Things are starting to make sense

I am starting to get in the swing of how to listen to myself now.

Last night, the crowd reaction was significantly softer than the night before, and I knew it would be right from the start. Right from my ‘Hi’. The rhythms of the laughs were the same – strongest and weakest laughs all in the same place – but the overall intensity of their reactions was softer. I listened carefully to how the other performers went because I need to know how I fit into the general pattern of the night. I did notice that there were the same general trends through the night – not the intensity of the night before. But of course, it is much more noticeable when it is someone like me who only really has three guaranteed laughs in her routine.

Different nights do have different chemistries, and now I need to learn what to do about that. People with experience have stronger total performances and so their flat patches do not have such an impact on their overall performance as mine do. They do not lose the audience in the way that I might.

Lesson that is starting to sink in: it’s not all about the jokes.

So now I have two recordings of two reasonably similar performances done in close proximity to each other. The thing I need to learn from them is how to ride the audience reaction. To be ready for whateve response I get and to mould my show to them.

Didn’t drink anything after the show, but stayed too late listening to the chat. This is something I enjoy very much, because it is just so different to any other chats I ever have. Then watched quizmania when I came home. For an hour. For goodness’ sake.