changing countries changing shows

[Figo]

hey,

well i've been back in the uk for a few weeks now, trying to get back into the swing of performing here, needless to say i'm finding it hard,

i spent the winter months in new zealand, working on a new show toppingm up my tan and doing really well my last few shows where the best i've done,

now i have come back to the uk to my usual pitch and i am really struggling, my shows are really hard work and my hats have really shrunk.

i really don't know why this has happened or what to do.

has anyone else had this happen to them and how did u deal with it?

cheers

figo

[gav]

I used to live and work in Australia and when I moved to europe I found it really easy to do big shows and make good money here.

Now I've been living in europe for 4 years and working here for 8. When I go back to oz I struggle a bit for a while because my show is not as strong for that audience any more.
Either that, or I'm getting old and europeans haven't noticed yet !

[Butterfly Man]

Different yet the same

Interestingly enough, when I first started going down to Oz to perform I found the audiences way different from Americans ... peculiarly standoffish ... which I found somewhat disconcerting considering the fact that all my previous experience with Australians was that they were always the "wild ones" ... always the most rambunctious ... but seemingly, as I came to learn, only when away from the eyes of their own kind.



Japanese audiences are still, in my opinion, the biggest hurtle ... good ruck with that one.

[Mama Lou]

Relief

Despite sharing a language (kind of), Australians are really different than N. Americans.
The thing I find hysterical is, as my "character" (ok, me) I tend to exagerate the arrogance & boysterous parts of myself as part of the comedy. But here it just re-enforces the American stereotype and all the Aussies reply with a silently judging, "git fucked".
The contradiction - how to be humble, non-American, & still convince people you are interesting enough to stop and watch?
Ahh... right. Self-depreciating humor & direct sass & meanness.
Great. Both my strong suits.

I love hearing from others about suffering the same situations. It gives me what I need to suck it up and keep going.
I knew all these things going down to Oz, just finished my first off-season on the street, and found the same outcomes as everyone else.
Luckily I have all summer to get ready to try again down unda'.
Cheers!

[scot]

You could also be reading 'em wrong, Lou. They might just not know you're joking or maybe they don't know that you get the joke. You might have to exagerate it more. People everywhere can latch on to any character I can think of as long as it's communicated and commited.

Figo, it's not just countries. I have to change majorly going from Boston to San Francisco. I even get it with indoor gigs. If I work the same venue for the week, I can really click in.

My technique with every new gig is I try to get in the heads of the audience. if there are other shows going on, I'll get in the middle of the audience and open up my senses to everything -- distractions, mood, cultural conflicts, etc. If there aren't other shows going on, I will still walk through the venue and look around and listen and figure out what people will be thinking about besides me.

Besides adjusting to performing for the environment there's an other thing I have trouble with when I travel: pitch ownership. I have trouble committing to claiming an area right away. I have gotta be the alpha dog on the street or the audience won't follow me. It usually takes me a show or two before I realize it and check myself. your pitch has to be like strangers just walked into your bedroom.

[Bob Carr]

I find that each culture has different humour, timing and rhythms.

I have one theory that it could be linked to the electricity. For example, North America runs on 50Hz and Europe runs on 40Hz. This means that all the appliances hum at a different rate and this is the base rhythm that changes timing.

I haven't drawn any conclusions from this, but maybe you just need to get back in the rhythm. Hug your fridge for a while

[Figo]

cheers guys this is all great stuff, i totally get what ur saying scot about pitch ownership i have trouble commiting to a pitch until i've done a few shows there.

bob i tried hugging my fridge it didn't take to kindly to it an took out a restraining order on me ...now i can't eat. thanks, i hug my tv now and it's a slut so doesn't have a problem with it