Ethics Pop Quiz

Your brunch check comes, and there's $100 in the binder with it....

What do you do?

Comedy Work Ethics

Leighann Lord, a comedian I've mentioned here before, who I just adore, on reading my blog recently commented to me that I had a good work ethic. In addition to this being a delightful compliment from someone I greatly respect, it got me thinking. What exactly are my work ethics as comic?

Since long before I thought about doing comedy myself, for years, I have enjoyed stand-up at the clubs here in New York City. Now that I'm a comic, these places have changed for me. They're no longer just places of entertainment for me, they are my workplace. Don't get me wrong. They're a workplace I cherish! But they're my workplace just the same.

So here are my rules for myself. As with all sets of ideals, they are lofty. I am certain I will not live up to them all the time. But I will strive to abide by these as best as I'm able.

MY COMEDY WORK ETHICS

1. I will maintain a professional image and demeanor at all times.
   
2. I will not step foot in a comedy club, whether I'm booked or not, without being dressed to perform.
3. I will dress to perform, as recommended by my second coach Jim Mendrinos, "a little better than you dress for a date." This dress code is part of a larger ethic.
   
4. The audience has come for "a show". Dressing well is part of showing my appreciation to the audience for coming to see me in person, instead of staying home and watching Comedy Central.
   
5. Regardless of the size of the audience or the status of the venue, I will give my all. I will perform to the best of my ability, with the best energy I have to give.
   
6. I will seek to bring the best and strongest aspects of my personality on stage.
   
7. I also feel an obligation to the club management to deliver. Yes, I will try new material. But I will also ensure I deliver the laughs. That means being aware of what's happening in the room before I go on, during the show. It means being aware of the composition and attitude of the audience. It means responding to how they are reacting to material. It means adapting as best as I'm able to the situation and using every means at my disposal to deliver the laughs.
8. I will be prepared. New material will have been written down, edited and rehearsed before it is performed the first time.
   
9. I will be prepared. I will have a written set list before I go on stage, every time. I will do my best to commit my set list to memory. I will not refer to my set list nor will I use notes on stage unless unusual circumstances make it absolutely necessary.
10. Benjamin Franklin said, "Let thy discontents be thy secrets." I will keep petty complaints to myself. I will be appreciative to management for the opportunity to perform, courteous to the staff, and respectful of the venue and other the acts.
11. I will make an effort to learn people's names.
    
12. I will seek the advice and opinions of those with experience. I will be open to constructive criticism. I will listen to notes and feedback with an open mind, without interrupting, offering excuses or making objections. After receiving notes I will write them down. I reflect and consider their merits after leaving the club.
13. I will be confident.
    
14. I will be humble. (Confidence and humility are not incompatible. True confidence is quiet, understated. True confidence knows its own strengths and weaknesses and through humility is open to improvements. Arrogance leaves no room for either humility or improvement. Arrogance is actually insecurity pretending to be confidence.)
    
15. And not to be forgotten, I have obligations to myself. In my act, I will talk about things about which I care, matters of consequence. If I fulfill the obligation I have to the audience to deliver the laughs I earn the right to have an agenda. I may be political. I may tell stories. I'm entitled to do whatever I want, as long as I deliver "the show" as my first priority.
    
16. I will try something new at every performance. I will learn something new at every performance. "Something new" may mean new material. Or it may simply be a new attitude, a new emotion, a new vocal inflection, or even something as small as new body language. But no matter how small, I will seek to move forward artistically with every show.
    
17. I will trust my own judgment and instincts.
    
18. I will remember the reasons why I became a comic and let that passion drive me.
    
19. I will remember that while I am on stage, the goal of comedy is not fame, glamour or money, but to bring some laughter into the lives of my audience. And when I am successful at that goal, I will share in their pleasure.
    
20. I will cut myself some slack. I will forgive myself my failures. I will allow myself to be ... in a word ... human.
    
21. And last, but first in importance, and necessary to fulfill everything above, I will enjoy myself.

Good grief! 21! This list turned out to be so much longer than I expected. I could spend my whole life trying to live up to these. I guess I'll get started.

No doubt these will change over time. But they strike me as plenty for now.