Promoting Your Improv Show

Improv shows are a dime a dozen in LA. Here's a list of "don'ts" to help you effectively promote your gig.

When you live in LA, you're friends with a lot of actors and you inevitably get invited to 6 improv shows a week. I turn down 99% of these requests based solely on the info on the flier. If you want people to show up to your gig, I recommend you heed the following:

-Don't perform at a venue that has words like "laugh," or "ha ha" in the title. This implies that the only time these sounds will actually be heard throughout the evening will be when the MC repeatedly mentions the name of the club. I'm sorry, but I'm simply not driving out to Pasadena to spend a entire night in a place called The Chuckle Hutch.

-When naming your troupe, don't use the buzzwords like "improv" or "comedy," and for the love of God don't use a Simpsons reference or make it rhyme. It's like naming your ska band something like "The Ska-shank Redemption." It's a douche move and I'm not going.

(Editor's note: I'm a big fan of SSR. Is that wrong?)

-Even if your group is good, watching 2 hours of terrible improv groups before you makes me want to murder you and all of your fellow joke-sters. Just tell me when your set starts. I know this goes against the actor's code, and if I'm willing to come see my friends I should be willing to experience the other groups as a sign of artistic support blah blah blah blah blah rage punch stab run.

By the way, if you're free Wednesday night at 11:15, my group "The Chortle Squirrels" is doing 10 minutes at Happy Harry's House of Ha Ha-larity. 3 drink minimum and you have to bring your own drinking glass.