A busy week this one: my usual visit to Rudy's Revenge - but with a twist - and my first foray into competition!

Nelson was filling in as compere this Wednesday, so I took the opportunity to experiment a little with my spot and try out a character. I'd written a "sensitivity training seminar" as "Ian from Human Resources". I wasn't sure if the humour would really work, but it went down really well, which was a nice surprise. Even setting up the situation (a corporate getaway) got a laugh, and I got some really good feedback from the other acts.

Doing a character was an interesting departure, and had a different feel to a typical standup set. There was a bit of disconnection with the audience, which I think changed their expectations slightly, and they seemed happier to just watch rather than expecting some kind of interaction. That said, it might not be suitable for every audience, as I learned later in the week.

Friday was my first attempt at a stand up contest, at the 5th heat of the Slapstick Junkie competition. This was an interesting one, as the heat was held in the bar area of a restaurant. Suffice to say, this made for a difficult audience. I was up first, and had no idea how to deal with that kind of crowd, and ended up just running through my material with little deviation. I got a few laughs (mainly from shorter "formula" gags), but my more surreal stuff fell completely flat.

The folks that followed me did somewhat better, mostly by acknowledging the room and engaging with the audience, who, while not being great, weren't as hostile as I worried they might be. The more relaxed I can be about chatting with the audience, the better, so I'm going to have another crack at compering next week for practice.