When I started out as a comedian I was hired to perform at a singles event. Bad idea. Nobody was there to listen to a comedian. So they weren't paying attention (and of course no stage or stage lighting, which would've helped a bit).
Afterwards some jerk came up to me and said "You need better material."
I went off on him- I said no, my material is funny. I write jokes for late-night TV. I know what I'm doing. The fact that someone like you would come up to me and say something so rude demonstrates that what I actually needed was a better audience.
Now I know, and have the freedom, to turn down bad gigs. Interestingly last year I was at a singles event (as a participant, not as a comedian) and they'd hired a comedian. With no stage, no stage lighting and No Sound System. She struggled even to be heard.
Someone asked me what I thought. I said this is a terrible environment for comedy, and if she had more experience she'd have known to turn down the gig.
I later found out who it was, and remembered working with her 15 years ago. So unless she'd stopped doing comedy for a while during that interval, she should've known to say no. Or maybe she just really needed the money.
When I started out as a comedian I was hired to perform at a singles event. Bad idea. Nobody was there to listen to a comedian. So they weren't paying attention (and of course no stage or stage lighting, which would've helped a bit).
Afterwards some jerk came up to me and said "You need better material."
I went off on him- I said no, my material is funny. I write jokes for late-night TV. I know what I'm doing. The fact that someone like you would come up to me and say something so rude demonstrates that what I actually needed was a better audience.
Now I know, and have the freedom, to turn down bad gigs. Interestingly last year I was at a singles event (as a participant, not as a comedian) and they'd hired a comedian. With no stage, no stage lighting and No Sound System. She struggled even to be heard.
Someone asked me what I thought. I said this is a terrible environment for comedy, and if she had more experience she'd have known to turn down the gig.
I later found out who it was, and remembered working with her 15 years ago. So unless she'd stopped doing comedy for a while during that interval, she should've known to say no. Or maybe she just really needed the money.
It's hard to say no to paying gigs, I definitely get that.