If your sketch group is lucky enough to be associated with a particular theater, bar, or other performance venue, then you know that performing at your home base is familiar and comfortable.
Sure, you have untested material. Yeah, the backstage microphone might still act up on show night. And, of course, you never know what kind of audience is going to show up.
But you do know that every time you bring a specific character back, the crowd goes wild. And you’ll just yell from backstage if the mic is on the fritz again. And you can definitely count on your three friends who have been to every one of your performances to show up again.
But what happens if you want to take your show on the road, maybe for a festival or just to try out a different venue? How do you deal with the uncertainty that comes with a different stage and a different crowd?
Luckily, Like Butter, a New York-based sketch ensemble, has some experience with taking their show to new locations and has decided to share some tips with the DC sketch scene.
Like Butter’s 7 tips for performing sketch shows in new venues
Like Butter, which regularly performs at The People’s Improv Theater (PIT) in New York, makes its DC debut on Saturday, July 13, at Dojo Comedy. Here are some of the things they’ve learned from performing in various venues outside of The PIT and some of the ways they’ve prepared for their upcoming show.
1. Bring your own fans
Just because you’re performing in a new venue doesn’t mean you have to start your fan base from scratch. Advertise your roadshow to fans at home and see if they’ll travel to support your group.
David Morton, a Like Butter writer, performer, and manager advises you to “bring groupies.” As David points out, “It’s always easier performing a show to a bunch of ButtHeads.” (ButtHeads is, apparently, what Like Butter’s fan base has chosen to call themselves and isn’t a derogatory reference to audience members at large.)
If you know of any former groupies who have moved to the city where you’ll be performing, let them know about your performance ahead of time and ask if they’ll help promote your show locally.
2. Plan to perform sketches you know will work
To take some anxiety out of the uncertainty of performing in a new place, create a set list that includes sketches your group is comfortable performing and that have gotten laughs in the past. Dylan Eshbaugh, a Like Butter head writer and performer, points out that doing familiar sketches means “the rehearsal can be a refresher course rather than a relearning of the sketch.”
Dylan also recommends doing “sketches you know will work regardless of the space,” meaning they don’t rely too heavily on tech, props, or your stage configuration to get laughs.
However, you shouldn’t feel like you have to limit yourself to your “old faithful” sketches when you go on the road. Writer, performer, and manager Sarah Ann Houghton points out that “going on the road gives you a chance to go back to forgotten sketches, sketches that need a second chance, or fan favorites.”
Especially if you think a change of audience could make a difference for one of your sketches, put it on your set list and try it out.
3. Consider your audience
Even if you do your best to pack your away audience with hometown fans, you’ll still probably be facing a crowd who has no idea who you are.
Performing for an audience who’s not familiar with your jokes or your style can be refreshing, but it can also mean that you have to take a second look at your material to consider how your jokes will land.
Head writer Dylan points out that “a lot of comedy is universal, and doesn’t need to be changed for different audiences. However, comedy can come from specificity, and sometimes we’ll reference something in our bubble, like commentary on a local neighborhood or the subway.” Dylan recommends either cutting jokes with too much local flair or “altering them enough so that the joke doesn’t rely on the audience being from the same place as your group.”
Manager Sarah Ann thinks this process is part of “respecting your audience by playing to what they care about or can easily laugh at.” Whether you’re playing on your usual stage or several states away, she adds that “laughs come easier when you’re telling an audience what they already know to be true.”
4. Plan on a low- or no-tech show
Even at your regular venue, tech can be unpredictable. Especially when you add in a new location and the unpredictability of a roadshow, you don’t want to worry about whether your tech will work or not.
Before you hit the road for your show, Sarah Ann recommends “contacting the space and asking about available resources or restrictions.” Once you know what is and isn’t available, tech-wise, she also recommends that you “give the tech booth exactly what they need, exactly how they need it. Clearly label files. Rehearse till you’re super polished, and then show up with the spirit of an improviser.”
However, Dylan points out that even if this new venue has all the bells and whistles you can think of, you should “definitely plan on doing sketches that aren’t tech heavy, just lights up and lights down. Do sketches that mostly rely on dialogue and blocking—things that are in your control.” Overall, he points out that it would be a mistake to “rely on tech cues to make a sketch funny” during your road show.
And in preparation for a worst-case scenario, manager David recommends a simple backup plan: “Bring flashlights.”
5. Take advantage of the chance to gain a new perspective on your show
Since you’re trying out your material in front of a whole new audience, it’s worth it to ask what they thought about your performance. After all, this roadshow will likely be many viewers’ first impression of your group, and it’ll be helpful to know what kind of impression your ensemble makes on new spectators.
Sarah Ann recommends that you “collect feedback from directors, peers, and friends on your team’s strengths and successes on stage. Focus on those to curate a show that is memorable and reflective of your comedic style.”
6. Use your trip as a chance to meet other comics
Getting out on the road isn’t all about how your show goes. Regardless of how your performance went, David points out that you should ” stick around after your show to meet new comics.” After the stress of performing in a new place, meeting local comedians is “a chance to have fun and network.”
Plus, if you liked performing in this new place, you just might meet someone who can help you set up another show.
7. Remember the bigger picture
With its many unknowns and adjustments to new things, taking a show on the road can be really stressful. But Dylan has a reminder that can help put you in the right headspace before and after a show in a new venue:
“You probably want to take your sketch show on the road because you enjoy making people laugh, and you enjoy working with the people on your team. So when you’re planning all the more annoying stuff like where you’re staying, how you’re getting there, who’s in charge of what, remember that it’s all worth it to get to perform in front of a live crowd and hopefully make them laugh.”
Make new fans laugh, wherever you go
Regardless of where you’re performing, if you’ve made people laugh before, you can do it again. Get out there and show off your sketch group’s hilarious talents, whether you’re performing out of state, in the next town over, or at the bar around the corner. Keep Like Butter’s sage and tested advice in mind, and break legs wherever you go!
You can check out whether Like Butter follows their own advice at Dojo on July 13 at their DC sketch show. In the meantime, you can keep up with their shows and antics on Instagram.
