MANSFIELD — A month or so ago I heard that a night of try-out, stand-up comedy – an ‘open mic’ – was being held at the ‘Relax’ coffee shop in downtown Mansfield.
I knew I’d have to get down there to check it out.
I’ve been a fan of live stand-up since, as a teenager, I stumbled into the smoke-filled Jongleurs comedy club in Battersea, South London. It made such an impression that 30 years later I can still picture many of those who performed that night, as well as remember a good handful of their jokes.
If that show had been taped and could now be replayed, would it stand up as a golden night of comedy? Almost certainly not – but what had caught my imagination was the immediacy of the art form, the closeness of the performers, and the sense of dangerous unpredictability.
Over the years I sought out live comedy wherever I could find it. I enjoyed the big names when I could afford to see them, but I still liked seeing struggling amateurs at the back of tiny pubs: sometimes hitting a rich vein of laughter, sometimes dropping the ball, sometimes dying a miserable death.
Here in Mansfield, the night at the coffee shop was organized by Derek Dawson, a seasoned stand-up in his own right, and also a reassuringly-towering presence with a deeply impressive beard.
The format of open mic night is very simple. Anyone brave enough to get up and do five minutes or so of gags can do so; even walk-ins on the night can join the list. Derek introduces each act, throwing in a joke or two of his own to keep things moving, and then turns them over to the mercy of the crowd.
At the close of the night, all the remaining comics – the ones that haven’t fled – come back up for “one last joke.” This gives the audience a chance to show by way of applause their favorites of the night, and the comic generating the loudest applause of all is deemed the winner.
At the time I thought this was a fun evening that – as far as I knew – would never be repeated, but when I heard a few weeks later that another open mic night had been scheduled at the Sons of Italy fraternal lodge, I got in touch with Derek and suggested we get together for a coffee. I wanted to discuss what might be becoming a semi-regular event.
We met back at Relax and I asked Derek what made him want to start an open mic night in Mansfield.
“I wanted to create stage time for comics here in town, rather than them having to go to Columbus or Cleveland,” he said. “There are a lot of outlets in this area for music and new musicians. We have open music nights, but no open mic comedy.”
Derek, who is originally from Lucas, has been performing stand-up himself for the last eight years. He first took the stage at an open mic at Bogey’s Comedy Club in Cleveland.
“I’d already auditioned for the Cleveland Improv and didn’t make the cut, but a comedian there advised me to give open mic nights a try,” explained Derek.
I asked him how well he remembers those early performances.
“At one of my very first times on stage there was a guy known as ‘The Coyote’ in the audience.
He made howling noises throughout my act. I got so mad I threw my cue cards at him and walked off.
“That could have been the end, but I thought, ‘well, now I gotta get up and do this again to redeem myself.’”
I told Derek I was surprised at the level of confidence I saw in the performers at Relax, knowing that some of them had never been on stage before.
“It depends,” he replied. “Sometimes nerves can work in your favor and you get on a roll. Just as long as you don’t forget to breath – which can happen.
“People handle nerves in different ways,” he continued. “Some guys have never performed sober; I’m not a drinker, but I would sometimes take a shot before getting on stage. When he started out, Mitch Hedberg used to perform with his back to the audience.
“But I would tell anybody that’s trying to get into this, you can get over fear. You have to get into a frame of mind where you kind of don’t care if it fails, because you can’t let it affect the quality of the next joke.
“Still, I’ve been doing this for eight years and I get nervous every time. I mean ultimately you have to care. But the truth is on any given night it can be great or terrible.”
This is particularly true with an open mic act, which may never have been tested on an audience before. It’s like a pot luck, I suggested.
“Yeah, it is,” said Derek, “and so’s life, isn’t it?
“This business is hard. The reality is it’s more of a hobby for me than a living. Maybe I’ll make it yet … maybe I won’t. I’ve done headlining sets, I’ve opened for big names, but most of the time touring comics are working for gas money. You have to love it.”
I asked Derek if he gives new comics advice on their material, particularly on the type of subject matter and the kind of jokes they can get away with.
“Well I know there’s a line, but I don’t always know where it is, how far to push it. You have to know your audience. And not just your audience, but your own personality. I tell them personality goes a long way in what you can get away with.
“But still, it’s an art form. I don’t want to stifle what anybody’s doing. I might say ‘look, just don’t open with that one. Don’t lose them early on. Make it your last joke and you can be off the stage and out the door!’”
What Derek wants to see with the open mic nights is not just local talent getting a chance to perform, but also working comics from nearby larger cities like Columbus or Cleveland dropping in to work out new material, something he expects to see at the next show.
“Mansfield is a good stopover location,” he told me. “I’d like this to be a stopping place for touring comedians looking for an extra date, some additional stage time on the road.”
The “Think You’re Funny?” Open Mic Night will be at the Sons of Italy, 144 W. Third St., Mansfield, on Saturday, Aug. 6 at 8 p.m. $1 cover charge (free for club members or performers) and a cash bar.
Those wishing to perform should arrive at 7:30 p.m. to register.
The winner, as decided by the audience, will receive a $50 cash prize.
