Guest post from John Gallagher:
I moved to San Francisco from Reno, Nevada six years ago. As a comedian, the city always had this mythic quality--it is the city that birthed comedy legends like Dana Carvey, Margaret Cho, and Robin Williams. While nowadays the city is overrun by tech and you can find yourself paying 3,700 a month for a studio the size of a walk-in-closet, San Francisco has retained its sense of humor. The comedy scene here is thriving--new comedians can find an open mic nearly every night from The Sunset to North Beach, there’s a scene for all kinds of comedians, and there are clubs that you can catch a few of those legends in the making. These are a few of the best reasons to do stand up comedy in San Francisco.
Plenty of Performing Opportunities
One of the best things about performing stand up in the Bay Area is that you can perform every night of the week. A great resource to use is the Facebook group BACN (pronounced 'bacon') which has over 10,000 members and provides show information, last minute gigs, and lists of open mics for comedians new and old.
I first heard of BACN at an open mic as a new comic in the area and within a day of joining, I had my first paid gig. I have always found this community of comedians to be incredibly supportive, despite all of the sarcastic personalities. Forming relationships in stand up is super important and nearly every performing opportunity will come from the connections you make.
The audiences range from weird to weirder (in the best way)
Through the years, I have performed in cafes, laundromats, living rooms, sex clubs, movie theaters, Segway tour offices etc, because all stand up comedy needs is an a microphone, a person with some thoughts (good or bad), and an audience. San Francisco is a place where any random venue might decide to try out a comedy night. Sometimes not even a microphone is needed. All of these different crowds help you cultivate material and teach you how to make people laugh, no matter what weird situation you find yourself in.
Even though there are a lot of weird venues that support comedy, the rich tradition of standup in San Francisco has also allowed for some amazing showcases to display the great talent in the city. Two of these showcases are The Setup, in the Tenderloin District, and Cheaper Than Therapy, off Union Square. Both venues have featured performers that have been on Stephen Colbert, Saturday Night Live and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Performing on either of these shows gives you the opportunity to be in front of the best audiences outside of the big clubs and feature a great mix of up-and-coming comics as well as scene veterans.
Freedom to Experiment
Just outside of the eyes of the industry, San Francisco is actually a boon to performers looking to find their voice in an environment that allows for failure and the chance to take risks on stage and in their career. In New York and LA, the pressure for industry success forces comics to perform their best material at all times because you never know if an agent or manager is in the audience who could make or break your career. In San Francisco, this lack of industry gives you the opportunity for experimentation. Want to try a new persona? Give it a shot. Bomb a showcase? Keep working at open mics until you get another opportunity. As long as other comics see you working hard, people will give you a shot. This supportive environment is a reason people find the city difficult to leave.
The San Francisco Punch Line
The San Francisco Punch Line is featured at the end of the new Dave Chappelle special “Sticks and Stones” and Chappelle cites the room as his favorite comedy club in the country. The club has been an important part of the comedy community since 1978. Becoming a regular performer in the club is a rite of passage and its reputation as one of the best comedy clubs in the country allows newer comedians to see some of the best talent in stand up comedy working today. Michelle Wolf, Dave Attell, and Bill Burr along with many more have all performed at the club on their way to superstardom. For a comic performing in the Bay, watching people at this talent level is an invaluable masterclass as you start your own career.
