01
Read the pay line and the flags first
Fee, door, private or unpaid; bringer or not; clean or anything goes. Everything that decides whether it is worth the drive is on the card.
Comedy gigs, posted by the rooms themselves.
Clubs, bars, breweries, theaters, festivals, colleges, company nights and private parties — any room that wants a comic posts it here, free. A listing is read by a person before it goes up, says what it pays, and comes down by itself after its date.
For comics
The board is new
Open comedy gigs
The board is open. The first listings land here.
A gig on it is sent in by the room that needs the comic and read by a person before it goes up, so it starts empty rather than padded with guesses. Run a club, a bar, a brewery, a festival, a college night — or throwing a party that needs a comic? You can be first.
A comic looking for a spot? While the board fills, the Club Directory shows how clubs book comics, in each club's own words; Life's a Stage finds rooms near you that would host a show; and Bootstrap a Room shows how to start your own.
What comedy gigs land on the board
A room posts what it needs, on a date, and says what it pays. Here is what a listing can hold.
- The rooms. Comedy clubs, bars and pubs, breweries and wineries, restaurants, theaters, festivals, colleges, company events, charity nights, cruise ships, resorts and private parties.
- The spots. A guest spot or showcase, a feature, a headliner, a host, a private or company set, a festival slot or a competition.
- The pay. A set fee, a share of the door, a fee agreed privately, or unpaid stage time. The card names which one.
- The flags. A bringer shows in red, with the number of guests. A room that wants a clean set says so. Pay-to-play is not posted.
Comedy gigs here are free to post and free to answer. The room and the comic agree the deal between them, and D.O.C. takes no cut of it.
The board is one road to stage time. Stage Time lists open mics by night, the Club Directory shows how clubs book comics in their own words, and the Tour Planner keeps your booked dates together.
Once the paid comedy gigs add up, the IRS Self-Employed Individuals Tax Center explains the records and the filing for a performer paid by the gig.
Post a gig — free
A club with a guest spot, a brewery starting a comedy night, a college booking its welcome week, a company Christmas party, a birthday. Two minutes, and every question is something you already know. Running a weekly open mic? That goes on Stage Time instead — claim your night.
It goes to a person, by email.
"Send it to D.O.C." opens your own mail app with the whole listing written out, so you see exactly what you are sending. Somebody reads it, checks the room, and puts it on the board. If your mail app cuts a long message short, use "Copy it instead" and paste it into a new email.
Listings made on this device
How the board works
Free both waysFree to post, free to answer. D.O.C. takes no fee from the room, no fee from the comic and no cut of the gig. There is nothing to upgrade to.
Pay is on the cardEvery listing says what it pays: a fee, a share of the door, paid but agreed privately, or unpaid. "Exposure" is not one of the choices.
Bringers are flaggedIf each comic has to bring paying guests, the card says so in red, with the number. Pay-to-play is not posted at all.
A person reads every oneNothing is scraped or guessed. The room sends it in, somebody checks the room is real and the contact is theirs, and only then does it go up.
It comes down by itselfA listing leaves the board after its last date. A regular night runs eight weeks, then the room renews it — so a listing never outlives its night.
The deal is yoursD.O.C. does not book, broker or vouch for conditions. The room and the comic agree it between them. Ask the questions before you drive.
Before you answer a listing
02
Send exactly what they ask for
Usually one clip — your best five, not your longest twenty — your town, and the date you are answering. One message. Follow up once, a week later.
03
Plan the trip before you say yes
"Plan the trip" on the card opens the whole night at that room: when to leave, parking, where to eat, and what is still open when you are done.
04
Log it when it is real
Once it is booked it goes in your Tour Planner with the rest of your dates — and if the room goes quiet on you, tell D.O.C. The board only works if it is true.