Part two of my two-year anniversary stand-up comedy observations is about the Dallas comedy scene itself. You can check out part one here.
First, a couple of caveats: I am unable to be part of the scene as much as I’d like. I am far from the expert on this topic. These are just my opinions as someone who is part of the scene but not so entrenched that I may miss the forest for the trees.
A Small Group in a Massive City
There are two Facebook groups that serve as the main hub of connection in the comedy scene. They are, confusingly, DFW Comedy and DFW Comedians. These groups boast several thousand members each. If you’re a new comic and you join these groups, those numbers will seem intimidating. How can you stand out amongst two or three thousand other comedians? Once you get out and involved in the scene though, you quickly realize that over 90% of the members of these groups are not active in the comedy scene.
Between all the clubs and mics in Dallas and the surrounding suburbs you will see some version of the same group of people. I would estimate that in the “Dallas scene” there are less than 80 active comics that are getting booked on shows at least once a month. If you limit it to really active comedians, booking at least 3-4 shows a month, I would think that number dwindles down closer to 40 or less. I personally fall in the 1-2 show a month group.
Expanding the definition of “active” out to just being someone who goes to an open mic once a month, I would say there’s still less than 250 people who “do” stand up comedy in Dallas1. And that’s out of a Metroplex of more than 8 million people.
This leads me to several takeaways about the small nature of the comedy scene, both good and bad.
Opportunity
The limited number of people doing comedy combined with the size of the Metroplex means there’s plenty of opportunity for stage time. If you’re good, you work hard, and you are easy to work with, you will get booked on shows somewhere. If you’re not getting booked anywhere you need to change up the mics you’re doing, get better at networking, work on your craft, or (like me) just increase your volume of open mics.
And if you’re doing all of those things and still not getting booked, then, well, comedy isn’t for you. Sorry if that’s rude, but no one got into comedy because they heard people are really nice.
Cliques
There are a bunch of small groups throughout the scene, but I don’t mean to say that’s a bad thing. In fact, many of them are really beneficial for those in the group and for the scene as a whole. Out of these close friendships come show ideas, improved jokes, and, on personal levels, a great support system. But, just like every other social setting, there are plenty of groups who live up to the negative definition of the word “clique".”
Drama
Everyone knows everyone. There’s always something wild happening and whatever that is spreads like wildfire amongst comedians. This is literally the worst group of people to tell a secret to. Comedians love to talk and tell stories. It’s literally why we do what we do.
Gossip is a big player in comedian hangouts. I don’t mean to come off judgmental here. However, I’m often not a part of it because I don’t really know what’s being discussed since I don’t hang out at open mics or after shows as much as others. That’s one reason I feel much more comfortable taking photos of these hangouts than participating.
Support
It’s sort of the opposite of the above, but because the community is small and you see the same people often, you get a chance to encourage, mentor, and support young comics.
As a younger comic myself, it’s incredible that I get to spend time backstage with people who have been doing comedy for decades and have toured the country. They have so much wisdom to share.
It’s also amazing because you get to see someone improve over time. So when you see that person that bombed at an open mic six months ago has finally figured out what to do, it’s awesome. And you get to watch jokes that start as an unfinished concept on a random Monday night become someone’s closer that brings down the house on a Saturday night in a packed club. It really is one of the most fun things about being a comedian.
I’m still in Montana so if you didn’t like anything I said here I’ll just tell you I don’t have cell service. Next week I’ll take a break from this comedy series to share something different, but I have a few more comedy observations to share in the lead up to some shows I’m promoting in September.
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I don’t have much familiarity with the Fort Worth, Arlington, or Denton scenes, all of which have their own unique features and people. But even if I expanded my estimates out to include these I don’t think the number goes higher than 350 total. Happy for someone to prove me wrong though.