stuck with each other since Level 1 and even engage in our own indie practice sessions outside of class. We’ve become a funny hive mind, and man do I love it!
My improv team is so supportive. They come out to a lot of my stand-up shows and have helped me understand what makes Washingtonians chuckle. Learning about the mechanics of a city’s funny-culture is sometimes hard to do at your day job or at random mics, so learn in a class!
4. Join local Facebook comedy groups
It’s almost like every tip on here is trying to tell you that comedy is better when you have comedy friends! If you’re a minority comic, it’s especially great to meet and support comics going through similar experiences navigating the cis-het-white-male-heavy scene with you. I’m part of several Facebook groups for DC women comics and others. Some notable groups include:
- Diversity In DC improv
- Women in Baltimore/DC Comedy
- DC Indie Improv
- DC MD VA NY Stand Up Open Mics And Shows.
Search for them and join them. If you sign up for classes at a theater, they’ll tell you what all their associated Facebook groups are. Join them, too.
Introduce yourself to the group with a post, ask what mics are friendly to your type of jokes, listen to their feedback on ideas you throw out there, help them out with stuff, ask for them to help you out, go to shows together, etc. I now get 90% of my gigs through DC comedy Facebook groups!
5. Chill and have fun
You have to take it easy on yourself! For me, it was frustrating not having the recognition and busy comedy schedule I once had back in Philly. I eventually realized that uprooting my whole life to start all over is inherently no cake walk, and it wasn’t fair to beat myself up over it.
I learned not to take it too personally if I couldn’t get on shows because people didn’t know me. I made sure to engage in self care and take some time to adjust to a whole new place. I made sure to remind myself that, again, none of this was easy and it only got easier when I met and performed in front of more people. I found that I got more positive feedback when I was able to shake off the nerves, keep my material tight, and clearly have fun on stage like a natural.
Don’t forget why you started doing comedy in the first place
Comedy should be fun, and audiences tend to be welcoming toward bright-eyed performers who are new in town. Show ’em what a good time you are and how much fun you’re having in this new city. Then leave the rest to your punchlines. They’ll surely want to see this fun and shiny new person perform again. Now go off and kill it, my pretties!
