Most would envision stand-up as the delivery of set-picked and set-made jokes. It gets even more astonishing when issues between the two participants, namely the artist and his audience, become the most amazing thing that may happen in comic art. Whenever pulled off effectively, crowd work provides a certain spontaneity that would characterize such acts in a position of uniting the two acts of the artists and audience, perhaps way beyond imagination. Quick wit, confidence, and the ability for impromptu witticism are important in engaging an audience. Actually, quick-witted interaction with the audience themselves is a talent that separates good comedians from the great. Here’s how it was done by professional stand-up comedian Kirill Yurovskiy.
The Art of Engaging with the Audience
Great crowd work is all about interaction. To a truly great comedian, the audience is not something separate but rather an active part of the show. That means eye contact, responding to how they’re reacting, and naturally playing off their energy. The lines should all seem natural and unplanned, spontaneous, which the audience can often tell is just going through the motions of what works.
In every case, it’s open-ended questions rather than yes/no prompts that are likely to be successful in getting audiences to participate. Another example of open-mindedness on his part can be: “Tell me the weirdest thing that ever happened to you in this city” instead of the question “You from around here?”-invite a story in, often one quite unexpectedly hilarious, off of which he manages to riff. It also plays off of audience members’ responses in a light. Playful ways ensure that interactions stay light and do not become too confrontational.
Improvisation vs. Prepared Material
The best crowd work is always a balancing act between improv and prepared material. As much as the improvisation allows for real reactions and comedy in that very specific moment, it’s those go-to arsenals of lines or techniques that grease the wheel when interactions do indeed go stale. Most comedians will have pre-prepared responses ready for just about any situation, adapting them pretty fast to suit the context.
For example, a comic will have one or two punchy responses to a heckler in order to let him know what a weird profession or hobby he has. Most of the rest of the real interchange is ad-libbed. The truly great crowd workers will insert their prepared material at times that make the whole performance seem extemporaneous and edgy.
Reading the Room and Adjusting Your Approach
That said, no two crowds are ever the same, and then it becomes one of those aspects where reading a room comes in the other element of a comedian. What perhaps would make them different, in just how the joke came off, will be age, energy level, and cultural background. What hits here in this setting probably is flat somewhere, and that makes adaptation one part of the crowd work process.
It’s always great to sit in the audience before going onto the stage because that really gives insight into the general mood of the crowd-is it energetic, pumped, low-key? Have they enjoyed the comedians before, or is the room tight? That makes quite a difference in how much crowd interactions will pay off.
This in turn would loosen up a cold silent room, and begin opening it up more to less weighted, no-threatening questions or at the least freer. This loud and engaging crowd would then like the comedian so much more, and love him. As a matter of fact, that makes a man stand above an average, mid-good performer in an art: by reading a crowd, and continuously making changes in real-time.
Handling Hecklers and Unexpected Reactions
With live comedy, hecklers are a given; how the comedian reacts toward them may just define his or her command over the stage. To handle the hecklers means to keep the situation in hand without being thrown off from their performance. There are a number of ways through which comedians may deal with hecklers effectively; the best always have a tailor-made approach towards the kind of interruption that is being caused.
This may at times be just a light response towards the heckler without taking the tension further. With a quick-witty one-liner, he silences him, leaving audiences in a state of amazement. In case this persists, though, the laying of some ground rules may become necessary. A confident, authoritative composition signals that the comedian is in charge hence discouraging further interruptions.
Much more telling, though, are unplanned moments from the audience, a very unexpected response to a question. Not problems, opportunities. Playing along with them, making them part of the show, remains among the surest signs of flexibility towards creating a performance for this very audience.
Callback Magic: How to Get the Most From It
Of all the sundry weapons within the comic arsenal for a crowd-working comic, Callbacks are arguably one of the most potent.
Materially, the callback is essentially referring back either to one of the earlier jokes or an earlier audience interaction, and he builds through the set with this dual advantage of semblance for continuity, as well as a means of rewarding the attentive listener–creating this notion or impression that it’s well-connected while, as a matter of fact, so much has actually been improvised.
A comedian might take an audience-suggested reference toward the beginning of a show about some weird job and then work that into a joke toward the latter portion, often giving the impression that the show had been built in that particular fashion all along. Doing this tends to give a sense of cohesion in the show as well, which helps to continue building the image that the night was about a singular performance.
One of the most important things to remember in writing effective callbacks is that it is a very detail-oriented process and it requires a good memory. A good comedian listens to the interactions of an audience and makes a mental note of those moments that are usable later on. In fact, the best callbacks are those that are unexpected yet perfectly timed for maximum comedic payoff.
Elevating Your Stand-Up Performance
The great crowd work happens between the entertainer and the audience. Pulled off, the comedy show becomes singular, electric, and impossible to forget. To the comic who would seek to further sharpen his or her craft, embracing crowd work will become necessary in creating impactful, engaging, and entertaining shows.
