How to Deal With Hecklers When Doing Stand-Up

Performing a stand-up comedy monologue is a fun and creatively-fulfilling way of expressing the humorous side of your personality. However, a heckler--someone in the audience who shouts out comments at the stage--can ruin the show for the performer and the rest of the audience. Here are some ideas on how to handle a heckler.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Comedy monologue
• Access to a comedy club
• Good concentration

1. Talk to other stand-up comedians before you perform on stage. Find out what they do when confronted with a heckler. This may spark ideas for how you would handle a similar situation.

2. Talk to the comedy club owner or host (MC) before you perform. Find out if the club has a policy on how to handle hecklers. A simple comment or gesture from the stage may lead to the heckler being talked to by the club's management or even ejected from the show.

3. Remain calm and confident on stage. Experienced stand-up comedians will often pounce on any heckler the moment they open their mouth. Beginning comedians, however, may wish to proceed more cautiously until they have built up the experience and confidence to defuse a heckler quickly. You can choose to ignore the heckler if you don't feel confident you can deal with him. Most hecklers are just seeking attention and acknowledging him in a meek way that shows you are intimidated just encourages him to shout out more comments. While this is not the ideal way to handle the situation, ignoring some hecklers will make them shut up. If the heckler makes an additional comment however, you will have to move on to the next step.

4. Make a simple comment in the heckler's direction that makes it clear they are being inappropriate. The comment does not even need to be particularly funny or witty (although that helps). The rest of your audience is just as annoyed by the interruption as you are, and they will support your efforts in quieting that heckler.

Tips & Warnings

• You may want to prepare a few lines in advance that you can use if you encounter a heckler. It is best to stay in the moment and improvise your comments as appropriate to your routine, but a prepared line is better than nothing if you draw a blank.
• Remember that you have the advantage of a microphone and a spotlight on you. You will naturally command the attention of the audience.
• Some hecklers are too obnoxious to ignore, especially if you feel the mood of the room change immediately. Deal with these hecklers right away and don't worry about being polite.
• Not every heckler should be treated the same. Some hecklers try to have a conversation with the comedian. Pointing out that they are obviously not getting the concept of a comedy monologue should shut them down. Some hecklers are just trying to have fun but are annoying everyone around them. Remind them that the focus is not on them. Other hecklers are drunk and belligerent. These are the hecklers, more than any others, for whom politeness on the part of the comedian is not a prerequisite.
• If you can't think of anything else, you can always ask the audience, "Is there anybody else here who would like this guy to just shut the (heck) up?" The audience will certainly respond in your favor.
• Make sure you don't turn the rest of the audience against you by handling a heckler in an inappropriate manner. For example, a male comedian needs to make sure he does not come off as a chauvinist when he is dealing with a female heckler.
• Never confront a heckler in person after the show. If the heckler approaches you after the show (many times to apologize), politely excuse yourself from the conversation as quickly as possible.