Thinking about trying stand up comedy? Ready to take the leap? We’re proud to have a supportive staff and an awesome group of comics performing on our open mic, so relax, grab some friends and come have a great time. Read below for sign up instructions.

If you’re not ready yet, the show’s free so come by, hang out, grab a drink, talk to some of the comics, and check out the show.

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Here’s how the open mic works. We have open mics 7 nights a week, 365 nights a year.

Check the Website for the exact start times. They are different depending on what’s going on at the club. To be on the mics shows you need to sign up ahead of time. Do not call the box office with questions about the open mic list.

If you just want to watch the open mic just show you. No tickets needed. We’re 21+ for the open mic.

We’ve moved our Open Mic sign ups to Instagram. Use your mobile device to find Mad House Comedy Club on Instagram. If you’re having problems finding us use the search function to search for @madhousecomedyclub Find the most recent Mic Sign Up Reel.

Sign-ups are on Sunday. Sign-ups end at 4pm.

If you want to perform on the mic shows, follow these steps:

1. Make a comment with your first and last name.
2. Tell us which nights you want to perform.
3. NEW. Repost mic sign up on your Instagram story and tag us at @madhousecomedyclub.
4. Do not call the box office for anything. All you have to do on this one is NOT call the box office :)

IMPORTANT NOTES:

Everyone gets up. If you sign up you’ll go onstage.

You can sign up for one night, some nights or all 7 nights.

The line ups are done right before the show. We don’t accept requests to go up early or late.

Just tell us which nights you want to perform.  Nothing extra. No need for a “please”, or “anything available” or “Tuesday or Wednesday whatever works”.

We need your first and last name, so we know who’s onstage. We don’t know your IG handle and we don’t want to stop and search for a real name. If you have a stage name that’s fine. Just tell us your first and last name and your stage name.

Last important note. Don’t call the box office for any reason. Ever.

Here are a couple sign-up examples.

GOOD

Bill Burr – All 7 nights

Kevin Hart – Mon, Thurs, Sat.

Scott Thompson aka Carrot Top – Mon only

BAD

Hi Mad House. I’m working Tues and Wed, but I might get off early Wed. Can I get a late spot-on Wed and an early spot Tuesday and also Friday if you have room. Just let me know. Make the host bring me up as FRRRT. My friends know me as FRRRT. Anyway, let me know.

LESS IMPORTANT, BUT USEFUL, NOTES:

Don’t call the box office with open mic questions. Scientific studies have shown conclusively there is a connection between calling the box office with open mic questions and a sudden onset of a rare form of airborne gonorrhea.

If you’ve missed the sign-up time, there is a second way onto the open mic shows. You can physically show up at the club, and sign up in person, on the “alternate list”. The alternate list is not a guarantee. When comedians who have spots on the show don’t show up, or we have extra time, the host will pull comedians from the alternate list. Sometimes they make it through the entire alternate list, and sometimes they don’t get to it at all. The alternate list is made available for sign-up a short time before the start of open mic . To use the alternate list, you have to physically be at the club, you can’t add your name via phone/email etc.

The Mad House bookers, hosts of the open mic, and staff all pay attention to who is consistently doing great on the open mic, who’s working hard to get better. They will select those comedians for other opportunities at the Mad House such as becoming a Mad House Regular, hosting opportunities, spots on other shows at the Mad House.

No one is getting bumped or downgraded for bombing, which is a normal part of learning stand up, so don’t worry about that. So long as comedians are working hard and trying their best everyone is going to be happy.

In order to move up the list on the open mic, you need to show up for all the spots you sign up for consistently. If you are signing up for multiple and are always missing your spots, that is noted by the host and you will be moved down the list. On the other hand, when the host notices you are always making your spots and you are trying to help the club in any way you can. That is also noted and will be rewarded in moving up the list.

Furthermore, when you arrive at the club, you can ask the host to bark or do sound in order to get a better spot that night or in the future. Barking, is going out into the Gaslamp quarter with fliers that we will provide for you and you will hand them out to patrons walking around.

This is an effort to get more customers in the club and provide a better audience to your fellow comedians. If you bring at least 5 people into the club you will get a guaranteed pop-in spot that you can use for that night or any future mics. These will be counted by writing your initials on the back of the barking fliers so when people come in, we will know who brought them in. Doing sound for the mic, simply means being in the sound booth and playing music in between each comic/host.

Barking/doing sound is a perfect way to not only help yourself get better spots and move up the list, but to also help out the club so we can continue staying open every night of the week :).

• Sets are 3min depending on how many comedians we have on the shows.
• Sets are uncensored
• If you go over the time you will be played off stage.
• Check in with the host when you arrive at the club.

There is no two drink min for the open mic shows, and there is never a two drink min for any performing comedian at the Mad House Comedy Club regardless of the night or show.

Last and most important.

PLEASE DO NOT CALL THE CLUB BOX OFFICE PHONE NUMBER WITH OPEN MIC QUESTIONS.