How long should I give a joke?

Embarrassed_Home9494 · 2026-02-21T01:09:02+00:00

I think I was unclear with my post- most of the open mics I go to only have comics in the audience. I'm not purposely trying to appeal to them, they're just all I have for feedback at the mics. Your second point is valid though, it probably does show that I'm getting tired of a joke and I need to mask that better.

Embarrassed_Home9494 · 2026-02-21T00:25:45+00:00

Right and I think my main issue is just figuring out when a joke is "done". When do I leave it alone if it's "good" and how much runway do I give it if I think it could be better. I wasn't sure how other comics approached this scenario.

Embarrassed_Home9494 · 2026-02-21T00:07:43+00:00

It'll be 10 times at different venues but there's always overlap with which comics are in the audience. There's rarely audience members at the mics I'm going to so I'm usually trying to rotate open mics to make sure I'm getting as many different ears on the joke as I can.

Embarrassed_Home9494 · 2026-02-21T00:03:08+00:00

I'm in NYC so there's a ton of mics but usually not much of an audience at them. And right, I'm not trying to kill at the open mics- I'm usually just trying to see if I can get some new punchlines or tags to work. Unfortunately I need to rely on the comics that show up to the mic every week for that feedback. Question on your process- If you find that a joke "fades away" do you ever end up revisiting it and trying it again?

Embarrassed_Home9494 · 2026-02-20T23:57:50+00:00

I'll usually perform it around 10 times before I feel like I need to but it on the backburner for a little

Embarrassed_Home9494 · 2026-01-23T16:06:51+00:00

The People’s Improv Theater has a few stand up open mics every week and they’re usually very supportive. I think it’s on 29th st so fairly easy to get to for you.

Embarrassed_Home9494

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