Newsletter: Stand-Up VS Improv

What stand-up comedians could learn from the world of improv.

What Is This?

Hello to subscribers new and old! I’m Marcel Blanch-de Wilt. I am a tall person although I’ve met taller people. I’m a comedian, director, improviser, teacher, and coach based in Australia.

Welcome to my new subscribers who have deliberately or accidentally subscribed.

Let me properly introduce myself. I’m a huge comedy nerd - and just a fan of pop-culture and creativity in general. When I’m not performing, I teach stand-up, improv, and corporate performance. One of the roles I love most is coaching and directing comedians. Oh look, that was a link to book me!

This newsletter is about making comedy and how I make a living performing and teaching. I’ll tell you about my thoughts on stand-up, improv, and writing (and a lot about the person doing those things.)

The Notes Section

The half ideas and jokes that make it to the notes section on my phone

• So many comedians love to talk about the tension in the room when they do edgy jokes that don’t get a laugh by saying “I can feel everyone’s buttholes tightening.” Stop it. It’s gone beyond cliche. You don’t know what everyone’s buttholes are doing. The only thing you know is that no one is laughing and it’s not because they’re offended, it’s because they’re still waiting on the punchline.

• I’m flossing so much before my next dentist appointment because I’m desperate to prove my gums don’t always bleed at the first touch of a dental implement. I swear they do it on purpose just to make you feel bad.

• Older people are so quick to downplay your experience of aging. “You feel old? Try being seventy!” Well, this is the oldest I’ve ever been. It feels significant to me. It’s like I’ve just seen a magpie for the first time and they’re shouting back, “You think that’s something? You should see an emu!”

See Me Live
I’m coming to the Big Fork Improv Festival in Brisbane
You can also catch me at Good Chat Comedy Club

My episode with Ben Russell is free to watch on Youtube.

Comedy Pet-Peeves: Stand-Up VS Improv

Each month I tackle a particular subject in the world of comedy that irritates or intrigues me.

As a stand-up comedian and improviser, I walk between two different worlds. I’m like Blade. The Daywalker. Except instead of being half-vampire half-human, battling against demonic forces, I am a performer hungry for stagetime, keen to do all the shows.

Recently in Sydney I did a week of gigs and was reminded of how much lighter I feel at improv shows. Your average Stand-up and Improv Show have plenty in common but have quite distinct cultures around them.

I’ve had the benefit of learning from both worlds. Today, let’s look at what stand-up comedians could learn from the world of improv.

6. We’re Not Cool

Stand-ups tend to roll their eyes at improvisers. I’ve performed on mixed bills that feature stand-up and improvisers and watched as the comics cringed at the improv ensemble warming up before the show. They’re the jocks in the schoolyard giggling at every “ZIP ZAP ZOP” they overhear. Improvisers have a reputation of being dorky and lame.

Improv has this cringey reputation because it’s full of grown adults playing pretend. These people have paid thousands of dollars to attend classes to develop skills in not worrying about how they look when they’re making stuff up. It is in improv’s dorkiness that leads to more carefree creation.

The average Stand-up comedian, meanwhile, projects this cool leather-jacket-wearing vibe. They’re ego-driven and judgemental. Their heroes rest their arms on mic stands, smoking cigarettes “telling it like it is.” They believe that stand-up is COOL. Stand-ups try to pretend that they’re not just as dorky as the folks doing The Harold or playing TheatreSports. They don’t want you to figure out that a stand-up set is just little one person play. It’s all theatre.

The problem is that this focus on looking cool leads to quite a rigid performance. The cool comedian takes less risks. It took me a long time to be comfortable with not looking cool in the eyes of my fellow stand-ups. One of my favourite improv teachers told the class we need to remember “we’re not here because we’re cool.”

Comics spend hours working on stories, puns, observations, and songs. They read all the books and study all the greats. We’re all dorks. I suspect that the more stand-ups lean into the inherent silliness that is being on stage and pretending, the more carefree creativity we’ll be able to enjoy.

5. The Value of a Warm-Up

Before the show improvisers will have a warm-up that is a mix of games and exercises to get them in the zone. Personally, I find that some improv groups that I perform with have such elaborate and intense warm-up sessions that I’m tired before the show even begins.

Having said that, a warm-up is such an important practice for a performer. Every other kind of performing artist and public speaker will warm up before a show but it’s very rare to catch a stand-up comedian doing anything to resemble a physical or vocal warm-up.

It might sound odd but I’ve had to practice being brave enough to warm-up backstage at stand-up gigs. Comedians are so quick to judge someone working hard before a show. Just like Tall Poppy Syndrome, you can’t look like you’re trying. It should all look effortless.

Every stand-up who has messed up a word on stage and had their whole joke fall apart as a result should try a vocal warm-up to engage their articulators. Every comedian who holds back on physical comedy or act-outs should experiment with a physical warm-up to get in their body.

4. It’s a Team Effort

Improvisers perform as a group and thus there’s an understanding that we’re all working together to create the best show we can. Even when stand-ups perform on a line-up, there’s often an ‘everyone-for-themselves’ attitude. There’s no guarantee that your fellow acts will be engaged with the show or watch your set.

More often than not, comics will wait backstage or in the bar until it’s their turn to perform. It’s fair enough. There’s only so many times you want to watch the same material. The problem is that it leads to awkward moments where audience members get crowdworked multiple times or similar topics are covered without it being addressed. It leads to a show with little cohesion.

The best stand-up shows are the ones where the line-up is engaged with the show and be across all the details. Unfortunately, these are a rarity. So much of this comes down to the culture of the particular stand-up night. For the open mic I used to run, comedians were encouraged to be part of the audience and it made for a much better night.

3. Cast Photos

I love to get a family photo of the line-up of the performers I’m on with. I’m a sentimental guy. It’s a ritual to get a photo after an improv show. It becomes the memory of the night. Like a postcard from the past. On this night I got to perform with this group of people.

Meanwhile for stand-up shows it’s so hard to get the whole line-up in the same room at the same time. Acts are often keen to leave after their set (I don’t blame them, most shows aren’t worth sticking around for.)

Often when I try to take a group photo at a stand-up night I feel like my mum at a family barbecue trying to wrangle everyone. “Can we just get one nice one where it looks like everyone had a nice time?”

2. Check ins and Check Outs

Each improv theatre has its own culture but, generally speaking, each of them will have a “Check In” and “Check Out” before and after the show. It’s a chance for the ensemble members to introduce themselves, connect, and address anything they would like to share that might impact the show (injuries, energy levels, preferred styles of play.)

The Check Out is an opportunity for everyone to share something they enjoyed from the night. It’s a moment that I love because it takes me out of my head, wondering about how the show might have gone differently, and instead focusing on just the positives. The goal with my Check Outs is to make sure everyone leaves feeling good about their performance and able to leave any doubts about the show behind.

Stand-up showcases differ wildly. Some nights you might be on with friends who are invested in what you’re performing and how it went. Others will have an air of indifference.

I’m not saying that stand-up nights should start and end with everyone backstage in a circle but it does make a big difference when you can tell that the peers you’re performing alongside give a shit about your performance. “I liked that new joke” or “Great work tonight” goes a long way in a scene full of people looking at their phones, their nose in the notebooks, or ducking out early with a wave. In this modern world of chasing dopamine and likes on the internet, it’s nice to take a moment to help someone feel seen.

1. Have More Fun

Improv shows are rarely paid. A paid improv show is even more rare than a paid stand-up gig. Even the best improvisers can’t expect high paying gigs on a regular basis. The improviser's main motivation is to have a good time and make the best possible show.

When I’m doing an improv show, I’m not thinking of getting a great clip for social media or how a new joke is going to go. I’m only thinking about how much fun I can squeeze out of the experience with the audience right in front of me. Generally speaking, improvisers are less ego-driven and their focus is on making their scene partner shine.

When I’m improvising, my inner-child comes alive and I’m at my most playful. I’m overjoyed and so grateful to be able to goof around with my friends and the audience. It’s an energy that I try to bring to all my stand-up shows. I want my audience to know that I don’t take them for granted and that I’m so thrilled to be able to make a show together.

The Comedy Writers Group

This July / August we’re hosting TWO Winter Writers Retreats! One in Queensland and another the following weekend in Victoria. It’s very exciting to have fostered a community so keen to connect and create. If you’re not a member and interested in hearing more, send me an email or follow the link.

What is The Comedy Writers Group? The CWG is a community of comedians from around Australia - and slowly expanding to members around the world. We have sessions every Saturday morning (AEST) and every second Wednesday. At our workshops we’re joined by special guest professional comedians who help guide and mentor our participants.

Learn more here.

Coaching Sessions

I have a booking portal for my coaching / directing sessions. These are one-on-one appointments designed to give you customised guidance on your creative pursuit. Lately I’ve been working with folks on a range of projects from stand-up sets, full shows, novels, newsletters, comedy songs, and more.

“Marcel has a special knack for finding out what you really want to say. He can look at an idea and help you discover more about it, ask the right questions and even say "maybe that's not really worth exploring"... He's an honest, approachable and enthusiastic director. He covers off on all bases too – structure, jokes, the theatre of it all. He'll make you feel proud of your work.” - Lizzy Hoo

Recommendations

Watch: You’ve got to go watch my mate Kate Dolan’s new special on Youtube. She is fantastic.

I’ve just finished the latest season of The Rehearsal. It was one of the best TV shows I’ve ever seen. It reminded me of how much care, love, and substance, can be in something so funny.

Read: I’m currently reading I’m Glad My Mom Died and it’s an excellent read. Highly recommended. The writing is so frank and it’s brilliantly paced. I also finished Michelle Brasier’s fantastic My Brother's Ashes are in a Sandwich Bag.