Anyone in this year's SF Comedy Competition?

[pg13]

Next week is the beginning of the 33rd Annual San Francisco International Stand-Up Comedy Competition. I know this because I'm competing in Preliminary Week One...but I've only heard a couple of rumors of who else might be in it.

I know that Portland is well represented in my week (9/10-9/14)--as Dax Jordan, Tyler Boeh and Kyle Harbert will be criss-crossing the bay area on the same schedule that I'm on. I also know that PRoK-New York is being represented by both Andy Haynes and Rory Scovel in Preliminary Week Two (9/17-9/22).

Any of the SF-based ASTers involved?

Any of the SF-based ASTers want to do lunch while I'm in the area?

Anybody in the area have a guest room they're willing to offer to a Seattle comic who will be keeping late hours?

pg--Looks like it's going to be Super 8 for me!--seattle

[darrylduffy]

Any of the SF-based ASTers involved?

no! do they have a website? where are the shows at?

Any of the SF-based ASTers want to do lunch while I'm in the area?

sure!

Anybody in the area have a guest room they're willing to offer to a Seattle comic who will be keeping late hours?

i wish.

[pg13]

do they have a website? where are the shows at?

Here's the schedule for the entire competition: http://www.sanfranciscocomedycompeti.../Schedule.html

[pg13]

So, I just got the list of the people in Preliminary Week One of this competition.

I'm so dead.

For those of you interested in who will be kicking my ass:

Tyler Boeh, Boston (formerly of Portland)
Boone, San Francisco
Rick D'Elia, Reno (formerly of Boston)
Jason Downs, San Francisco
Peter Greyy, Seattle
Kyle Harbert, Portland
Dax Jordan, Portland
Chris Karney, San Francisco
Tracey MacDonald, Los Angeles
Jason Resler, Sacramento
Christian Reyes, Reno
Andrew Santino, Los Angeles
Jose Sarduy, Miami
Murv Seymour, Tampa
Bethany Therese, Los Angeles
Brent Weinbach, San Francisco

Hosts:
Wednesday & Thursday: Mo Mandel
Friday & Saturday: Johnny Steele
Sunday (two shows): Carrie Snow

pg--And yes, I realize that based on what I've just written that I'm allowing the possibility of me kicking my own ass. Trust me, that's likely.--seattle

PS--Brent Weinbach in a comedy competition (!?!?)...this is going to be a very interesting week!

[scamboogah]

Good luck everybody!

[mary]

hey! I'm not involved in the competition, but I'd like to meet for lunch. And I don't have a guest room, but I have a couch.

[pg13]

Hey Mary...

I'm safely ensconced in San Bruno for the duration. I'd love to do lunch.

Have Ford Focus and will travel (as long as I can get to my gig that night.)

PM me with some digits or some suggested time/places!

pg--And thanks for the offer of the couch. I'll put that in my pocket and remember that for next time.--live from the swankiest super 8 in san bruno

[st.raw]

since you are staying in san bruno i want to make a supercharger reference but i don't think anyone will get it so i won't.

i look forward to hearing your impressions of the half dozen or so comics in your week i haven't heard of.

[KevinLee]

Did anyone see this interview with Brent:
From June 2006 and its pretty good.

[youtube]7PZDk3hb3JM[/youtube]

Bumbershoot
[youtube]4Y2QmBo3SZo[/youtube]
Brent Weinbach Awesome Trophy!!!

[pg13]

2008 SF Comedy Competition--Show One Results

TOP FIVE:

5th--Boone (SF)
4th--Dax Jordan (Portland)
3rd--Murv Seymour (Tampa)
2nd--Jason Downs (SF)
1st--Brent Weinbach (SF)

(Brent's top placing is made more impressive by the fact that he took the bullet spot--he went up first, when judges have nothing to compare him to... Typically, in competitions like this, score inflation is inevitable as a show moves along. Brent just came out and set the bar beyond which any of us could reach it.)


First show down, five more to go.

Show number two is at Cal-State Sonoma's Person Theater.

pg--As predicted, as far as the standings go, I'm in the rear with the gear--seattle

[vheath]

Yay Daxy!!! Good Luck to you Peter!! (and even though Kyle and I are good friends again, post-breakup - feel free to kick him in the kneecaps anytime you'd like).

xo

[scamboogah]

Brent's top placing is made more impressive by the fact that he took the bullet spot--he went up first, when judges have nothing to compare him to...

I have some inside information from one of the judges (a buddy of mine) that refutes this. He gave someone else high marks that went close to the beginning and then regretted it as the show went on because he couldn't give acts that were better much higher marks than he'd already gave.

[KevinLee]

Dear Kevin Lee,
I've never heard of Jason Down's. Could you embed some youtube videos from him?

Thanks in avanced,
Kevin Lee

Dear Kevin Lee,
Sure no problem,
[youtube]yfO0CE1viG4[/youtube]
I love you,
Kevin Lee

[pg13]

I have some inside information from one of the judges (a buddy of mine) that refutes this. He gave someone else high marks that went close to the beginning and then regretted it as the show went on because he couldn't give acts that were better much higher marks than he'd already gave.

That doesn't actually "refute" anything, does it Scammy? I mean, certainly, it's additional information, but it doesn't refute my point that it was impressive that Brent won the night while having taken the bullet. And it doesn't refute my comment that scores tend to inflate as a show goes on--your friend, the judge, even said that they wanted to give later people higher scores but couldn't because they scored early people high.

The question that I'd ask your friend who judged--why didn't they just adjust the scores as they went on? There's nothing stopping judges from changing their scores as the show goes on... If they realized that they hadn't given themselves enough room to properly evaluate each competitor, they could have simply made the adjustments to compensate for that.

(Comedy judges have a pretty impossible job...to evaluate, numerically, the most truly subjective artform in as much of an objective way possible... I've done it...and I've instructed others how to do it in a competition identical to this one--and you just hope that people do their best to use their numbers to share their opinion of what they saw...but no two people will ever see it exactly alike.)

The bottom line...it's not easy to get the top score in the night of a comedy competition if you go first...not impossible, certainly, but not easy...and definitely, it's a feat worthy of commendation.

pg--nevertheless, inside information is cool...and thanks for sharing it Scammy!--san bruno

[pg13]

2008 SF Comedy Competition--Show Two: Sonoma State University
Results

TOP FIVE:

5th--Jason Resler (Sacramento)
4th--Boone (SF)
3rd--Tracey MacDonald (Los Angeles)
2nd--Tyler Boeh (Portland)
1st--Brent Weinbach (SF)

Yes...two in a row for Brent! Tonight, he went up SECOND TO LAST--so, it doesn't seem to matter if he goes up first or nearly last, Brent Weinbach rocks the mic.

Tonight was a hot crowd...young, enthusiastic about everybody that went up...and everybody had great sets... And, I should point out, Mo Mandell rocked it hard, once again in the role of host.


Four more shows to go.

Show number three is in Monterey at the Golden State Theater...with new host, Johnny Steele.

pg--I was much happier with my set tonight. Might not show up in the standings because everyone had good sets, but I'm happier with how I did than I was after the first night's show--seattle

[scamboogah]

Just to be clear...

I wasn't slighting Weinbach or anyone else, PG. If Brent wins, it'll be because he's the funniest comic, period. I was just pointing out that there can be advantages as well as the disadvantages you point out to going up early.

Go Comedy!!, boo everything else....

[pg13]

I was just pointing out that there can be advantages as well as the disadvantages you point out to going up early.

I agree with that, Scammy.

pg--And I agree that Brent can succeed going up anywhere in the order...he's damn good.--san bruno

[pg13]

2008 SF Comedy Competition--Show Three: Golden State Theater, Monterrey
Results

TOP FIVE:

5th--Murv Seymour (Tampa)
4th--Brent Weinbach (SF)
3rd--Rick D'Elia (Boston/Reno)
2nd--Jose Sarduy (Miami)
1st--Tyler Boeh (Portland)

A bit of a shake-up night, standings wise...as Murv and Jose make their reappearance in the Top 5...Rick makes his Top 5 debut...Brent slips from his nightly perch atop the standings...and Tyler reminds everyone that he's the king of the theater shows.

Three more shows to go.

Show number four is in Antioch at the El Campanil Theater...once again, with host, Johnny Steele.

pg--I ended up placing 9th for the show at Sonoma State. Tonight, I felt fine about my set...but a podium finish is looking less and less likely for me, I'm afraid--seattle

[Adult Ed]

2008 SF Comedy Competition--Show Three: Golden State Theater, Monterrey ... Three more shows to go.

With six shows in the competition, are the comics repeating the same set for different audiences, varying their set for a fixed set of judges or somewhere in between?

[pg13]

With six shows in the competition, are the comics repeating the same set for different audiences, varying their set for a fixed set of judges or somewhere in between?

First off, remember...this is just the first preliminary week. After our six shows...another 16 comics get their OWN preliminary week...with their OWN six shows... Then, the top five from my week and the top five from that second week will have ANOTHER six shows...and the top five from THAT week will go on for the FINALS week... (You do more time in the Semi-Finals and more time still in the Finals, as the number of performers go down.)

Second, every show has a different set of judges--usually, but not always, tied in with the venue...so, when we played Sonoma State University, two of the judges were students and one was the local chief of police...

OK, so, with that said...your question is one of the classic challenges of this competition--because, and I say this as a veteran of the Seattle International Comedy Competition which is run the EXACT same way (I competed in that a few years ago, and I've been part of the production staff of that competition every year since), the competition does tend to favor performers who have a solid, stable competition set...but, because you're performing with the same performers...the need to not disappoint your peers is often too strong to resist...and it's hard not to show THEM that you've got more than just the one set you're showing off.

Most competitors will have a solid core...and then make some specific adjustments based on the location of the venue--some add localizations, some may temper how far they push the envelope if they think they'll be playing for either a more adventurous or more uptight crowd...(although, those guesses are made blind by performers who really don't know the audience they'll get...and, you may guess right for the audience but wrong for the judges on that night.)

Now, there ARE competitors who absolutely do something different every night--either by plan or because they simply always work without a net...and they can do very well. They can also do very poorly. The truth is that you've got to do what works for you.

The competition can really mess with a performer's head--that's something that I'm addressing over on my MySpace blog about the competition.

With all of the variables that you're supposed to take into account--you perform in different venues, in different towns, in a different performance order...you need to entertain the crowd to get the pop needed for the all-important encore point, yet you need to impress a subset of judges who are trying to grade you in specific categories where "audience reaction" is only one of those seven categories...and, on top of that, you're also being watched by your peers who may be making their own judgments of whether you're funny or credible or not based on what they're seeing of you here...--there's NO WAY to make every correct adjustment...and you'll drive yourself crazy if you try... I think THAT'S why the contest tends to favor performers who stick to a solid competition set night after night--because it takes all of that uncertainty out...you just go out every night and say "Here's what I'm doing, like it or not."

pg--Of course, I've done three different sets on three different nights--because I'm not wise enough to put what I know into practice for my own benefit. I'm also not in any danger of winning this thing.--seattle

PS--Rory Scovel, who was a finalist in the Seattle competition two years ago, will be in the second preliminary week of this SF competition...and he's probably the best example of someone whose sets are different each night--some core elements remain the same, but even those elements morph and twist in different ways each night.

I guess the real advice is--do what feels most comfortable for you... I guess what feels most comfortable for me is to obsess over everything and then fail miserably. Your mileage may vary.