I fell off the Stage. My next writing Class begins August 29.

My first time on stage, 20 of my best friends in the back of the club, watching and me, in front of a packed club. I panicked! I froze in the lights paralyzed. After an eternity I said, “sorry, I can’t do this,”  then walked into the darkness off the stage onto a table full of drinks. The table collapsed and so did my life! This is my 4th decade in Stand Up and really, I should have quit the first time I was on stage. I have an hour “Comedy Now” Special, I’ve performed at the Edmonton, Winnipeg, Montreal, Halifax and Saint John’s Comedy Festivals. I’ve  written and performed 3 Fringe plays, written a novel, “The Angel’s Claw.” I’m working on my 2nd book and have headlined every major comedy club in Canada, I’ve been teaching Stand Up for Continuing Education for 20 plus years and my private Stand Up Writing Class for 10. I’ve been told speaking in public is the hardest thing we can do. Being vulnerable and honest and sharing your secrets through humor might be more difficult.

Here’s the reasons I never quit. When I decided to try Stand Up for the first time I thought that there was a formula a combination lock, so to speak, that if I could figure out I would unlock the secrets to Comedy. As I drove to the club for the first time I was filled with a sense of purpose, a feeling that I was about to do what I was born to, be a Stand Up Comedian. When I froze on stage and fell onto the table, the club exploded in laughter, laughing AT not WITH! I ran out of the club leaving my jacket with my keys in the back of the club. I ran home, broken and lost and unplugged my phone and stayed in bed for three days and replayed my experience over and over.

What I learnt from this experience was the power of my emotions and energy. I was passionate about Stand Up and yes I was humiliated and it wouldn’t be the last time but I decided not to quit. If the pain of the train wreck of my first experience was so devastating, the joy of nailing a set must be incredible and I needed to find it. Stand Up is about STORY, our story. The reasons I was drawn to comedy are the ideas I explore and work on and share through my class. What I experience and learn through action is what I teach. I share what I’ve earned the right to share. Each of us has our own stories of success and defeat, learning and being lost, heart break and triumph!

When I first began Stand Up I thought there was a formula. I’ve worked for 4 decades to define the information I’ve worked for. This August 29 I’m sharing these insights in my Stand Up Writing class. Everything I teach is based on honesty, vulnerability, writing mechanics and story. Come to my class and develop your passion into a set and share it with an audience. I promise you won’t fall, quite the opposite, you’ll grow wings and fly!

E MAIL me for class information: paulsveen@shaw.ca