--- title: "First Five-Minute Stand-Up Set: A Comic's Roadmap | D.O.C." description: "A roadmap to your first stage-ready five: write it, time it, read how each mic signs comics up in its own words, and keep the proof before you go up." url: https://disciplesofcomedy.com/career-atlas-first-five-minute-set.html updated: 2026-11-10 --- The Career Atlas · The common start · stop 1 of 5 # First stage-ready five: your roadmap Start the playbook → Your proof The short answer Your first five is five original minutes you can say without a screen, time with room for laughs, and change after an audience has heard it. Write it, rehearse it against the clock, read how two nearby mics sign comics up, and choose the one bit you most need to test. - **17** steps, each with its “done when” - **3** buyers, in their own words - **4** places to send it - **3** notes ready to send By D.O.C. Editorial · [The Career Atlas](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/stand-up-comedy-career-atlas.html) ## This roadmap, in five parts Your roadmap ## From here to open-mic repetitions Where you are, the tests for the next stop, and the steps between, in the order most comics take them. The steps are the Career Field Manual's; mark each one as you go, and the day goes in your passport. You’re here if… ### Writer, just starting: the first five - You have ideas, notes or a few jokes, and no set yet that you’ve timed out loud. - You haven’t done a mic yet, or you’ve done one or two and want a set you can rely on. - No audience has heard most of your bits, so you don’t yet know which one gets the laugh. - The next thing you want is a first mic, with five minutes you know cold. You’re ready to move on when… ### …to [open-mic repetitions](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/career-atlas-open-mic-reps.html) These are the tests the next stop’s rooms set in their own published rules: the open mics’ own pages. Tick each one when it’s true for you. Your five fits the time a mic gives: Lafayette Comedy says open-mic performers generally get 4 to 5 minutes, EastVille Comedy Club gives 5 minutes a comic, varying with the lineup, and Laugh Factory Hollywood’s lottery gives 2. [Lafayette Comedy, open mic ↗](https://www.lafayettecomedy.com/pages/open-mic-comedy) · [EastVille Comedy Club ↗](https://www.eastvillecomedy.com/open-mic) · [Laugh Factory Hollywood ↗](https://www.laughfactory.com/clubs/hollywood/faqs) You know what you’ll do before you go up. Lafayette Comedy’s tips: know your material, practice it before you get on stage, and bring notes. [Lafayette Comedy, open mic ↗](https://www.lafayettecomedy.com/pages/open-mic-comedy) You know the light: at BARK Entertainment’s mics, a light comes on with 1 minute left and another at your time. [BARK Entertainment, mic rules ↗](https://www.barkentertainment.com/open-mic-rules) You’ve read how sign-up works at your mic, on its own page: at EastVille, comics sign up in person, 30 minutes early; at Laugh Factory Hollywood, in person on Tuesdays from 5:00 PM to 5:30 PM. [EastVille Comedy Club ↗](https://www.eastvillecomedy.com/open-mic) · [Laugh Factory Hollywood ↗](https://www.laughfactory.com/clubs/hollywood/faqs) You’ve watched a full open mic before your first. Lafayette Comedy puts it plainly: watching comedy is just as important as doing it. [Lafayette Comedy, open mic ↗](https://www.lafayettecomedy.com/pages/open-mic-comedy) 0 of 5 true ### The playbook 17 steps in 3 parts, from the Career Field Manual. Each has its “done when”, a D.O.C. tool for it, and your status, note and target date; star up to twelve for your 90-day plan. #### Choose your start From the Career Field Manual: Choose your starting point. In [the D.O.C. book](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/stand-up-comedy-book.html): topics 1–20 and 435–455. 1. Choose your starting point · start-01 #### Write down why you want to perform stand-up **Done when** One sentence you can revisit after a rough night. [How you become a stand-up →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/answer-start-stand-up-comedy.html) **Your note and target date** Your note: what you did, a link, what's next Target date 2. Choose your starting point · start-02 #### Choose your realistic writing and stage-time schedule **Done when** A weekly schedule you can keep for a month. [Plan your month in the Starter Course →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/how-to-start-stand-up-comedy.html#month) **Your note and target date** Your note: what you did, a link, what's next Target date 3. Choose your starting point · start-05 #### Make a list of five comics whose craft you will study **Done when** Five names and what you want to learn from each. [Study comics without copying →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/how-to-start-stand-up-comedy.html#lesson-8) [The styles of stand-up →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/answer-styles-of-stand-up-comedy.html) **Your note and target date** Your note: what you did, a link, what's next Target date 4. Choose your starting point · start-07 #### Start a career log with show dates, decisions, and receipts **Done when** A single place to record the work. [Start your log in Stage Time →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/stage-time.html#log) **Your note and target date** Your note: what you did, a link, what's next Target date #### Write the five From the Career Field Manual: Write original material. In [the D.O.C. book](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/stand-up-comedy-book.html): topics 21–50. 5. Write original material · write-01 #### Capture ten observations from your own point of view **Done when** Ten raw premises in a notebook. [Find your premise →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/how-to-start-stand-up-comedy.html#lesson-1) [Keep a joke notebook →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/answer-joke-notebook.html) **Your note and target date** Your note: what you did, a link, what's next Target date 6. Write original material · write-02 #### Turn three observations into clear premises **Done when** Three sentences with a specific attitude. [Real life into material →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/answer-real-life-into-material.html) **Your note and target date** Your note: what you did, a link, what's next Target date 7. Write original material · write-03 #### Write setup and punchline versions for each premise **Done when** At least two alternate punchlines per premise. [Setup, punchline, tag →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/how-to-start-stand-up-comedy.html#lesson-2) [How to write a joke →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/answer-how-to-write-a-joke.html) **Your note and target date** Your note: what you did, a link, what's next Target date 8. Write original material · write-04 #### Try tags, act-outs, callbacks, and a clean ending **Done when** An annotated writing draft with your experiments. [Act-outs →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/answer-act-outs.html) [The writing techniques →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/answer-comedy-writing-techniques.html) **Your note and target date** Your note: what you did, a link, what's next Target date 9. Write original material · write-05 #### Create an original two-to-five-minute set Laughs take time: a five that runs five minutes read aloud runs long on a stage, so time it with pauses and come in under the limit. **Done when** A timed sequence with your strongest closer. [Build a 5-minute set →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/how-to-start-stand-up-comedy.html#lesson-3) [Road Maps: from an idea to a tight five →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/comedy-road-maps.html#write-it) **Your note and target date** Your note: what you did, a link, what's next Target date 10. Write original material · write-06 #### Read the whole set aloud without a screen Say it the way you’ll say it on stage; the words you trip over are the first ones to cut. **Done when** A dated rehearsal note. [Rehearse it aloud →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/how-to-start-stand-up-comedy.html#tool-rehearse) [Road Maps: learn it cold →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/comedy-road-maps.html#learn-it) **Your note and target date** Your note: what you did, a link, what's next Target date 11. Write original material · write-07 #### Create a cuttable thirty-second section **Done when** A shorter version that still closes clearly. [Tighten a joke →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/answer-tighten-a-joke.html) **Your note and target date** Your note: what you did, a link, what's next Target date #### Get it ready for a stage From the Career Field Manual: Do the first set and Become the comic rooms trust. In [the D.O.C. book](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/stand-up-comedy-book.html): topics 71–114 and 400–434. 12. Do the first set · first-01 #### Find and verify two local open mics Read each mic’s own page or posted rules: when sign-up opens and closes, how long a set is, and what it asks of a comic. **Done when** The venue source, signup method, cost and time. [Find stage time →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/stage-time.html#find) Mics that publish how, on this page → **Your note and target date** Your note: what you did, a link, what's next Target date 13. Do the first set · first-02 #### Watch one full open mic before performing **Done when** A short room-and-audience note. [Open mic etiquette →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/answer-open-mic-etiquette.html) **Your note and target date** Your note: what you did, a link, what's next Target date 14. Do the first set · first-03 #### Confirm the exact set length and stage rules Set lengths differ: Laugh Factory Hollywood’s lottery gives 2 minutes, and Lafayette Comedy’s tips say 4 to 5 is usual. Write the length down before the night. **Done when** Written signup details or event listing. [Find a mic and sign up →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/how-to-start-stand-up-comedy.html#lesson-4) The questions to ask → **Your note and target date** Your note: what you did, a link, what's next Target date 15. Do the first set · first-04 #### Rehearse under the time limit with room for laughter **Done when** At least three dated timed rehearsals. [Rehearse against the clock →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/how-to-start-stand-up-comedy.html#tool-rehearse) **Your note and target date** Your note: what you did, a link, what's next Target date 16. Do the first set · first-05 #### Prepare your first line, closer, and a simple introduction Pick the one bit you most need to test, and put it between a dependable opener and your strongest closer. **Done when** A short set list you can carry on stage. Your set list card → [Road Maps: your first five →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/comedy-road-maps.html#first-five) **Your note and target date** Your note: what you did, a link, what's next Target date 17. Become the comic rooms trust · pro-01 #### Learn basic mic handling and stage-light signals Take the mic out of the stand, move the stand back, hold the mic close to your mouth, and know where the light will come from. **Done when** A set in which you handled the light correctly. [Using the microphone →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/answer-microphone-technique.html) [Hold the mic and deliver →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/how-to-start-stand-up-comedy.html#lesson-5) **Your note and target date** Your note: what you did, a link, what's next Target date ### What speeds this up - **Take the Starter Course** Ten short lessons, from a premise to your first mic. [The Stand-Up Starter Course →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/how-to-start-stand-up-comedy.html) - **Write in one place** A notebook you always carry beats a perfect system. [Keeping track of your jokes →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/answer-joke-notebook.html) - **Learn the light before the night** Know when to wrap up before the host shows it. [Open mic etiquette →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/answer-open-mic-etiquette.html) - **Rehearse against the clock** Run the set with a timer, and leave space for the laughs. [Rehearse it in the Starter Course →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/how-to-start-stand-up-comedy.html#tool-rehearse) - **Have a routine for the hour before** The same few steps each time make the first minute easier. [Nerves: the hour before →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/stage-fright.html#before) - **Open with something solid** A clear, dependable first bit settles you and the room. [Opening and closing strong →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/answer-five-minute-set.html) Each week ## Your weekly rhythm here Habits, not a timetable: the atlas has no stopwatch. Keep these going, and the proof for this stop builds up week by week. - **Write when you said you would** Ten minutes is enough: one premise and one new punchline, in your notebook. - **Say it out loud** Run the five aloud, standing and without a screen, and time it with room for laughs. - **Cut one line** Take out one word or line the joke doesn’t need. - **Watch a mic** Sit through one full open mic, and note how sign-up, the light and the host work there. - **Read the rules again** Read one mic’s sign-up page again before you plan the night: rooms change their rules. - **Study one comic** Watch one set by a comic on your list, and write down one thing to try. What buyers check ## In their own words Each buyer's published rule, quoted from its own page, checked on 10 November 2026. They differ, so send each one what its page asks for, and read the page again before you send. A club company’s advice to new comics ### BARK Entertainment, first mic For a first open mic: material written down and planned, a check-in with the host well before the show, and the mic stand moved out of the way. - Have a plan for the material you want to do. - Find out who is hosting the open mic and check in with them well in advance of the show. - Walk up to the mic, pull the mic out of the stand, move the stand to the back of the stage, step up to the front of the stage and start telling jokes. [BARK Entertainment, first mic’s page ↗](https://www.barkentertainment.com/first-open-mic) · checked 10 November 2026 A club’s published advice to open-mic comics ### Lafayette Comedy, open mic Four to five minutes as a rule, a light with one minute left, and material you know and have practiced before you go up. - Generally, each open-mic performer gets 4 to 5 minutes of stage time. - Know what you will do before you go on stage. - Practice your material before you get on stage. [Lafayette Comedy, open mic’s page ↗](https://www.lafayettecomedy.com/pages/open-mic-comedy) · checked 10 November 2026 A club’s published open-mic rules ### Laugh Factory Hollywood A Tuesday open mic with sign-up in person and a random lottery: 2 minutes each, and comics asked to come with their strongest material. - Performers are selected through a random lottery, with each selected comedian receiving 2 minutes of stage time to showcase their best stand-up comedy material. - We encourage performers to treat their time on stage as an audition and come prepared with their strongest material. [Laugh Factory Hollywood’s page ↗](https://www.laughfactory.com/clubs/hollywood/faqs) · checked 10 November 2026 ### Where to send it Places that publish how a new comic gets in, each checked on 10 November 2026. Save one to your booking desk to keep its status, a follow-up date and a note. [62 places in all, on the Career Atlas →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/stand-up-comedy-career-atlas.html#ways) Published route Tulsa, OK · Open mic · Form #### Bricktown Comedy Club, open mic Sign up online between the 1st and the 15th for the next month’s open mics, or arrive between 6:00 and 6:50 PM for one of three walk-in spots. **Worth knowing.** An open mic is stage time, not a paid spot. [Its page ↗](https://bricktowntulsa.com/pages/open-mic) Checked 10 November 2026 Published route Oklahoma City, OK · Open mic · Form #### Bricktown Comedy Club, open mic Open mics on Tuesdays and Wednesdays: sign up online between the 1st and the 15th for the next month’s, with the lineup emailed on the month’s last Wednesday, or arrive between 6:00 and 6:50 PM for one of three walk-in spots. **Worth knowing.** An open mic is stage time, not a paid spot. [Its page ↗](https://www.bricktowncomedy.com/pages/open-mic) Checked 10 November 2026 Published route Los Angeles, CA · Club spots · Form #### Laugh Factory Hollywood A video submission form on its website for its booking team, and a Tuesday open mic, 5:30–6:30 PM, with sign-up in person from 5:00. **Worth knowing.** Its FAQ says neither the form nor the open mic guarantees a booking. [Its page ↗](https://www.laughfactory.com/clubs/hollywood/faqs) Checked 10 November 2026 Published route Brooklyn, NY · Open mic · In person #### EastVille Comedy Club, open mics Open mics through the week: comics sign up in person, arriving 30 minutes early, first come, with the lineup set on the day; five minutes a comic, varying with the lineup’s size. **Worth knowing.** No email or phone sign-ups, and a one-drink minimum for comics. An open mic is stage time, not a paid spot. [Its page ↗](https://www.eastvillecomedy.com/open-mic) Checked 10 November 2026 The money here ### What it costs, and what to ask Nobody is paid at this stop, and writing a five costs nothing but time. What a mic asks of a comic is the venue’s call, and its own page is the place to read it: EastVille Comedy Club’s, for one, sets a one-drink minimum for comics. Where a page doesn’t say, ask the host before the night. **Read or ask before you go** - How sign-up works, and when it opens and closes - How many minutes you get, and how the light works - Any cost to perform: a fee, a drink minimum or a purchase - Whether you may record your set - When to arrive, and whether comics stay for the whole show - The room’s rules for comics and its code of conduct Questions to ask before your first mic · [Road Maps: the Math of a Gig, with your own numbers](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/comedy-road-maps.html#math-of-a-gig) · [Get Paid, Get Back: the deal in writing](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/get-paid.html#deal) · [The IRS on gig work ↗](https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/manage-taxes-for-your-gig-work) Ready to copy ## The notes to send Fill in what you know once: it fills every note below and stays on this device. Anything left blank shows in [brackets], to fill in by hand. Your details Your name Your home town The host’s name The mic and its venue The night you’re going The one question its page doesn’t answer Your set length, in minutes Your opening bit Your second bit Your third bit Your closing bit ### A note to a mic’s host ``` Subject: Your open mic on [The night you're going] Hi [The host's name], I'm [Your name], a new comic in [Your home town]. I've read the sign-up rules for [The mic and its venue], and I'd like to do the mic on [The night you're going]. One thing the page doesn't say: [The one question its page doesn't answer] Thank you, [Your name] ``` ### Your set list card ``` [The mic and its venue], [The night you're going]: [Your set length, in minutes] minutes Intro for the host: [Your name], from [Your home town] Open: [Your opening bit] Then: [Your second bit] Then: [Your third bit] Close: [Your closing bit] At the light: go to the closer. ``` ### Questions to ask before your first mic ``` 1. How do I sign up, and when does sign-up open and close? 2. How many minutes do I get? 3. Where's the light, and when does it come on? 4. Is there a cost to perform: a fee, a drink minimum or a purchase? 5. May I record my set? 6. Do comics stay for the whole show? 7. Who's hosting, and where do I check in? ``` Your proof ## Proof for your passport Tick each piece when you have it: the day goes in your passport with it. The passport keeps your whole career's record on this device, to download, print and review once a year. The evidence ### This stop is done when you have A five-minute draft, timed, in your notebook with its date Three dated run-throughs, out loud, under the time limit Two nearby open mics, with how each signs comics up, from the mic’s own page A set list card: your intro for the host, your opener, your closer and the bits between The one bit you most need to test, chosen and written down Your status ### First stage-ready five A link to your proof: a tape, a booking, a review Your private note **On your record** Nothing yet: your status changes and ticks appear here, each with its day. [Your whole passport: the timeline, your booking desk, your 90-day plan, the printable career record, the yearly review and the cloud copy →](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/stand-up-comedy-career-atlas.html#passport) Saved in this browser ## Next stops [The common start · The room **Open-mic repetitions** Keep going up until the material improves, not just the confidence.](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/career-atlas-open-mic-reps.html) [The common start · The proof **A usable live tape** Make it easy for a booker to judge the act itself.](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/career-atlas-stand-up-tape.html) ## Go deeper - [How to build a five-minute set for stand-up](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/answer-five-minute-set.html) The explainer, from the D.O.C. book - [Chapter 2, Writing Comedy](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/stand-up-comedy-book.html) In D.O.C.’s companion book, Stand-Up Comedy: From Writing to Touring - [Jerry Seinfeld: Between the Desk and the Stage](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/study-jerry-seinfeld.html) The comic study: a line rewritten until it sounds right ## Sources The buyers' rules are quoted from each buyer's own page, checked on 10 November 2026. A buyer can change its rules at any time, so read its page before you send anything. - [BARK Entertainment, your first open mic ↗](https://www.barkentertainment.com/first-open-mic) A club company’s advice to new comics. - [Lafayette Comedy, open-mic tips ↗](https://www.lafayettecomedy.com/pages/open-mic-comedy) A club’s published advice to open-mic comics. - [Laugh Factory Hollywood, FAQs ↗](https://www.laughfactory.com/clubs/hollywood/faqs) A club’s published open-mic rules. - [EastVille Comedy Club, open mics ↗](https://www.eastvillecomedy.com/open-mic) A club’s published open-mic rules. - [BARK Entertainment, open mic rules ↗](https://www.barkentertainment.com/open-mic-rules) A club company’s published open-mic rules. - [Bricktown Comedy Club, open mic ↗](https://bricktowntulsa.com/pages/open-mic) Its published route, checked 10 November 2026. - [Bricktown Comedy Club, open mic ↗](https://www.bricktowncomedy.com/pages/open-mic) Its published route, checked 10 November 2026. - [EastVille Comedy Club, open mics ↗](https://www.eastvillecomedy.com/open-mic) Its published route, checked 10 November 2026. - [The D.O.C. book](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/stand-up-comedy-book.html) The playbook's book topics, matched to the book's contents on 10 November 2026. ## About this roadmap **By D.O.C. Editorial.** This is one stop of [the Stand-Up Career Atlas](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/stand-up-comedy-career-atlas.html): the common start, stop 1 of 5. It's a way to plan, not a promise of bookings: it gives no expected years, its only figures are the ones buyers and venues publish on their own pages, and the buyers' rules are theirs. For how a five-minute set is built, read [How to build a five-minute set for stand-up](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/answer-five-minute-set.html). Updated 10 November 2026 · [The Career Atlas](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/stand-up-comedy-career-atlas.html) · [Comic's Corner](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/tools-for-comedians.html) · [Privacy](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/privacy.html)