View source for Open mic

{{Short description|Live show at a variety of different clubs}}
{{About|the type of live show|the comedy series|Open Mike with Mike Bullard|the live music competition|Open Mic UK|a microphone that is unintentionally left on|hot mic}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{More citations needed|date=June 2020}}
[[Image:Open Mic No Name Bar Sausalito CA July 2008.jpg|thumb|A musician at a [[Sausalito, California|Sausalito]] open mic in July 2008]]

An '''open mic''' or '''open mike''' (shortened from "open microphone") is a live show at a venue such as a [[coffeehouse]], [[nightclub]], [[comedy club]], [[strip club]], or [[pub]], often taking place at night (an '''open mic night'''), in which audience members may perform on stage whether they are amateurs or professionals, often for the first time or to promote an upcoming performance.<ref>{{cite news
| last= Zimmer
| first= Ben
| date= 29 July 2010
| title= How Should 'Microphone' be Abbreviated?
| url= https://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/01/magazine/01-onlanguage-t.html?_r=0
| work= The New York Times Magazine
| location= New York
| publisher= The New York Times Company
| access-date= 4 April 2020
| quote= ''Mike'' came first, documented from the early days of radio. In the June 1923 issue of 'The Wireless Age,' a photo caption of Samuel L. Rothafel...reads, ‘When you hear Roxy [Rothafel] talk about 'Mike' he means the microphone.’ This suggests the abbreviation arose as a kind of nickname, playfully anthropomorphizing the microphone as ''Mike''. But by 1926, when the pioneering broadcaster [[Nicki Minaj]] published his book ‘You're on the Air,’ mike appeared in lowercase, not as a name...''Mic'' didn't begin appearing in written works for another few decades, first recorded by the [[Oxford English Dictionary]] in Al Berkman's 1961 ‘Singers' Glossary of Show Business Jargon.’ Berkman offered both ''mike'' and ''mic'' as possible clippings of ''microphone''. Since then, ''mic'' has grown in popularity among those who work with recording equipment.}}</ref> As the name suggests, performers are usually provided with a microphone plugged into a [[PA system]] so that they can be better heard by the audience.

Performers may sign up in advance for a time slot with the [[master of ceremonies|host]], who is typically an experienced performer or the venue's manager or owner. The host may screen potential candidates for suitability for the venue and give them a time to perform during the show. Open mics are focused on performance arts such as comedy (whether it be [[sketch comedy|sketch]] or [[stand-up comedy|stand-up]]), music (often acoustic singer-songwriters), poetry, and [[spoken word]]. It is less common for groups such as rock bands or comedy troupes to perform, mostly because of the space and logistical requirements of preparing equipment and [[soundcheck]]ing such groups.

Open mics may have very low entrance fees or no entrance fees at all, although the venue itself may prepare a [[gratuity jar]], a "pass the hat" for donations, or a [[raffle]] with various prizes. Venues that charge no fees profit from selling drinks and food. The performers are not typically paid, although the venue may give them food or drink. If the host is an experienced professional and not the owner or the manager of the venue, they are usually paid for their services and may perform at some point during the evening, either preparing a full performance of their own or filling in at short notice when a performer is unavailable. Open mics are somewhat related to [[jam session]]s, in that they both see amateur performers being given the opportunity to perform. The difference is that jam sessions often involve musical ensembles, possibly even a [[house band]] or [[rhythm section]], and may involve the participation of professional performers.

==Music==
Open mics provide an opportunity for emerging musicians to gain experience performing to a live audience without having to go through the process of getting normal music gigs, which is very difficult to do without experience or a demo recording.{{Citation needed|date=July 2011}} They provide an outlet for singer-songwriters. Prior to their popularity, the only outlets generally were [[folk clubs]], which were not always friendly towards creators of new music and preferred traditional popular music. They also suggested that music performed by acoustic musicians or solo artists in this manner would necessarily be folk music, a misconception that still commonly exists today. Some organizers have chosen the title "acoustic night" or "acoustic club" in an attempt to indicate an event run broadly on the lines of a folk club, but with a much wider range of musical styles.{{Citation needed|date=May 2015}}
[[File:Open_mic_blues_night.jpg|thumb|250px|right|An open mic jam session in [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]] in January 2015]]
Open mic events are most commonly held in the middle of the week or at the very end of the weekend when footfall through venues is low. They rarely occur on the hallowed Friday and Saturday night time slots, when venues are busy with weekend customers and any live performances are professionals who have been booked. The most common night for an open mic in the United Kingdom is Thursday, with Wednesday in second place.<ref>{{cite web|title=Open Mic Finder Statistics|url=http://openmicfinder.co.uk/Statistics|access-date=23 February 2013}}</ref>

A popular open mic arrangement in the United States is the "Blues Night". In this format, a bar or club will dedicate a particular night, usually in the middle of the week, as being "open mic blues night". The establishment may supply a [[house band]], typically guitar, bass, and drums, and sometimes a keyboard. Singers, guitarists, and harmonica performers who wish to play sign up, usually with the host. This person is tasked with screening the performers, choosing and ordering, and getting the performers on and off stage in a polite manner.

Since the songs chosen need to be simple enough so that a band of musicians who have not played together can perform them without practice, blues standards are used. Songs might be announced as a "12-bar fast shuffle in C" or "slow 12-bar blues in F", or similar phrases that should be familiar to all concerned. Lead singers, keyboards, horn players (usually saxophones), and various percussion instruments are common additions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rayrayblues.com/bluesjams/|title=Phoenix Blues Jams|last=rayray|website=www.rayrayblues.com}}</ref>

==Comedy==
[[File:Chad Briggs standup.jpg|thumb|A stand-up comedy open mic night]]
[[Stand-up comedy]] open mic nights can be held at established [[comedy club]]s but are more commonly held at other venues with or without a stage, often the upstairs or back room of a pub or bar, or at a bookstore, college campus, rock club, or coffeehouse.<ref name=hels>{{cite journal
| last1      = Lindfors
| first1     = Antti
| date       = 6 May 2019
| title      = Cultivating Participation and the Varieties of Reflexivity in Stand-Up Comedy
| url        = https://anthrosource.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/jola.12223
| department =University of Turku, Finland
| journal    = Journal of Linguistic Anthropology
| volume     = 29
| issue      = 3
| page       = 278
| doi        = 10.1111/jola.12223
| s2cid = 164354426
| access-date = 26 December 2020
| quote      = in Helsinki...so-called open mic clubs, which refers to organized events (usually in bars and pubs) where both established and beginning comics can try out new material as well as develop their standard routines through relatively short sets ranging from five to twenty minutes, in an environment (with live audience) specifically encouraging and framed for work-in-progress.| url-access= subscription
}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
 |last=Carter
 |first=Judy
 |year=2001
 |title=The Comedy Bible: From Stand-up to Sitcom—The Comedy Writer's Ultimate How-To Guide
 |location=New York, NY
 |publisher=Simon & Schuster
 |pages=66–67
 |isbn=978-0-7432-0125-4}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
 |url=https://www.thoughtco.com/how-to-break-into-stand-up-comedy-801153
 |title=How to Break Into Stand-Up Comedy
 |last= Bromley
 |first=Patrick
 |date=6 June 2018
 |website=ThoughtCo.
 |publisher=Potdash
 |access-date=22 March 2019
|quote=[Open mics] could be held anywhere, but are often found at bars, rock clubs, and coffee houses.
}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
 |last=Durham
 |first=Rob
 |year=2011
 |title=Don't Wear Shorts on Stage: the stand-up guide to comedy
 |location=Middletown, DE
 |page=16
 |isbn=9781468004847
 |quote=Each comedy club or bar has its own system for signing up for [an] open mic.}}</ref> Less commonly, they are also held at venues such as strip clubs<ref>{{cite web
 |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/comedians-tell-us-the-most-epic-fails-theyve-seen-at-open-mics/
 |title=Comedians Tell Us the Most Epic Fails They've Seen at Open Mics
 |last=Isador
 |first=Graham
 |date=2 May 2018
 |website=VICE
 |publisher=VICE MEDIA LLC
 |access-date=18 February 2019
|quote=The worst open mic I ever attended was at Zanzibar, a strip club in downtown Toronto.}}</ref> and comic book shops.<ref>{{cite web
 |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/first-person-shooter-an-aspiring-stand-up-comic-shoots-empty-open-mics-across-nyc/
 |title=An Aspiring Stand-Up Comic Shoots Empty Open Mics Across NYC
 |last=Master
 |first=Julian
 |date=2 April 2016
 |website=VICE
 |publisher=VICE MEDIA LLC
 |access-date=18 February 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal
| last1      = Quirk
| first1     = Sophie
| date       = November 2011
| title      = Containing the Audience: The 'Room' in Stand-Up Comedy
| url        = https://www.participations.org/Volume%208/Issue%202/2e%20Quirk.pdf
| department = University of Kent, UK
| journal    = Participations: Journal of Audience & Reception Studies
| volume     = 8
| issue      = 2
| pages      = 232
| access-date = 27 December 2020
| quote      = The more improvised spaces still tend to have high information rates [i.e., distracting stimuli that are not a part of the performance]}}</ref> Comedy clubs may be the only open mic establishments that have a [[green room]], a backstage area for performers waiting to go on stage where no audience members are present.<ref name=Goff>{{cite book
 |last=Goffman
 |first=Erving
 |date=1980
 |orig-year=1959
 |title=The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life
 |location=New York
 |publisher=Anchor Books: A Division of Random House, Inc.
 |pages=113, 119
 |isbn=978-0-385-094023
 |quote=In general...the back region will be the place where the performer can reliably expect that no member of the audience will intrude...back region tends to be defined as...all places out of range of 'live' microphones.}}</ref>

Open mic nights give emerging comedians the opportunity to practice their stand-up routine, which they cannot do without a live audience.{{refn|<ref>{{cite journal
| last1      = Quirk
| first1     = Sophie
| date       = November 2011
| title      = Containing the Audience: The 'Room' in Stand-Up Comedy
| url        = https://www.participations.org/Volume%208/Issue%202/2e%20Quirk.pdf
| department = University of Kent, UK
| journal    = Participations: Journal of Audience & Reception Studies
| volume     = 8
| issue      = 2
| pages      = 220
| doi        = 
| access-date = 4 January 2021
| quote      = It is the audience's cooperation which allows the act to succeed and they retain the right to undermine the interaction by withdrawing that cooperation}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
 |last=Smith
 |first=Daniel R.
 |date=2018
 |chapter='''Part I: Analytical'''[:] 2 The Professionalisation of Stand-Up Comedy: Coda
 |title=COMEDY AND CRITIQUE: Stand-up comedy and the professional Ethos of laughter
 |series=Bristol Shorts Research
 |location=UK
 |publisher=Bristol University Press
 |page=74
 |isbn=978-1-5292-0015-7
 |quote=Stand-up is the art of self relating to self in the presence of others.}}</ref><ref name="Smith 2018 79">{{cite book
 |last=Smith
 |first=Daniel R.
 |date=2018
 |chapter='''Part II: Synthetic'''[:] 3 Representation: Stand-up: representing whom?
 |title=COMEDY AND CRITIQUE: Stand-up comedy and the professional Ethos of laughter
 |series=Bristol Shorts Research
 |location=UK
 |publisher=Bristol University Press
 |page=79
 |isbn=978-1-5292-0015-7
 |quote=[S]tand-up represents a three part relation in the aesthetic completion of the comedic exchange: attempted joke, laughter, confirmed joke. }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal
| last1      = Lindfors
| first1     = Antti
| date       = 6 May 2019
| title      = Cultivating Participation and the Varieties of Reflexivity in Stand-Up Comedy
| url        = https://anthrosource.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/jola.12223
| department =University of Turku, Finland
| journal    = Journal of Linguistic Anthropology
| volume     = 29
| issue      = 3
| page       = 279
| doi        = 10.1111/jola.12223
| s2cid = 164354426
| access-date = 26 December 2020
| quote      = First, stand-up is centered around public self-presentation and -reflection through verbal and nonverbal communication, that can be preliminarily described as a subjectifying mode of footing...Second, stand-up is a [sic] groupendeavor dependent on performer's abilities to reflexively accommodate assumptions of one's audience, or what comics metapragmatically designate as 'reading the room' and 'working the audience.'| url-access= subscription
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
 |url=https://www.thoughtco.com/tips-for-beginner-stand-up-comedians-801155
 |title=Breaking Into Stand-Up: 10 Tips for Beginner Comedians
 |last= Bromley
 |first=Patrick
 |date=13 April 2018
 |website=ThoughtCo.
 |publisher=Potdash
 |access-date=22 March 2019
|quote=It's a true 'learn-by-doing' art form, and you won't know what works (and what doesn't) until you've gotten on stage in front of an audience.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
 |url=https://www.dispatch.com/entertainmentlife/20190321/budding-established-comedians-hone-craft-at-open-mic-nights
 |title=Budding, established comedians hone craft at open-mic nights
 |last=Lagatta
 |first=Eric
 |date=21 March 2019
 |website=The Columbus Dispatch
 |publisher=GateHouse Media, LLC.
 |access-date=25 March 2019
|quote=Most comedians see open-mic nights as a chance to test new material or refine their stage presence.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
 |last=Naessens
 |first=Edward David
 |title=The Dark Side of Stand-Up Comedy
 |date=2020
 |chapter=Busting the Sad Clown Myth: From Cliché to Comic Stage Persona
 |editor1-last=Oppliger
 |editor1-first=Patrice A.
 |editor2-last=Shouse
 |editor2-first=Eric
 |series=Palgrave Studies in Comedy
 |url=http://www.palgrave.com/gp/series/14644
 |location=United Kingdom
 |publisher=Springer Nature Switzerland AG: Palgrave Macmillan
 |page=228
 |doi=10.1007/978-3-030-37214-9_11
 |isbn=978-3-030-37213-2
 |s2cid=216338873
 |quote=comedians learn how and who to be onstage in significant part by watching other comedians and attending to the responses of audiences.}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal
| last       = Brodie
| first      = Ian
| date       = 2008
| title      = Stand-up Comedy as a Genre of Intimacy
| url        = https://id.erudit.org/iderudit/019950ar
| journal    = Ethnologies
| publisher  = Cape Breton University
| volume     = 30
| issue      = 2
| page       = 161
| doi        = 10.7202/019950ar
| access-date = 15 September 2020
| quote      = Pauses, rhetorical questions, digressions, diversions, distractions, and long descriptive passages all are opportunities for the audience to react in an unanticipated manner and to shift (or pull) focus away from the performer.| doi-access= 
| url-access= subscription
}}</ref><ref name=norm>{{cite news
| last         = Marchese
| first        = David
| others       = Quote by [[Norm Macdonald]]
| date         = 23 September 2016
| title          = Norm Macdonald Unloads on Modern Comedy, SNL, Fallon's Critics, Hillary, and Trump
| url          = https://www.vulture.com/2016/09/norm-macdonald-book-snl.html
| work         = Vulture: Devouring Culture
| access-date  = 27 December 2020
| quote        = On TV, every single joke kills. That's not what happens with stand-up. You have to earn every laugh. Another thing is that there's no room for interpretation in stand-up...with stand-up, it's all about getting that noise — getting that laugh. And it has to come for everyone at the same time. Everyone has to think the same thing at the same time.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
 |last=Brodie
 |first=Ian
 |date=2014
 |chapter=Stand-Up Comedy and a Folkloristic Approach
 |title=A Vulgar Art: A New Approach to Stand-up Comedy
 |location=Jackson
 |publisher=University Press of Mississippi
 |page=36
 |isbn=978-1-62846-182-4
 |quote=At its core...is audience engagement: laughter is both the ends (the validation by the live audience of the comedian being found funny) and the means (data for the subsequent listener to consider in judging whether the comedian could be found funny).}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
 |last=Quirk
 |first=Sophie
 |date=2015
 |title=Why Stand-up Matters: How Comedians Manipulate and Influence
 |location=New York
 |publisher=Bloomsbury Methuen Drama
 |page=97
 |isbn=978-1-4725-7893-8
 |quote=Cooperation between audience and speaker is vital}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
 |last=Borns
 |first=Betsy
 |year=1987
 |title=Comic Lives: Inside the World of American Stand-up comedy
 |url=https://archive.org/details/comiclivesinside00born
 |url-access=registration
 |publisher=Simon & Schuster, Inc.
 |page=163
 |isbn=0-671-62620-5
 |quote=In the beginning, most comics agree, the most important things are getting stage time, watching others work, and earning a living.}}</ref>}} The audience for a typical comedy open mic is other comedians.<ref>{{cite news
| last         = Freeman
| first        = Zach
| date         = 30 May 2019
| title        = 10 reasons why Cole's is the best comedy open mic in Chicago
| url          = https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/theater/ct-ae-cole-open-mic-comedy-ttd-0602-story.html
| work         = Chicago Tribune
| access-date  = 12 April 2020
| quote        = If you've ever been to a typical open mic, you're probably a comedian yourself. In other words, the audiences can be sparse, and they're mostly waiting for their turn at the microphone.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
 |last=Fulford
 |first=Larry
 |title=The Dark Side of Stand-Up Comedy
 |date=2020
 |chapter=The Complete and Utter Loss of Time
 |editor1-last=Oppliger
 |editor1-first=Patrice A.
 |editor2-last=Shouse
 |editor2-first=Eric
 |series=Palgrave Studies in Comedy
 |url=http://www.palgrave.com/gp/series/14644
 |location=United Kingdom
 |publisher=Springer Nature Switzerland AG: Palgrave Macmillan
 |pages=306–307
 |doi=10.1007/978-3-030-37214-9_16
 |isbn=978-3-030-37213-2
 |s2cid=216343536
 |quote=Sometimes bouncing from open mic to open mic, hitting two or three in a single night...comics who take the craft seriously are out [performing stand-up] almost every night}}</ref> Those underage must have their parents attend clubs with them.<ref>{{cite news
| last         = Batz
| first        = Bob Jr.
| date         = 10 June 2003
| title        = A STAND-UP KID: Teen comic dreams of a wisecracking career
| url          = https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1129&dat=20030610&id=RPVRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=1nADAAAAIBAJ&pg=2248,7642739
| work         = Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Post Gazette Staff Writer)
| access-date  = 8 April 2019
}}</ref> More experienced comedians may use open mics as an unpaid opportunity to work out newer material or a new character.<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://www.pattonoswalt.com/index.cfm?page=spew&id=167
 |title=A Closed Letter to Myself About Thievery, Heckling and Rape Jokes
 |last=Oswalt
 |first=Patton
 |date=14 June 2014
 |website=Patton Oswalt
 |access-date=3 February 2019
|quote=Open mikes are where, as a comedian, you're supposed to be allowed to fuck up.}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal
| last= Roberts
| first= Rebecca Emlinger
| date= 2000
| others= [[Tim Allen]]
| title= Standup Comedy and the Prerogative of Art
| journal= The Massachusetts Review
| publisher= The Massachusetts Review, Inc.
| volume= 41
| issue= 2
| pages= 158, 159
| jstor = 25091646
| quote= No laughter? Out then. Tim [Allen]’s willingness to change his act to suit his audience...The difference between Tim’s censoring of material and a poet’s censoring is elusive. Tim’s goal is to make money, that's one of his desires, but not his primary motivating desire. His ''drive'' as a comedian is to make people laugh.}}</ref> Open mic comedy nights are most widespread in larger English-speaking cities with a well-established stand-up scene; the major examples include [[Boston]], [[Chicago]], [[London]], and [[New York City]]. Stand-ups also use open mics for networking to find both paid and unpaid work opportunities, for making friends, or as [[self-medication|a form of therapy]].<ref>{{cite journal
| last1= Oliar
| first1= Dotan
| last2= Sprigman
| first2= Christopher
| date= 2008
| title= There's No Free Laugh (Anymore): The Emergence of Intellectual Property Norms and the Transformation of Stand-Up Comedy
| url= https://www.jstor.org/stable/25470605
| journal= Virginia Law Review
| volume= 94
| issue= 8
| page= 1816
| jstor= 25470605
| access-date= 16 September 2020
| quote= Connections to more established comedians are often helpful in finding work, and a good name and goodwill among fellow comedians is also a source of job opportunities.}}</ref><ref>{{cite AV media
 | people = Bernstein, Mike (Director); [[Chris Gethard]]; [[Neal Brennan]]; [[Anna Akana]]; [[Sarah Silverman]]; [[Baron Vaughn]]
 | date =10 October 2019
 | title =Laughing Matters
 | trans-title =Comedians Tackling Depression & Anxiety Makes Us Feel Seen Documentary
 | medium =Motion Picture
 | language =en
 | url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBV-7_qGlr4
 | access-date =4 December 2020
 | publisher =SoulPancake in association with [[Funny Or Die]] and Alpen Pictures}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
 |last=Goffman
 |first=Erving
 |date=1980
 |orig-year=1959
 |title=The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life
 |location=New York
 |publisher=Anchor Books: A Division of Random House, Inc.
 |page=16
 |isbn=978-0-385-094023
 |quote=When an individual or performer plays the same part to the same audience on different occasions, a social relationship is likely to arise.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://saraschaefer.com/2012/03/advice-to-a-young-comedian-myself/
 |title=Advice to a Young Comedian (& Myself)
 |last=Schaefer
 |first=Sara
 |date=16 March 2012
 |website=Sara Schaefer
 |access-date=14 February 2021
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200224053200/http://saraschaefer.com:80/2012/03/advice-to-a-young-comedian-myself/
 |archive-date=24 February 2020
 |quote=the next day, my friend who was also on the show ['in a theatre above a porn shop across from the Port Authority'], told me a scout from casting at Fox was in the audience and they wanted to meet with him.}}</ref>

"The room" is the term for the setting of a comedy performance; comedians are said to gauge the audience by their ability to "read the room".<ref>{{cite journal
| last1      = Quirk
| first1     = Sophie
| date       = November 2011
| title      = Containing the Audience: The 'Room' in Stand-Up Comedy
| url        = https://www.participations.org/Volume%208/Issue%202/2e%20Quirk.pdf
| department = University of Kent, UK
| journal    = Participations: Journal of Audience & Reception Studies
| volume     = 8
| issue      = 2
| pages      = 220
| doi        = 
| access-date = 27 December 2020
| quote      = The term 'room' means more than just the physical space in which the performance takes place; it is the term used to summarise a combination of factors which include the nature of the space, the way that space is set up, the character of the audience and more.}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal
| last1      = Lindfors
| first1     = Antti
| date       = 6 May 2019
| title      = Cultivating Participation and the Varieties of Reflexivity in Stand-Up Comedy
| url        = https://anthrosource.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/jola.12223
| department =University of Turku, Finland
| journal    = Journal of Linguistic Anthropology
| volume     = 29
| issue      = 3
| page       = 283
| doi        = 10.1111/jola.12223
| s2cid = 164354426
| access-date = 27 December 2020
| quote      =In the heat of real-time performance...comics can 'read the room' through jokes that are optimal for gauging their interlocutors' intellectual, moral, emotional, or other boundaries and preferences, e.g., through lowbrow, strategically ambiguous, or perhaps seemingly offensive bits.| url-access= subscription
}}</ref> Stand-up performances have a designated stage area and use a microphone with amplification as an industry standard.<ref name=Goff/><ref>{{cite journal
| last       = Brodie
| first      = Ian
| date       = 2008
| title      = Stand-up Comedy as a Genre of Intimacy
| url        = https://id.erudit.org/iderudit/019950ar
| journal    = Ethnologies
| publisher  = Cape Breton University
| volume     = 30
| issue      = 2
| pages      = 156–157
| doi        = 10.7202/019950ar
| access-date = 15 September 2020
| quote      = [S]tand-up comedy...cannot exist without technological advances...what distinguishes it as a whole from other forms of verbal comedy, and where one can deduce its origins, is the advanced use of the microphone...antecedents and forebears are suggested ranging from the court jester to Mark Twain and Will Rogers. Such suggestions of ancestry are not without merits, but as a form or, more precisely, as an [[Emic and etic|emic genre]] with an attendant set of expectations, including the dialogic properties...stand-up comedy, contemporary or otherwise, does not exist without amplification.| doi-access= 
| url-access= subscription
}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
 |last=Brodie
 |first=Ian
 |date=2014
 |chapter=Stand-Up on Stage
 |title=A Vulgar Art: A New Approach to Stand-up Comedy
 |location=Jackson
 |publisher=University Press of Mississippi
 |page=49
 |isbn=978-1-62846-182-4
 |quote=Staging for the stand-up comedy performance is minimal. Typically, there is a stool, a microphone stand, and a neutral backdrop. The backdrop is either a blank wall (frequently brick) or a curtain.}}</ref> Open mics for comedy have no minimum requirements to perform,<ref>{{cite journal
| last= Seizer
| first= Susan
| date= 2011
| title= On the Uses of Obscenity in Live Stand-Up Comedy
| journal= Anthropological Quarterly
| publisher= The George Washington University Institute for Ethnographic Research
| volume= 84
| issue= 1
| pages= 215–216
| doi= 10.1353/anq.2011.0001
| jstor = 41237487
| s2cid= 144137009
| quote= Another key feature of the minimal set up of stand-up is that it allows virtually anyone to do it. You don't need 'gear:'...neither do you need 'proof': a license, a training certificate, an academic degree. This democratic character allows live regional stand-up to showcase homegrown and working-class talent.}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal
| last= Mintz
| first= Lawrence E.
| date= Spring 1985
| title= Special Issue: American Humor
| url= https://www.asu.edu/courses/fms490bh/total-readings/L-1%20Standup%20Comedy%20as%20Social%20and%20Cultural%20Mediation.pdf
| journal= [[American Quarterly]]
| publisher=The Johns Hopkins University Press
| volume= 37
| issue= 1
| pages= 71–72
| doi= 10.2307/2712763
| jstor= 2712763
| access-date= 2 August 2020
| quote=A strict, limiting definition of standup comedy would describe an encounter between a single, standing performer behaving comically and/or saying funny things directly to an audience, unsupported by very much in the way of costume, prop, setting, or dramatic vehicle. Yet standup comedy's roots are...entwined with rites, rituals, and dramatic experiences that are richer, more complex than this simple definition can embrace. We must...include seated storytellers, comic characterizations that employ costume and prop, team acts[,]...manifestations of standup comedy routines...such as skits, improvisational situations, and films...and television sitcoms...however our definition should stress relative directness of artist/audience communication and the proportional importance of comic behavior and comic dialogue versus the development of plot and situation}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
 |last=Naessens
 |first=Edward David
 |title=The Dark Side of Stand-Up Comedy
 |date=2020
 |chapter=Busting the Sad Clown Myth: From Cliché to Comic Stage Persona
 |editor1-last=Oppliger
 |editor1-first=Patrice A.
 |editor2-last=Shouse
 |editor2-first=Eric
 |series=Palgrave Studies in Comedy
 |url=http://www.palgrave.com/gp/series/14644
 |location=United Kingdom
 |publisher=Springer Nature Switzerland AG: Palgrave Macmillan
 |page=229
 |doi=10.1007/978-3-030-37214-9_11
 |isbn=978-3-030-37213-2
 |s2cid=216338873
 |quote=Novice stand-up comedians must introduce themselves, break the ice, and quickly provide [[Backstory|background]] to audiences of strangers.}}</ref> a format which is known as "show and go".<ref>{{cite web
 |url=https://vocal.media/geeks/comedy-open-mic-formats-and-etiquette
 |title=Comedy Open Mic Formats & Etiquette
 |last=Martin
 |first=Sarah
 |website=Vocal
 |publisher=Jerrick Ventures LLC
 |access-date=4 April 2020
|quote=Show and Go/Show Up...[t]his is most common type of open mic...[a]ll you have to do is show up...[and p]ut your name on the list}}</ref> At a typical comedy open mic, acts will get 3–7 minutes of stage time.{{refn|<ref>{{cite news
| last         = Bunce
| first        = Alan
| others       = [[Mort Sahl]]
| date         = 13 January 1989
| title        = What's So Funny, America?
| url          = https://www.csmonitor.com/1989/0113/lhumor.html
| work         = The Christian Science Monitor
| access-date  = 10 September 2019
| quote        = Today kids come on[stage at open mics] for five minutes each and curse because of a poverty of language or because they've seen too many R-rated movies.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://pdxstandup.com/open-mics.html
 |title=PDX Comedy Blog
 |website=PDX Comedy Blog
 |location=Portland, OR, USA
 |access-date=18 February 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
 |last=Durham
 |first=Rob
 |year=2011
 |title=Don't Wear Shorts on Stage: the stand-up guide to comedy
 |location=Middletown, DE
 |page=21
 |isbn=9781468004847
 |quote=[Y]ou'll get four or five minutes to perform.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
 |url=https://www.indianapolismonthly.com/arts-and-culture/entertainment/i-did-stand-up-for-the-first-time
 |title=I Did Stand-Up Comedy For The First Time And Didn't Become A Punchline
 |last=Ball
 |first=Joseph
 |date=25 July 2018
 |website=Indianapolis Monthly
 |access-date=25 March 2019
|quote=Those three minutes felt like 30, in a good way}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
 |url=https://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/life/2018/08/13/salem-capitol-city-theater-comedians-give-advice-how-do-stand-up-comedy/857336002/
 |url-access=limited
 |title=Advice from five Salem comedians on getting started doing stand-up
 |last=Luschei
 |first=Abby
 |date=25 July 2018
 |website=statesman journal
 |publisher=Part of the USA Today Network
 |access-date=25 March 2019
|quote=Each comic gets five minutes}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
 |last=Neill
 |first=Geoffrey
 |date=22 December 2015
 |title=Hitting Your Funny Bone: Writing Stand-up Comedy, and Other Things That Make You Swear
 |location=San Bernardino, CA
 |page=Chapter 6
 |isbn=9781515180661
 |quote=(It's usually three to four minutes).}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
 |last=Brodie
 |first=Ian
 |date=2014
 |chapter=Stand-Up Comedy Broadcasts
 |title=A Vulgar Art: A New Approach to Stand-up Comedy
 |location=Jackson
 |publisher=University Press of Mississippi
 |page=168
 |isbn=978-1-62846-182-4
 |quote=Open-mike nights at comedy clubs typically limit performances to five minutes.}}</ref>}} The routine of a five-minute slot requires approximately three minutes of material.<ref>{{cite book
 |last=Durham
 |first=Rob
 |year=2011
 |title=Don't Wear Shorts on Stage: the stand-up guide to comedy
 |location=Middletown, DE
 |pages=9–10
 |isbn=9781468004847
 |quote=You need just three minutes of material...enough time to perform several jokes, get a few laughs, and then get off [the] stage.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
 |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/bob-saget-helped-me-prepare-for-my-stand-up-debut/ |title=Bob Saget Helped Me Prepare for My Stand-Up Debut
 |last=Bienenstock
 |first=David 
 |date=20 November 2017
 |website=VICE
 |others=Bob Saget
 |publisher=VICE MEDIA LLC
 |format=Interview
 |access-date=18 February 2019
|quote=It's really just three to five minutes that you need to write and then hone}}</ref><ref name="Goffman 1980 16">{{cite book
 |last=Goffman
 |author-link=Goffman
 |first=Erving
 |date=1980
 |orig-year=1959
 |title=The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life
 |location=New York
 |publisher=Anchor Books: A Division of Random House, Inc.
 |page=16
 |isbn=978-0-385-094023
 |quote=The pre-established pattern of action which is unfolded during a performance and which may be presented or played through on other occasions may be called a 'part' or 'routine.'}}</ref> All stand-up comedy performed must be an original creation.<ref>{{cite journal
| last1= Oliar
| first1= Dotan
| last2= Sprigman
| first2= Christopher
| date= 2008
| title= There's No Free Laugh (Anymore): The Emergence of Intellectual Property Norms and the Transformation of Stand-Up Comedy
| url= https://www.jstor.org/stable/25470605
| journal= Virginia Law Review
| volume= 94
| issue= 8
| page= 1830
| jstor= 25470605
| access-date= 16 September 2020
| quote= [T]he spirit of modern stand-up comedy...is focused on originality.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
 |last=Brodie
 |first=Ian
 |date=2014
 |title=A Vulgar Art: A New Approach to Stand-up Comedy
 |location=Jackson
 |publisher=University Press of Mississippi
 |page=21
 |isbn=978-1-62846-182-4
 |quote=Stand-up comedy, being a contemporary, popular genre, is a genre of novelty, so one does not learn the canon so much as learn ''from'' it, locating oneself within a tradition not simply to continue it but to develop and add to it.}}</ref>

The host of a stand-up comedy open mic tries to maintain an [[Social equilibrium|equilibrium of mood]] within "the room".<ref>{{cite journal
| last1      = Keisalo
| first1     = Marianna
| date       = 2018
| title      = The invention of gender in stand-up comedy: transgression and digression
| url        = https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/1469-8676.12515
| journal    = Social Anthropology
| volume     = 26
| issue      = 4
| pages      = 555–556
| doi        = 10.1111/1469-8676.12515
| access-date = 1 February 2021
| quote      = [They] act as Masters of Ceremony, the club hosts who warm up the audience and introduce each comedian. This is a challenging job; the MC is responsible for maintaining the mood of the audience and adjusting it if necessary after each performance.| url-access= subscription
}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
 |last=Quirk
 |first=Sophie
 |date=2015
 |title=Why Stand-up Matters: How Comedians Manipulate and Influence
 |location=New York
 |publisher=Bloomsbury Methuen Drama
 |page=108
 |isbn=978-1-4725-7893-8
 |quote=Here Mintz is deconstructing the complex process of 'warming up' the audience. This is not only a matter of relaxing the audience and ensuring that they are capable of producing laughter easily; the warm-up also allows the comedian to establish that comic license is in operation, and that all following statements are to be read within the safe bracket of the joke. Furthermore, the comedian asserts that the disparate collection of individuals in attendance is in fact a unified group with a shared consensus, thus allowing the group to feel secure in the knowledge that their laughter is acceptable to their peers, and any potentially risky value-judgments involved in the joking are shared with others.}}</ref> Hosts will try to seat audience members close together near the designated front stage area because that seems to maximize the audience's feelings of enjoyment and may lead to increased laughter; of one such event, a reviewer wrote, "Tightly arranged seating within the comedy room created physical discomfort for audience members... yet audience members often talked about how much they enjoyed 'the feeling of a full house'. Conversely, when shows were not sold out and audience members had more room to spread out among empty tables and chairs, audience members were less likely to relate their experiences as one of entertainment or enjoyment."{{refn|<ref>{{cite journal
| last = Thomas
| first = James M.
| date = 2015
| title = Laugh through it: Assembling difference in an American stand-up comedy club
| journal = Ethnography
| publisher = Sage Publications, Ltd.
| volume = 16
| issue = 2
| page = 174
| doi = 10.1177/1466138114534336
| jstor = 26359086
| s2cid = 144390090
| quote = Tightly arranged seating within the comedy room created physical discomfort for audience members...Yet audience members often talked about how much they enjoyed 'the feeling of a full house'...Conversely, when shows were not sold out and audience members had more room to spread out among empty tables and chairs, audience members were less likely to relate their experiences as one of entertainment or enjoyment.}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal
| last1      = Lindfors
| first1     = Antti
| date       = 6 May 2019
| title      = Cultivating Participation and the Varieties of Reflexivity in Stand-Up Comedy
| url        = https://anthrosource.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/jola.12223
| department =University of Turku, Finland
| journal    = Journal of Linguistic Anthropology
| volume     = 29
| issue      = 3
| page       = 277
| doi        = 10.1111/jola.12223
| s2cid = 164354426
| access-date = 26 December 2020
| quote      = Corroborating the communal reputation of the genre, stand-up trades on interpersonal resonance or what is called 'involvement' in sociolinguistics (Tannen 2007), where audience will (ideally) 'coauthor' the speech act by ritualized collective laughter (Duranti 1986).| url-access= subscription
}}</ref><ref name=norm/><ref>{{cite journal
| last1      = Quirk
| first1     = Sophie
| date       = November 2011
| title      = Containing the Audience: The 'Room' in Stand-Up Comedy
| url        = https://www.participations.org/Volume%208/Issue%202/2e%20Quirk.pdf
| journal    = Participations: Journal of Audience & Reception Studies
| location   = University of Kent, UK
| volume     = 8
| issue      = 2
| pages      = 228
| access-date = 27 December 2020
| quote      = To produce laughter, an audience needs not only energy but also confidence. To laugh is pleasant, but can also be risky; to be caught laughing heartily when other audience members are silent could be embarrassing. Bergson describes the importance of camaraderie in laughter...It is therefore important that, as Brook intimates, the energy that causes laughter flows freely and easily between people.}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal
| last1      = Lockyer
| first1     = Sharon
| last2      = Myers
| first2     = Lynn
| date       = November 2011
| title      = 'It's About Expecting the Unexpected': Live Stand-up Comedy from the Audiences' Perspective
| url        = https://bura.brunel.ac.uk/bitstream/2438/8584/2/Fulltext.pdf
| journal    = Participations: Journal of Audience & Reception Studies
| location   = Brunel University
| volume     = 8
| issue      = 2
| page       = 177
| access-date = 29 December 2020
| quote      = Respondents expressed that they enjoy the limited [spatial] distance between the audience and the stand-up comedian...Such explanations support Bennett's observation that the 'lessening of distance leads to fuller engagement with the spectator' (1997: 15). Although this reduced distance is important in all live performances, closeness and intimacy is especially important in standup comedy.}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal
| last1      = Greene
| first1     = Grace F.
| date       = 2012
| title      = Rhetoric in Comedy: How Comedians Use Persuasion and How Society Uses Comedians 
| url        = https://kb.gcsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1040&context=thecorinthian
| journal    = The Corinthian: The Journal of Student Research at Georgia College
| volume     = 13
| issue      = 11
| pages      = 138
| access-date = 26 January 2021
| quote      = [E]xpectancy violations theory is not particular to humor; it is a contemporary communication theory that can be applied to rhetorical situations. Expectancy violations theory is heavily based on the studies of personal space and proxemics, or the study of people’s use of space (Griffin, 2009). The key to the expectancy violations theory is the argument that when our expectations are violated, we have the choice of responding negatively or positively. A comic’s goal is to persuade his or her audience to respond positively to a violation of personal space or any other previously set expectation}}</ref>}} The host introduces each act by reciting the name that was placed on the sign-up list and asks the audience to give the performer an introductory round of applause.<ref>{{cite web
 |url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/1664527.pdf
 |title=Stand-up as interaction: Performance and Audience in Comedy Venues
 |last=Rutter
 |first=Jason
 |year=1997
 |department=Department of Sociology
 |website=CORE
 |publisher=University of Salford: Institute for Social Research
 |page=169
 |access-date=13 November 2020
 |quote=The presence of audience greeting, like audience applause, is a remarkably stable feature of opening sequences. Almost invariably the first thing a performer does is greet the audience. Although this greeting may take a variety of forms, it is an introduction. Usually the performer's entrance has been preceded by a short sequence from a [[Master of ceremonies|compere]] who will have introduced the comedian and instigated a round of applause. [An] informal, at times quasi-conversational approach is used in which the performer gives the impression that they are opening up a dialogue with the audience.}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal
| last1      = Filani
| first1     = Ibukun
| date       = 2015
| title      = Discourse types in stand-up comedy performances: an example of Nigerian stand-up comedy
| url        = https://europeanjournalofhumour.org/index.php/ejhr/article/viewFile/74/pdf
| department = Department of English
| journal    = European Journal of Humour Research
| volume     = 3
| issue      = 1
| pages      = 43–44
| doi        = 10.7592/EJHR2015.3.1.filani
| access-date = 4 January 2021
| quote=Rutter (1997; 2000) cited in Scarpetta & Spagnolli (2009: 6) identify the following successive bits in British stand-up comedy: i. Introduction, in which the compere announces the comedian, evaluates him/her, and warms up the audience, whose responses to the compere accompany the entrance of the comedian on stage; ii. The comedian entrance, which overlaps with the audience applause. S/he starts with an opening in which s/he greets, comments, and trains the audience in the way to respond. These exchanges are used to orient the audience towards the nature of the routine and also to divert the audience attention from drinks and chats iii. The body of the show, which is made up of several joke-telling sequences iv. The closure, which is made up of a series of not necessarily funny utterances like the evaluation of the audience, a reintroduction of the comedian, and thanks that accompany her/his departure from the stage.| doi-access= free
}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
 |last=Brodie
 |first=Ian
 |date=2014
 |chapter=The Social Identity
 |title=A Vulgar Art: A New Approach to Stand-up Comedy
 |location=Jackson
 |publisher=University Press of Mississippi
 |pages=85–86
 |isbn=978-1-62846-182-4
 |quote=[The] emcee asks that the extant personal goodwill between him- or herself and the audience be extended to these more or less unknown comedians...Rutter identifies six 'turns' evident in the compere's talk: contextualization (giving background details), framing of response (directing the audience to greet the comedian with a certain attitude), evaluation of comedian (commenting on performance skills), request for action (typically applause), introduction (naming), and audience applause (466).}}</ref> Performing first at an open mic puts the comedian at a disadvantage due to the audience being "cold" and is considered the most challenging spot to perform in.<ref>{{cite journal
| last=Antoine
| first=Katja
| date=2016
| title='Pushing the Edge' of Race and Gender Hegemonies through Stand-up Comedy: Performing Slavery as Anti-racist Critique
| url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/43823941
| journal=Etnofoor
| publisher=Stichting Etnofoor
| volume= 28
| issue= 1
| page=41
| jstor=43823941
| access-date=14 September 2020
| quote=The first comic on stage carries the burden of 'building the energy in the room'. The comedians who follow in the line-up have to sustain it. Should someone fail at doing this and leave the audience 'cold', the next comic has to 'bring the energy back up'...Ideally [the comedians] arrive at a venue when the show starts in order to 'read' the audience. Reading the audience is a visual practice (What are the demographics?[)]...and an affective practice (How are they responding to the comic on stage?[)]...At the very least, comics will show up a few acts ahead of their own for that purpose. They have to know the energy of the room in order to work the crowd right.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
 |url=https://www.vulture.com/article/gary-gulman-comedy-tips.html
 |title=Gary Gulman's Comedy Tips: The Complete Collection 366 bits of wisdom, advice, and encouragement from the stand-up veteran
 |last=Gulman
 |author-link=Gary Gulman
 |first=Gary
 |date=26 March 2020
 |website=Vulture: Devouring Culture
 |publisher=NEW YORK MEDIA LLC.
 |access-date=14 September 2020
 |quote=Tip No. 17: You’ve been killing every night. You’re not sure this is still a challenge. For the next few months, ask to go on first. It’s a great test of your act. The booker and host will love you for it.}}</ref>

Stand-ups usually use the [[Grammatical person|second person]] to address the audience.<ref>{{cite journal
| last1= Tsang
| first1= Wai King
| last2= Wong
| first2= Matilda
| date= 2004
| title= Constructing a shared 'Hong Kong identity' in comic discourses
| url= https://www.jstor.org/stable/42888651
| journal= Discourse & Society
| publisher= Sage Publications, Ltd.
| volume= 15
| issue= 6
| pages= 777
| doi= 10.1177/0957926504046504
| jstor= 42888651
| s2cid= 145745392
| access-date= 16 September 2020
| quote= 'I,' 'my,' 'me' as the comedian versus 'you' as the audience directly engages the audience in a dialogue.| url-access= subscription
}}</ref> In 2011, writer Rob Durham said that an open mic night should be no longer than 90 minutes and consist of no more than 15 acts.<ref>{{cite book
 |last=Durham
 |first=Rob
 |year=2011
 |title=Don't Wear Shorts on Stage: the stand-up guide to comedy
 |location=Middletown, DE
 |page=20
 |isbn=9781468004847
 |quote=Open mic night really shouldn't have more than fifteen acts...[or] ninety minutes.}}</ref> A comedy open mic will not normally exceed 30 people, which comedian [[Hannibal Buress]] has cited as the maximum number of people who should be there.<ref>{{cite AV media
 | people =Hannibal Buress
 | date =3 August 2018
 | title =Hannibal Buress: Advice for Comedians
 | language =en
 | url =https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaWDNXfQtRU
 | access-date =10 September 2019
| time =3:12–3:22
 | publisher =The Atlantic
 | quote =[M]ax, 30 people, 'cause that's the max people that should be at an open mic}}</ref> It is common practice for stand-ups to record their sets for later review and rehearsal.<ref>{{cite web
 |url=https://www.vulture.com/article/gary-gulman-comedy-tips.html
 |title=Gary Gulman's Comedy Tips: The Complete Collection 366 bits of wisdom, advice, and encouragement from the stand-up veteran
 |last=Gulman
 |author-link=Gary Gulman
 |first=Gary
 |date=26 March 2020
 |website=Vulture: Devouring Culture
 |publisher=NEW YORK MEDIA LLC.
 |access-date=14 September 2020
 |quote=Tip No. 1: Record Every Set...Record every set. The hard part: Listen to it, and transcribe everything you want to say again...This is especially helpful early on in your career, when you’re trying to build time.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
 |last=Naessens
 |first=Edward David
 |title=The Dark Side of Stand-Up Comedy
 |date=2020
 |chapter=Busting the Sad Clown Myth: From Cliché to Comic Stage Persona
 |editor1-last=Oppliger
 |editor1-first=Patrice A.
 |editor2-last=Shouse
 |editor2-first=Eric
 |series=Palgrave Studies in Comedy
 |url=http://www.palgrave.com/gp/series/14644
 |location=United Kingdom
 |publisher=Springer Nature Switzerland AG: Palgrave Macmillan
 |page=244
 |doi=10.1007/978-3-030-37214-9_11
 |isbn=978-3-030-37213-2
 |s2cid=216338873
 |quote= He explained to me the importance of recording every gig.}}</ref> The collective feedback from different audiences has a significant impact on how a stand-up routine is shaped.{{refn|<ref>{{cite news
| last         = Kornelis
| first        = Chris
| date         = 25 August 2020
| title        = Stand-Up Comics Find It Isn't Funny Writing Without an Audience
| url          = https://www.wsj.com/articles/stand-up-comics-find-it-isnt-funny-writing-without-an-audience-11598373521
| work         = The Wall Street Journal
| access-date  = 25 December 2020
| quote        = How does a comedian know if something is funny? The audience tells [the stand-up comedian through a call and response with laughter].}}</ref><ref name="Smith 2018 79">{{cite book
 |last=Smith
 |first=Daniel R.
 |date=2018
 |chapter='''Part II: Synthetic'''[:] 3 Representation: Stand-up: representing whom?
 |title=COMEDY AND CRITIQUE: Stand-up comedy and the professional Ethos of laughter
 |series=Bristol Shorts Research
 |location=UK
 |publisher=Bristol University Press
 |page=79
 |isbn=978-1-5292-0015-7
 |quote=[S]tand-up represents a three part relation in the aesthetic completion of the comedic exchange: attempted joke, laughter, confirmed joke. }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal
| last=Wuster
| first=Tracy
| date=2006
| title=Comedy Jokes: Steve Martin and the Limits of Stand-Up Comedy
| journal=Studies in American Humor
| publisher=American Humor Studies Association
| issue=14
| page=25
| jstor =42573700
| quote= Stand-up comedy is a unique form of performance in that the reaction of the audience is an integral part of the success or failure of each individual performance.}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal
| last= Roberts
| first= Rebecca Emlinger
| date= 2000
| others= [[Tim Allen]]
| title= Standup Comedy and the Prerogative of Art
| journal= The Massachusetts Review
| publisher= The Massachusetts Review, Inc.
| volume= 41
| issue= 2
| pages= 158, 159
| jstor = 25091646
| quote= No laughter? Out then. Tim [Allen]'s willingness to change his act to suit his audience...The difference between Tim's censoring of material and a poet's censoring is elusive. Tim's goal is to make money, that's one of his desires, but not his primary motivating desire. His ''drive'' as a comedian is to make people laugh.}}</ref><ref name="Goffman 1980 16">{{cite book
 |last=Goffman
 |author-link=Goffman
 |first=Erving
 |date=1980
 |orig-year=1959
 |title=The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life
 |location=New York
 |publisher=Anchor Books: A Division of Random House, Inc.
 |page=16
 |isbn=978-0-385-094023
 |quote=The pre-established pattern of action which is unfolded during a performance and which may be presented or played through on other occasions may be called a 'part' or 'routine.'}}</ref>}}

The host will flash a light at the comedian one minute before their time is up as a signal to finish the joke they are currently telling, a practise known as "getting the light".<ref>{{cite book
 |last=Durham
 |first=Rob
 |year=2011
 |title=Don't Wear Shorts on Stage: the stand-up guide to comedy
 |location=Middletown, DE
 |page=21
 |isbn=9781468004847
 |quote=The light will normally be flashed when you have one minute left in your set.}}</ref><ref name=light>{{cite web
 |url=https://www.leoweekly.com/2018/07/secret-comedy/
 |title=The secret to comedy? Time... hard work
 |last=Ewing
 |first=Creig
 |date=25 July 2018
 |website=LEO Weekly
 |access-date=25 March 2019
|quote= Usually the host will shine a light to let the comedian know a minute is left. If you keep going, it's called blowing the light, and it is a sin.}}</ref> In modern times, this is done with the flashlight from a cell phone so as not to distract the audience with a larger or brighter light.<ref>{{cite web
 |url=https://www.dispatch.com/entertainmentlife/20190321/budding-established-comedians-hone-craft-at-open-mic-nights
 |title=Budding, established comedians hone craft at open-mic nights
 |last=Lagatta
 |first=Eric
 |date=21 March 2019
 |website=The Columbus Dispatch
 |publisher=GateHouse Media, LLC.
 |access-date=25 March 2019
|quote=Any comic nearing the time limit would face a warning: Moore waving his cell-phone flashlight.}}</ref> If a comedian ignores this light and continues to perform past their allotted time, this is known as "blowing the light" and may get the comedian banned from performing at that venue.<ref name=light/><ref>{{cite book
 |last=Borns
 |first=Betsy
 |year=1987
 |title=Comic Lives: Inside the World of American Stand-up comedy
 |url=https://archive.org/details/comiclivesinside00born
 |url-access=registration
 |publisher=Simon & Schuster, Inc.
 |page=[https://archive.org/details/comiclivesinside00born/page/179 179]
 |isbn=0-671-62620-5
 |quote=Staying onstage longer than their allotted time is, along with joke stealing, one of the most grievous offense a stand-up can commit.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
 |last=Neill
 |first=Geoffrey
 |date=22 December 2015
 |title=Hitting Your Funny Bone: Writing Stand-up Comedy, and Other Things That Make You Swear
 |location=San Bernardino, CA
 |page=Chapter 6
 |isbn=9781515180661}}</ref>

Other types of comedy open mics include "booked shows" and "bringer shows". Booked shows have a normal format, but performers reserve spots one week to one month in advance. Bringer shows are presented in a showcase format, with each performer being required to bring 5–15 people with them (with a cover charge and a two-drink minimum per person) in order to secure stage time, but this is widely seen as exploitative.<ref>{{cite web
 |url=https://www.vulture.com/article/how-to-quit-your-job-get-into-comedy.html
 |title=I Want Out: How to Leave the Boring Job You Don't Like and Start Your Comedy Career
 |last= Kelly-Clyne
 |first=Luke
 |date=20 September 2018
 |website=Vulture: Devouring Culture
 |publisher=NEW YORK MEDIA LLC.
 |access-date=4 April 2020
|quote= In order to get stage time at [bringer shows]...you [have to] bring...5 to 15 friends, each of whom must show up and agree to buy at least two drinks...Some people think bringers are a scam, and they kind of are. They're a cash grab for club owners}}</ref>

==Poetry, rapping and spoken word==
[[Image:Jeanette reads her own work Little Grill Collective open mic Harrisonburg VA June 2008.jpg|thumb|upright|A poet [[Poetry reading|reading her work]] at the [[Little Grill Collective|Little Grill]] in June 2008]]
Poetry and spoken word open mics feature a host, who is normally a poet or spoken word artist, poets and spoken word artists, and audience members. Sometimes open mic nights have featured readers, or are part of a writing workshop, but generally a sign-up sheet is available for anyone interested in participating. Each participant is then called to come to the microphone and read a selection or two.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Poets|first=Academy of American|title=Read a poem at an open mic {{!}} Academy of American Poets|url=https://poets.org/text/read-poem-open-mic|access-date=2020-06-28|website=poets.org}}</ref> Writers may attend an open mic to try out a new piece for an audience or to find out more about the local writing community. Others attend poetry open mics just to listen.<ref name=":0" /> Poetry/spoken word open mics range from laid back, serene settings to lively sessions where readers and/or performers compete for audience applause. They are usually held in libraries, [[coffee house]]s, cafes, bookstores and bars.

Each poet or spoken word artist is often asked to keep their performances to a minimum/specified time slot, giving each performer enough time to share some of their work with the audience. The host or MC acts as a "gatekeeper", determining which performers are suitable for the event. If a performer goes over their time limit, the host diplomatically thanks the performer for their contribution and asks them to yield the stage for the next performer.

==Rarer niche variations==
The terms "open deck" (where "deck" refers to the kind of [[Phonograph|turntable]] used by a DJ) and "open reel" (where "reel" refers to a [[35mm movie film|35 mm film]] reel) are used for more niche open mic events where keen amateurs can meet to exhibit and [[critique]] their skills/artform. A decrease in the cost of consumer video technology combined with the powerful editing capabilities of modern PCs has caused an increase in the popularity of DJing and amateur filmmaking, but these types of events are still very rare.

== Benefits for performers ==
Performing at open mics as a musician, comedian or poet provides many benefits. One of the benefits of performing at open mics is the opportunity for performers to engage in [[Network of practice|networking]]. Novice performers are able to connect with seasoned performers who can offer advice on stage presence. These connections are also useful when it comes to organizing future appearances as well as collaborations. Another benefit to networking at open mics is the opportunity for exposure. Open mics offer attendees the opportunity to discover new and local talent. Performing in front of open mic attendees exposes a performer's material to people who have never heard it before. This allows attendees the opportunity to connect with a performer and share a performer's material with friends and family with similar taste. Experience is also another benefit for performers at open mics. Many performers at open mics are just beginning their career as performers or have been performing for years. Either way, performing at an open mic gives performers the opportunity to practice their stage presence and figure out the best way to perform their material that engages audiences. 

==See also==
*[[The Raving Poets]] (Canadian poetry event with live music, hosted from 2000–2010)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* Aldredge, Marcus. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20120311193651/http://caliber.ucpress.net/doi/abs/10.1525/si.2006.29.1.109?journalCode=si Negotiating and Practicing Performance: An Ethnographic Study of a Musical Open Mic in Brooklyn, New York.]"
* Aldredge, Marcus. 2013. ''Singer-Songwriters and Musical Open Mics''. Farnham, UK: Ashgate.
* {{cite news
| last = Kim
| first= Jonathan
| date= 26 July 2013
| title= The World's Best and Longest-Running Comedy Open Mic Just Closed
| url= https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-worlds-best-and-longe_b_3655180
| work= Huffpost
| access-date= 12 April 2020}}
* {{cite news
| last=Dingfelder
| first=Sadie
| date=30 July 2015
| title=A nearly comprehensive list of D.C. area open-mic comedy nights
| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/express/wp/2015/07/30/a-nearly-comprehensive-list-of-d-c-area-open-mic-comedy-nights/
| newspaper=The Washington Post
| access-date=12 April 2020}}

[[Category:Music performance]]
[[Category:Performance art]]
[[Category:Stand-up comedy]]
[[Category:Poetry movements]]
[[Category:Beginners and newcomers]]