Be A Comedian

Defining clean comedy can be quite a challenge, since ‘clean’ is relative. As a general description, clean comedy is basically an act that doesn’t involve offensive themes and language or subjects general considered obscene or disturbing.

Is it clean enough?
Of course, defining what is offensive and what isn’t will depend on your audience. Some audiences will have no problems with mean acts, name calling, violent themes and sexual content, but some audiences might find certain jokes distasteful.

Clean comedy need not be boring. On the contrary, many comedians have built successful careers as clean acts. Dirty jokes aim to shock and surprise and can be brutal in their humor while clean jokes can nudge the audience towards humor without grabbing at their hair, so to speak.

Where do I tell my jokes?
If you think you’ll miss out on certain gigs because your comedy act is clean, you’re not looking hard enough. Clean comedians are quite in demand in corporate and collegiate events, where they are either the main act or the host. And the pay isn’t shabby either. Some bookings for the experienced clean comedians start at $1000, with some even going to as high as $10,000.

It’s also not true that comedy clubs shy away from clean comedy acts. The most number of comedians who get more work are those with clean routines. There are plenty of clubs and booking companies who advertise their openings specifically for clean comedians.

Another place where you can tell your jokes is through your writing. Clean, original jokes are also in high demand for radio and TV. If you can write well, you could even moonlight as a gag writer or start a career as a sitcom writer.

How do I learn how to be funny without being dirty?
Watch the experts and try to stay away from cable TV when you do. Better stick to network TV programs which regularly host clean comedy acts, especially on late-night shows. Not ALL of it may be clean, but since TV shows are edited, you’ll get the feel of it.

Practice your routine on a test crowd – your mom and dad, your sisters, your friends, people who can give you honest feedback. They can honestly tell you whether your act is clean or not. Of course, it will help if they’re not too acclimated to harsh jokes.

Test run your jokes at a comedy club. This is the best way to know whether your joke is clean or not. If some jokes elicit adverse reaction, then remove them from your routine.

A person who thinks he is funny shouldn’t believe his ego when it tells him he is funny. However if other people start telling him that he is funny then that is the time that he should consider his future as a professional comedian.

Becoming a professional comedian isn’t funny at all although the comedian will have to do lots of comical performances to hone his skills in comedy. The reality is that the life of a comedian isn’t a bed of roses and it entails a lot of hard work, practice and planning.

A comedian doesn’t just go on the stage and tell a few jokes, trade a few barbs and tickle the funny bones of his audience. A comedian should create an image which will make him stand out among the thousands of other comedian wannabees in the entertainment industry.

From the start, the comedian must take stock of his strengths and weaknesses and build his persona using that analysis. He can start by developing his comic persona patterned after his favorite comedians or based on what he does best.

There are different areas where comedians can establish their careers. Some can go into comedian hosting, events hosting, stand up comedy, stage plays or even the movies. There are many opportunities available for comedians who have the talent and are willing to improve their craft to make his audience happy.

Developing a certain persona means having that certain aura that distinguishes him from the other comedians who may be at par or even way beyond his talent and comic skills. Take for example the different comedians who have starred in movies. When their names are mentioned something clicks in the mind and it is easily associated with their persona.

Finding the persona that fits the comedian isn’t a one shot deal. He can’t just decide to be this person and then he is. Persona is developed over time and with lots of research and hard work. It is related to the quality of performance delivered by the comedian whenever he has to go on stage and entertain people.

It is advisable to get as many comments from various people as to how the comedian appears to them. Most often, it is the audience including both fans and critiques who will be able to tell the persona of the comedian.

Once that persona has been developed, the comedian should stick to that persona and exaggerate it as much as possible so that it leaves a mark on the minds of his audience. This persona will separate him from the rest of the aspiring comedians and can be his ticket to success.

A person who can make people laugh may just have future career in show business! He can be a host of corporate events, pageants and other occasions and events that requires wit and personality.

It isn’t easy to become a good comedian even if a person is gifted with gab and with and the matching personality to boot. He mustn’t rely on his talent alone but must undergo training and coaching to make it big in the wild world of show business.

Telling jokes can be a fun way to pass the time but what if the comedian can make it a career? Then, he will be able to earn money depending of course on his talent and his contacts. Comedians also require managers who can book them for shows.

Of course, anyone who is good at making other people laugh can get as much enjoyment from his antiques. One good thing about telling jokes professionally is that a person can become rich and famous but not necessarily in that order!

Who wouldn’t give anything just to earn money by enjoying himself and entertaining other people? A comedian doing his rounds for money has to be more professional and he should get the services of a comedy coach if he wants to last in the industry.

While money will always be a primary consideration, comedians also get a lift from knowing that people enjoy them. Comedians also get the needed boost when they realize they are already famous and are being recognized on the street.

The life of a comedian isn’t easy considering that he has to catch up with the latest in politics, in the economy and in almost all aspects of life. Comedy is all about life itself so a comedian must be an expert on what life s all about.

While such a career can be tough and very challenging, most comedians will admit that they indeed live a fruitful and a worthwhile life. Some remain in this career for the sake of money and fame but others are into comedy because they love to make other people happy.

Male comedians are also a big thing among women no matter how they look like. Women in general love men who can make them laugh so being funny is a plus point for a comedian, not to mention the career and the pay.

Comedians trying to break into show business are a dime a dozen. And once a comedian becomes successful in his chosen career, it doesn’t mean that it will be forever. Only those who are truly gifted and who exert effort to improve their craft and their personalities continue to make waves and money for a long time.

A person may have the gift of making other people laugh but it takes guts and training to become a successful comedian. Anyone who thinks he is funny enough to warrant a second look and to start a career in stand up comedy or in other fields should take the necessary steps to improve his performance.

Most comedians know how to make their own acts because almost everyone of them started their careers as a one-man or one-woman company. This means that doing comedy is a lonely job because it requires the comedian to conceptualize and write his own script and then act it out alone.

People say that it is harder to make people laugh than to make them cry. This shows how challenging the work of a comedian is especially if he has to perform at times when he doesn’t even feel funny. Learning to do that is just one part of being a comedian.

Those who are just starting out their careers as comedians should watch as many comedian shows as possible. Watching other comedians perform either live or through recorded shows would give the comedian a new insight which can help him improve his performance.

Watching comedian live shows, comedian movies and other endeavors involving comedians would help him build his career out of the mistakes and the strengths of his colleagues. There is a fine line between being funny and being gross and insensitive and a comedian will only learn his mistakes by watching and observing the performances of other comedians.

There are different types of comedy and a comedian can choose to focus on any of these types depending on this tastes and capability to execute the comedy. Some comedians can however get away with a mixture of these types of comedy.

A comedian can opt to do black comedy which is related to the dark side including death, rape and other stark realities of life. Some comedians profit from imitating famous personalities, and exaggerating their quirks. Others however stick to the slapstick comedy which uses body movements to tickle the funny bones of their audience.

Once a comedian has chosen his forte then he can watch other comedians and observe how they perform. However, he should refrain from copying the techniques or the styles of other comedians because this would make him a copycat and lessens his chances of becoming a success.

Putting on a comedy act is never an easy task. That is because making people laugh is a tedious and serious matter. A joke can invoke endless laughter on a person but not in another.

That way, the greatest challenge a comedian must face is the challenge of making his jokes and antics click not just to a few of the audiences but basically to almost all of them.

Surely, you can never please everybody, and no matter how seasoned and experienced a comedian, there would still be flaws that would inevitably rise up from his performance.

The audience’s preference is also ever-changing. With the emergence of many other forms of media portals, a joke can be overexposed to a wider scope of audience. Thus, the audience tends to be weary and seeks out other, newer jokes.

Experts advise comedians and would-be-comedians to take ample preparation prior to the performance to make sure a comedy session would be a sure hit.

You would be amazed to know that even seasoned comedians prepare their own material. Material is somehow like a script that a comedian has to memorize for presentation.

The significant actions, props, sequences and special instructions are also indicated in the material. Thus, it becomes the standard and necessary guide that would help the comedian put on the act smoothly and effectively.

Writing the Material

It isn’t easy to write comedy material. Comedians would certainly and easily agree that performing is much easier compared to writing a comedy material.

That is because writing material is a special and tedious task that would require the writer to focus, brainstorm, solicit ideas from others and think insanely of ways that would surely be funny to other people.

Here are some simple guidelines that would help you write your own comedy material.

o Know your audience. This is the first and most basic requirement when you are about to write a comedy material. To know the audience, be prepared to know something about their demographics, their likes and dislikes, their culture, their religion and all basic information about them. By doing so, you will be able to write jokes or punch lines that would be appropriate and funny.
o Know your ability and be familiar with your own performance technique. Of course, you shouldn’t write material that you think you can’t properly and funnily execute. Know your audience and know your capabilities. Be humble and honest and accept your limitations as a performer.
o Brainstorm. Hold conversations with people. Observe the streets. Eavesdrop. Think of funny experiences. There are many venues and experiences where you could base the material you are writing about.
o Avoid offensive jokes. Sexist, racist and anti-religion jokes are taboos when it comes to comedy performances.
o Recycle old jokes by modifying them or putting on new twists, characters or venues. That way, though a joke would seem too cliché, the audience won’t easily recognize them and would be trapped to laugh at the recycled joke, without their full awareness.

Hiring a Free Lancer

There are times when a comedian seems to have run out of ideas for his own material. That is healthy. There also come times when the comedian has to pause and take rest from writing his own performance material.

That is like a battery recharging, and would ensure the comedian won’t run out of fresh ideas.

Collaboration with good materials writer would also be of good advantage because the comedian is exposed to a different forms of concepts and ideas.

It would be healthy because the audience would find variation and diversity in the comedian’s general performance.

To hire a free lancer, you should take recommendations from peers. Also make sure the free lance writer is experienced in doing such tasks.

If you are a comedian who is adept in maintaining and boosting his own image and track-record, be sure not to easily rely on untested materials from free lancers.

Either you write your own material or hire a free-lancer to do so, you should take heart in comedy and performance before you attempt to perform in front of an audience.

One of the best risks to take in trying to get your break in the comedy industry is to go to open mike performances. These are free events, and different rules will usually apply depending on the place where the open mike performance is being held.

First off, just what is an open mike performance? And if your reply is that it’s the opposite of a closed mike performance, you just earned yourself a swift kick in the butt. Seriously, it’s an event held in a club or hosted by a comedy group that allows aspiring comedians (and bored people in the audience) the opportunity to go on stage and perform stand up comedy for a set period of time, usually lasting 5 to 15 minutes.

Some open mike events are very informal, and these are the ones you’ll want to go to first if you’re not confident yet or inexperienced at stand up comedy. The more informal events are held at comedy clubs where, on those nights, anyone from the audience can just jump up on stage and start jamming. The advantage to this? You can bomb, and nobody will really care much – though your confidence will definitely take a massive hit if you do. Unless you bomb worse than your grandmother after prunes, in which case the audience may decide to shower you with (hopefully non physical) abuse.

On the other hand, informal open mike comedy at clubs means you don’t have to arrange anything like you would with a formal gig, and gives you plenty of practice with a non demanding crowd that (hopefully) won’t be throwing cutlery at you. You can refine your technique in this fashion, and improve over time as you lose your stage shyness and become comfortable performing in front of a crowd. Just pray that on the nights you do this, you don’t get a crowd with the attitude of a school of hungry piranhas…

The disadvantage to open mike comedy at clubs is that the odds of getting noticed are moderately slim. It makes good practice, but rarely will you expect to run into agents and talent scouts who can help you break into the bigtime at these places. Yes, we’ve all heard the stories of people discovered by talent scouts while performing at a club. But those are few and far in between, and we have to assume that any talent agents going to the clubs you’ll be performing at will be busier getting a nookie out of their dates than actually listening to you.

More formal open mike comedy events take the form of a contest of sorts. Some people actually enter these events for kicks. However if you’re seriously considering a career in the comedy industy, don’t enter these contests unless you’re confident onstage. These events are usually hosted by one organization or another, and the audience WILL include invited talent scouts and managers who will be there in a working capacity, looking for raw meat – oops, I mean fresh talent – to bring into their coteries. You definitely want to make a good impression at these events.

These contests will usually have dozens of comedians all out there to win recognition, and if you want to get into the industry fast, this is where you pull out all the stops and use your best material. Depending on your personal attitude, you can either go into this for the sheer fun of the experience, or think of it as a war against the other comedians, with witticism as your weapon. Doing well at these events, wether you win or not, may earn you the attention of a talent scout and get you the break you’ve been looking for. Unless the managers and agents in the crowd brought along their dates from the clubs where you performed open mike before, in which case they’ll STILL be trying to get a nookie…

Finding an open mike event is easy enough. Surf the net, and check your local papers for news anouncement of open mike comedy events. If you’ve also got a bar which you frequently get plastered at (and hopefully get a lot of nookies), you can even talk to the owners and get them into the scheme, having them host an open mike contest where you can strut your stuff.

Entertaining people is a very serious task. That is the reason why entertainers are highly regarded by people. It isn’t easy to engage people to stick to an act and pay attention to what an entertainer does for them.

People say it is harder to make an audience laugh than to make them cry. Experts and professional entertainers would readily support this assertion.

Perhaps, one of the main reasons why it is harder to pull out a good comedy act is the diverse taste and preference of people. There are a number of factors that attribute to the diversity of people’s tastes when it comes to appreciating comedy acts.

Culture and personal beliefs are among those reasons. The task of comedians is made even more complicated when their acts are to be watched by people who belong to different cultures and religious beliefs.

For example, there are comedy acts that depict the Muslim religious practices in a light and humorous manner. This kind of comedy act may be fun and hilarious to Western people, but Muslim audiences may react differently, or worse, violently.

Aspiring comedians find relief that to be a good comedian, one doesn’t need to be gorgeous nor voluptuous, not unlike if one aims to be dramatic actress or a singer. In comedy, it is ironic that the audience tends to appreciate less beautiful performers.

It isn’t that often that good comedians are also as appealing physically as their counterparts in other forms of entertainment. However, with the seemingly evolving entertainment scene, audiences’ preferences are becoming less and less predictable.

Whatever it takes, a good talent and natural humor are the key passports to becoming a really effective comedian.

Knowing the six styles of comedy

Before getting into the business, it is imperative that an aspiring comedian know the basics about the kind of task he will undergo. Comedy is the business of making people laugh, but it sure is a very serious one.

Comedians come and go. That is why if you aim to be a good one, and last in the industry, you should be able to hone your skills more and invest in knowledge about the basic styles of comedy.

To start with, there are six basic styles of comedy. However, by knowing each one of them, you will find that those styles have been born out of the early forms of comedy, from past decades, even centuries.

Take note that the original form of comedy branched out from the theaters in early Greece. Those forms of comedy are far different and profound than the form popular in the contemporary modern times. But, they would still be of great help.

Which style is for you?

Black comedy is a style when comedians make fun of serious situations like sickness, terror, rape, war, death and the likes. In the early form of theaters, such style was greatly appreciated by audiences. Nowadays, some people find it distasteful.

Satire is a style of comedy that is somehow profound and is hitting a serious statement beyond the hilarious antics and dialogues. Political satires are common forms of this style. People surely love to laugh about the funny mannerisms and features of a political personality they love to hate.

Sarcasm is one element always present in this comedy style. Spoofs of personalities also fall under the category satire. When a comedy act is executed to ridicule another work, a novel, movie or television show, the style ceases to be satire but is termed parody.

An adage is a style of comedy that is hard to pull off. Usually, adages contain jargons and are aimed to make fun of ethical guidelines, principles, folk wisdom, proverbs and culture.

The fifth style would be irony. Usually, irony is depicted when a character intends one result and then ends up doing something else. For example, the story of Romeo and Juliet, can be spoofed and made hilarious, but the irony there is evident.

Lastly, you should know about alternative comedy, which is undoubtedly the most popular style of comedy. It is this style of comedy that defines the modern comedy antics popularized by sitcoms and movies.

Alternative comedy makes use of comic situations and languages to be able to tickle the audience’s senses. Slapsticks also branched out from this style of comedy.

To be able to put up a good comedy performance, you could make use of one style or mix and match them so you could offer a wider array of comedic antics to your audience.

Remember, to be a good comedian, you should love laughter, but you shouldn’t make the situation light because comedy is, indeed, a serious business.

Getting a stage name is a choice most people in the entertainment industry have to think about. As we all know, a stage name is a name an actor, musician, artist, or comedian gets and uses on stage for his or her performances. There are many different reasons why people get stage names, and some of them are even serious, like the people whose parents had a little too much hash back in the 70’s when they were trying to come up with original-sounding names for their kids. Still, in the comedy industry, having an amusing and unusual name is actually an advantage.

Some of the more serious reasons for taking a stage name include having the same or a similar sounding name to a famous personality. There’s nothing worse than trying to get booking for your comedy act when your name sounds like that of a famous porn star, for example. Yeah, I guess it WOULD generate a bit of extra publicity, but is it actually worth the extra aggravation when the crowd that turns out for your performance comes to your show expecting a different kind of “performance?” Naaaaah.

Then there are those guys whose names are pronounced like the sound made by a cat getting it’s tail mangled in the dryer. Yes, people might get a laugh out of your name, but will that really contribute to the rest of your act? You can’t just go introducing yourself every 60 seconds to keep the audience laughing. And keep in mind that comedians get part of their publicity by word of mouth. Word of mouth becomes very difficult when the people who found you funny have to make 10 attempts to get your name right when they’re telling their friends to see your show.

Another reason for getting a stage name is if, by a cruel twist of fate, your parents had a sense of humor even more warped than yours. If that’s the case, they might have decided to give you a name that sounds like an obscenity, like Mike Hunt… If this is the case, it’s a fifty fifty if you want to take a stage name or not, depending on whether your humor runs to the wonky. Just keep in mind that you’ll have a hard time getting bookings for gigs at places that run to “clean” humor if the owners think your real name is a stage name that you took on to advertise off-color humor.

Then there are the guys whose parents chose dorky names (Guilty! And no, I won’t tell you what my real name is!). Getting a stage name is, in my opinion, a prerequisite for you if you feel you fall into this category. Heck, getting a legal name change sounds like an option to me, depending on how dweeby your parent’s name of choice.

In any case, if you do decide to get a stage name, make sure that it’s one that not only appeals to you, but that it’s one that is catchy, easy to pronounce, and easy to remember. You want your stage name to be something that people can recall at the drop of a hat, and will be able to tell others about without having to wrack their brains. This kicks up the odds that you’ll be remembered by people. Of course, this won’t help your career at all if your act sucks anyway, in which case you can at least move to another city and assume your real name again when you get laughed out of town for bombing.

On the opposite note of bombing, if we assume that your act is a success, getting a stage name also helps not just in the recognition game. Because your name will sound “cool” (it better be, you’re the one who picked it this time, not your folks, bubba!) it’s actually legal to have your stage name changed into your real legal name. You can now have the name you’ve always wanted! Unless of course your own warped sense of humor made you pick a stage name that’s dweeby, obscene, or unpronouncable, in which case your application for an official name change may be rejected outright or will, at the very least, be delayed for several decades by people debating on whether something like Ihaveapurplebunghole Wannasee is a valid and legal name for another human being.

A good comedian always strives to be better, to give better lines with better timing and delivery after each gig. One of the ways a comedian can be able to hone his skills further is to review his past gigs by taping them.

Some comedians would definitely argue that there is no need to tape their sets, especially if they are experienced. They would argue that it disrupts the natural process by which a comedian acquires certain skills through maturity and wisdom. However, we should also see that taping a set is a tool which can rapidly enhance a comedian’s skills.

Here are some of the advantages of taping your set if you are a comedian:

a) A clear recording will capture the intangible factors which can make or break a performance

Factors such as timing and execution of the lines are some of the things that one can see (or hear, for that matter) by reviewing a tapped gig. Watching out for lull moments is also a good thing to do when you are listening to your tapes. Sometimes, these lull moments are necessary for building up the anticipation and sometimes, they are just plainly not needed.

b) The recording will let you review the tangible factors that are important to your performance

If you have a video camera, then it is really advisable to use that instead of a tape recorder. Reviewing your performance using multimedia recordings is so much better than reviewing it with plain audio recordings. You can see the reactions of the people to certain lines and to the whole thing in general.

You can definitely use an ordinary recorder to be able to check if your intonation and the constant changes in your voice’s volume are okay. It’s very important to take these factors in mind and not just concentrate on your material.

c) A performance is always unique, so you’d better tape it

If you tape all of your performances, then you have the opportunity to properly document your progress as time goes by. You can also use them to build a collection which you can share with your loved ones.

d) Taped performances are marketing tools

If you would like to get more gigs, then taping your acts is a preliminary step towards creating a great marketing tool. You can spread the tapes across to different comedy clubs in town or perhaps in other places. You can easily build a fan-base by uploading your recordings on a website where you can also post your gig schedules.

What’s not to love about taping your gigs? If you are convinced that you will greatly benefit from recording your gigs, then you’re probably asking about the proper way of recording them. “Do I go analog or digital?”

Some of the digital recorders today aren’t as versatile as the old-fashioned tape recorders out there. Some of these digital ones don’t capture the warmth of a certain performance and have a tendency to pick up distorted signals. However, these devices are so much easier to use if you are familiar with them. Once recorded, there is no need to convert the files and you can easily upload the material. Ordinary tape recorders can do just fine but once you are finished taping, you have to manually convert these files into digital format which requires additional time.

If you are using an analog tape recorder, you can use the default “sound recorder” program of Windows or other audio mixing programs to digitalize your recording. You also need a cable which connects to the earphone slot from your recorder to the line in socket in your computer. This cable can be bought from any Radioshack or electronics store. You may need to adjust the volume from your recorder so as to avoid getting muffled sounds from the process. Finally, you should convert your digitalized .wav file to an mp3 file so as to minimize the size of the file.

Remember to tape your gigs. It’s very important to document the gigs because it is the only sure-fire way of reviewing your performance and yourself on stage.

Comedy is tough. The world of comedy doesn’t start and end with the audience laughing. The craft of making people laugh is constantly evolving and should regularly be honed so the comedian will develop a staying power.

Performing on stage is truly tiring and pressuring. Even seasoned comedians sometimes find several types of audiences hard to please. When performing, comedians should always be ready for the possibilities that may arise.

No one can please everyone, comedians know that a joke or antic that has made some people laugh might not even make other people smile. That is a hard reality about comedy. No material is good for all.

There are many forms of entertainment and media platforms that become potent and effective venues for comedy acts. For example, some comedians are effective in acting out their antics through television sitcoms.

There are people who are into mimes, while others act funnily on stage. One form of comedy that is rapidly gaining popularity nowadays is what the entertainment industry calls stand up or open-mike comedy.

The performance and the audience

Stand up or open mike comedy acts are currently the most popular form of comedy acts because it is interactive. The audience feels that every joke or act performed by stand up comedians are always fresh. Indeed, they are true.

The freshness of every open mike act comes with the motivation the comedian readily gets from the audience. Of course, good and receptive audience will always motivate a performer to do better and have more energy.

Fresh ideas will also come out of the comedian’s mind during open mike sessions. That is because interaction with the audience almost creates that uncanny energy for the comedian to put up a spontaneous and natural act.

Stand up comedians also invoke laughter by ridiculing or making fun of the audience, a formula which other people find as offensive, but is always almost hilarious.

Feedback from the audience is very important and inspiring. Thus, open-mike comedians are always recharged upon hearing comments from the audience.

Should do and shouldn’t do, a simple checklist

There are practical should-do and should-not-do pointers that would help every comedian, especially the beginners, to overcome any obstacle while performing, and generally pull out a good and outstanding comedy act.

The should do list:

o Prepare and master you material.
o Know the audience, the demographics, the culture, races and religion. Avoid cracking jokes and antics that could seem offensive to some of them.
o Prepare necessary props and costumes. Such items will enhance the presentation and create a good impression that the comedian really took time to prepare for the act.
o Observe proper timing when throwing out punch lines or executing comic acts.
o Develop an effective and striking rapport with the audience. This connection could be the key to opening up the hearts of the audience and setting their moods open to your hilarious antics.
o Never run out of jokes. Do adlibs. Have spare jokes in case some of the items in your material doesn’t work, or in case the audience screams for more.

Now, after knowing some of the recommended should-do, take note of the following shouldn’t do’s:

o Recycle old materials or borrow from peers. Plagiarize or steel materials and ideas of fellow comedians.
o Disregard the demographics and basic personal information about the audience.
o Come as you are. No need for special props and materials. Just rely on the verbal approach.
o Crack jokes out of the moment.
o Perform as if you are doing a monologue or saying out loud memorized material.
o Stick to the tried and tested jokes. Don’t attempt to inject in spot of the moment jokes and adlibs because the audience may not appreciate them.

How to handle hecklers

Aside from performing and getting the attention of the audience, the comedian should also develop the skill to handle possible disruptions from hecklers.

Inevitably, there will always be disturbances and unscrupulous people who would test the talents of the comedian or just aim to sabotage the entire performance.

A good comedian should always be prepared for such people and instances. The simplest and most effective measure would be to go on and pay little attention to the disruption.

If the heckler keeps on and grabs the attention of the audience, the comedian could be spontaneous and make a funny conversation that would be seen as a natural flow of funny events.

Otherwise, the security guards would always be on the look out, in case the comedian could not handle the unruly hecklers anymore.