Fellow comics, I know what you’re saying right this minute…WHAT IN THE WORLD IS HOSTLINING? How do I hostline a comedy show?? If you’ve never heard this term before, let me break it down for you. It’s the act of headlining a comedy show with the art of controlling the crowd with freestyle. If you don’t know what freestyling is – it’s basically going off the dome (top of your head) and making up the material as you go. It’s fun and equally difficult. It’s challenging but equally rewarding. The key to effectively hostlining is to be fearless and creative. We have a million useless thoughts in our heads that usually have no place in regular conversation, but in the comedy world, it’s gold.
Here are some examples of useless material that would be perfect on stage
Sitcom theme songs, funny commercial songs and catch phrases, your dirty sexual thoughts, your most random thoughts (how I would get away with murder or how could I get the chick/guy in the 3rd row into my bed), the characteristics of people or animals that are similar to people you know, your favorite songs and your horrible hygiene. Remember, no matter how nasty you are, someone in the audience is just as nasty. Nothing is beyond mentioning when hostlining.
Be Unapologetic In Your Delivery
Just like stand up comedy itself, hostlining requires you to do one major thing…be willing to jump off the cliff and hope you can fly. It’s scary. It’s absolutely terrifying but once you get past the fear factor, you can soar. You will be audacious in your approach and unapologetic in your delivery. Remember, our biggest fear on that stage is that no one will like us or find us funny. It’s the chance you take when deciding on a career in comedy. Everyday is different and every crowd is different. Being able to effectively reinvent yourself while in the moment allows you to possibly be successful on a night that could have been a complete bomb.
The one thing to understand about hostlining is that, unlike a well-written set, there will be dips in laughter. This will happen simply because you are riffing and in the moment. The key is to understand your crowd and create a rapport with them, find the elephants in the room and remember the major details of audience members for callbacks (names, jobs, marital status, funny names, etc.).
What I like to do in my mind is find the themes of the room. The first theme would be to find out what the event is about (fundraiser, birthday party, anniversary or whatever). The next bit of info I collect would be the crowd demographic (age, married or single, older crowd, younger, professional, etc.). Lastly, is the ethnicity and race percentages of my crowd. I find out the room’s themes in a matter of 30 seconds to a minute by simply asking. I leave little to chance. This quickly includes the audience and we now have a banter going between us. Once a crowd is comfortable and accepting of you, it gives you carte blanche to be you and wild out.
Oh, and just to keep this in perspective…this only works with the kind of crowd that is interactive. If the crowd isn’t reciprocating the energy you need to effectively banter, bail out. A true professional knows when hostlining ain’t working and it’s time to go the “material” route.
Remember, the ability to hostline is a gift. If you’re good at it, it can accentuate your act like you wouldn’t believe!
Oh by the way…
