My First Time Doing Standup Comedy as Margaret, the Flight Attendant
Once I made up my mind that I was going to try standup comedy ”in character” it only took me two weeks to make it happen. Helium Comedy Club has Open Mic nights regularly, and I just…showed up and did it. It was both as hard and easier than I thought it would be.
Getting on stage was easy.
Having a story to tell was easy.
Finding my old uniform was easy.
Not being nervous was, surprisingly, easy.
So, to get on stage at Helium on an open mic night, you have to sign up in person and then wait a couple of hours to find out if you’re on the line-up. I walked in at 6pm on the dot and was the third person to write my name down.
“Oh, it’s your first time?” the person wearing sparkles and glasses responded to my question about how it all worked.
“Put a star next to your name so we can make sure you get a chance to get up there.“
I did. And then I sat in my car for an hour and a half, scrolling Threads and Instagram, looking up every few minutes to see the other comics arriving to wait. At 7:30, someone came out of a door and posted a single letter-sized sheet of paper on the outside. I slipped on my black leather high heels (the ones with the arch support, wider toe box, and thicker padding than I could afford when I was actually flying) and crossed the street to find my name on the list.
For my very first ever attempt to talk jokes into a microphone, I was the very first name on the list.
Moments later, the doors opened and I paid my $5 cover charge. I was seated and had time to order a drink right before the host came over to talk to me about what to expect. I was to head to the “green room” about five minutes later to prepare for being the first one up after the host intro.
I didn’t have time to get nervous! Or rather, I was as nervous as I ever was stepping foot onto a new flight. Same feeling, really. Once I put on the pantyhose and the uniform again, a feeling just…came over of me. A feeling of total competence. “I’ve got this“ and I meant it. It’s like the uniform brought me the same feeling of reassurance it always did, like an armor.
I definitely didn’t freeze, but I can tell where I was covering my anxiety a few times in this short four minute video. I hope it makes you laugh, and I’m definitely going to do it again!
