Your Guide to Finding an Open Mic

 
Whether you are a budding comedianne or comedian or just testing out your funny bone, check out these local venues that offer open mic and amateur night opportunities:

Ohio

Go Bananas Comedy Club
8410 Market Place Lane
Montgomery, OH 45242-5332
Call (513) 984-9288 or visit Web site for more information
Cost: $8 Thursday ($4 with college ID), $12 Friday, $12 Saturday, $8

In the Pro-Am Night, held every first Wednesday of the month, open mic acts have to bring five people to get five minutes on stage. Contact Jeff at jeff@gobananascomedy.com or call (513) 956-1947 for details.

Columbus Funny Bone Comedy Club & Cafe
145 Easton Town Center
Columbus, OH 43219
Call (614) 471-5653 or visit Web site for more information
Cost: $10

The Columbus Comedy Competition features local comedians competing for recognition as the funniest person in Columbus. The winner of the Open Mic division for amatuer comics will receive a cash prize and a guest set in front of a national touring act. Contact Rick Tempesta at (614) 208-8390 or e-mail him.

Wiley’s Comedy Niteclub
101 Pine Street
Dayton, OH 45402
Call (937) 224-JOKE (5653) or visit Web site for more information
Cost: $5 Thursday and Sunday, $10 Friday and $12 Saturday

Wiley’s Open-Mic Night is most Sunday nights from 8 p.m.- 8:30 p.m., followed by its regularly scheduled show. They have a “Bring Five for Five” setup that if performers bring five audience members along, they are guaranteed five minutes of stage time (there’s a limit of six spots available with five minutes of stage time.)

Dayton Funny Bone Comedy Club & Restaurant at The Greene
88 Plum Street, Suite 200
Beavercreek, OH 45440
Call (937) 429-LAFF (5233) or visit Web site for more information
Cost: $5

Amateur/open mic is every Wednesday, except for the second Wednesday of the month and there’s even a Future Legends of Comedy night which features a variety of twelve different amateur comics. Brag to all your friends that you saw these comics before they made it BIG!

Northern Kentucky

The Funny Bone on the Levee Comedy Club and Restaurant
Gallery Building, Mezzanine Level
Newport on the Levee
1 Levee Way
Newport, KY 41071
Call (859) 957-2000 or visit Web site for more information

In the Funny Bone’s open mic called Clash of the Comics, stand-ups have five minutes to wow the crowd with original acts without using the F-word. The next Clash is scheduled for Wednesday, April 2 at 7:30 p.m. Call (859) 957-2000 for more details.

Want to take lessons on how to be funny? Want to have the wit and timing to work humor into social conversations? Want to see if you actually do have a “funny bone?” Then consider attending the Funny Bone’s Comedy Class.

Mahogany’s Coffee House & Bar
3715 Winston Avenue
Latonia, KY 41015
Call (859) 261-1029 or visit Web site for more information

Every Monday, starting at 6 p.m. is Open Mic which is open to any comedian wanting to try their act and get exposure. Try out your comedic chops tonight!

Improv Comedy
Have a flair for improv comedy? Then check out these local troupes that are always looking for new members:

Wits End Comedy
Know Theatre of Cincinnati
1120 Jackson St.
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Call (513) 312-6867 or visit Web site for more information

Founded in June 2000, Wits End pioneered Cincinnati’s first ever improv comedy festival. For more information about the troupe contact them here.

8th Floor Improv
Drexel Grandview Theatre
1247 Grandview Ave
Columbus, OH 43212
Call (614) 486-7229 or visit Web site for more information

The name of the group comes from the fact that many of the founding members lived together on the eighth floor of their residence hall, during their freshman year (2002-2003) at The Ohio State University.

Spring Quarter auditions is Sunday, April 6 from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. If you’ve ever wanted to try out your comedy chops, this is the perfect chance. No experience is necessary, so come on out and bring a friend!

Also, check out the group’s Second Annual ImprovFest, Saturday, April 5, 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m., which will showcase the comedic talents of four schools.

The Cleveland Improv Comedy Club & Restaurant
2000 Sycamore St.
Cleveland, OH 44113
Call (216) 696-4677 or visit Web site for more information

See Cleveland’s up and coming comedy stars perform live on open mic nights held on the first Tuesday of every month. 

The club also offers Comic Workshops with nationally-recognized comedy coach Dave Schwensen. The April 12 workshop is already sold out; The next one is scehduled for May 31. For more information, call (440) 967-0293. Workshops are limited to 10 participants.

Competitions 

Thirty-two schools from across the U.S. are participating to see who has the funniest stand-up comedians and comedy filmmakers in the country. Xavier University students and Ohio State University students are going head to head at the 2008 Rooftop Comedy National College Comedy Competition Regional semi-final match ups at Go Bananas on Wednesday, April 9 at 8 p.m. Support these local universities as they represent the O-H-I-O!

Resources

• Want to be a stand-up comic? Check out these tips to help you get your career started.
• Standup Comedy Tips from Judy Carter is a great blog by world renowned comedy guru Judy Carter that shares insights, exercises and ideas to assist others in having a successful career in writing comedy and performing comedy. It is an extension of Carter’s best-selling The Comedy Bible: From Stand-up to Sitcom – The Comedy Writer’s Ultimate “How To” Guide.
• Want to see local and national comics without leaving the comforts of your home? Then check out Rooftop Comedy.

Click here or the play button below for one of my favorite local stand-up acts, Rajiv Satyal, also known as “The Funny Indian” — who was originally born and raised near Cincinnati, but now lives in L.A. Satyal was often heard on various Cincinnati radio stations, seen in many local newspapers and magazines, and found on-stage regularly as an MC and a feature act at Midwest comedy clubs such as Go Bananas.