First gig at The Classic

Going on stage

One of my goals for 2023 was to go on stage at The Classic in Auckland. To go on stage. Not to be hilarious at The Classic. Not to go regularly on stage at The Classic. Just to go on stage at The Classic. Because I know I need accessible goals on which I can act directly.

The Classic

A little bit of context maybe. The Classic is the comedy club in Auckland. It's famous for 25 years in New Zealand. We can watch any level of standup there depending on the day.

Starting comedy

I started stand-up comedy in Paris, in June 2022, thanks to writing workshops organized by Tahnee on the advice of Amelie Coispel. When I arrived in New Zealand, I took stand-up more seriously and I went to every open mic I could.

Signing up

Some comedians start directly with The Classic’s open mic but I have to admit I was a bit shy about it. Some comedians pushed me to go but I wanted to be quite sure my jokes were funny before asking for a spot. At the end, I saw a Facebook event about the Raw Summer, The Classic’s summer open mic, and I went for it.

Getting ready

The week before the gig, I did three open mics to remember my jokes after the Christmas break. It gave me confidence but I also realized that I began to be a bit bored of these jokes.

On the big day, I choose clothes in which I felt good. I told my text brushing my teeth, walking to The Classic and at the bar waiting for the previous show to end.

Green room

Something different between open mics in bars and at The Classic is the green room. A green room is a kind of waiting room in which comedians wait for their turn of stage. It is full of old chairs and it smells like perspiration. Comedians are focus, and it's pretty quiet because waiting comedians shouldn't be heard from stage, so it is a bit less convivial than when people are watching each other from the room in bars.

Getting nervous

I got nervous as the day went by. My heart was going faster. I tried to find every closed pore on my face, ringing my skin. And of course, when I arrived at The Classic, I was sweating. This green room solo mood reinforced my impression to come the big thing, and I lost my goal, just going on staging and not waiting for anything else.

Racing through the jokes

So when I got on stage, my heart was racing and I talked way too quickly. I didn't get as many laughs as I used to because I didn't make enough pauses. But I got laughs at my big hits. I know I was too quick because the tech room is supposed to give us a light at five minutes and another one at six, and I didn't see any.

After the show

Unlike usually, I can't compare my feeling to the reality because I didn't get a recording of my set. I didn't start soon enough and once I was on stage, I thought it was too late. If I listen to the feedback I got, I would think that my set was good enough because people I knew told me they didn't see the mistakes I think I made, and people I didn't know told me my set was funny when the show was over.

Goal completed

Well, funny or not, I completed my goal to go on stage at The Classic the first week of the year. And now that I did it once, the next ones will be easier.

Next week

Next week, we'll talk about the first time I signed up to a zine festival for February even though I didn't have any zine at the time.

What about you?

What about you? What did you try this week? What will you try next week? Tell me about it in the comments or on Instagram or Tiktok!