UPDATE! I ran beginners and intermediate stand-up courses in London for over 15 year and am now running Stand-up Comedy Weekend Workshops for anyone who wants to develop stand-up material, learn comedy techniques and get inspiration. The sessions cover topics like joke writing, story-telling, compering and more. Here's the next one.
LIVE IN LONDON
Stand-up Comedy Compering Masterclass
Develop your compering skills with top MC Geoff Whiting and Chris Head
10.45am-4.45pm, 22nd March 2025
@ Theatre Deli, 107 Leadenhall Street, London, EC3A 4AF
A vibrant venue full of creative activity - and a bar!
£125
The course is with Geoff Whiting and Chris Head. Geoff is probably the most experienced compere in the country with literally thousands of gigs to his credit. He has huge knowledge and practical insights into the art of compering. Geoff also books MCs for club nights around the country and internationally.
In this one-day session you will be guided through running a night, working the room, interacting with the audience and being funny while doing it. You can also get all your questions will be answered. Plus tips on how to get MC gigs.
MAXIMUM 12 PARTICIPANTS
PART 1
In this first part of the class we'll cover everything you need to know about running a night as a compere. The role of the MC is a crucial one in a stand-up comedy night and the compere has many things to do as the night unfolds. Put simply, as the compere your role is to warm the audience up at the start, bring the acts on and then round off the night at the end. We break down this apparently simple role into a sequence of steps through the night and we coach you in multiple ways you can interact with the audience and get laughs. We also look at how to get gigs as an MC including at the nights Geoff books through his company Mirth Control.
PART 2
The second part of the day is a practical session where you get to try out your emcee skills in front of Geoff and Chris and get practical tips and feedback. The session is run like a comedy night but where it' s all emcees! You interact with the rest of the group as an audience. Specific guidance and approaches to try is given.
Compering can be as much about asking interesting questions and initiating interactions as doing material. In this part of the session, everyone will have the opportunity to go up onto the microphone and interact with the room. You will be given tools, techniques and approaches to draw on and everyone will be given personalised feedback.
For more info contact Chris.
Press & testimonials for my stand-up coaching:
"Hadn't been on stage for a while. Chris's course was a great way to get my creative wheels turning again. Covered a load of ways to create and present your material. Sign up for a Chris Head course NOW. You know you want to." Marco Bellini
"Such an excellent stand up course! It's obvious that Chris has been fine tuning it, because the whole thing just works so well. It is very practical, Chris has you on the mic every week, so it's much, much more than just a weekly chat about jokes. A different aspect or style of stand up is covered every week, and the weekly writing homework builds up nicely to the final showcase and the improv games make so much sense! If you're after new material, this course is a brilliant place to turn." Carwyn Blayney
(Carwyn is pictured performing in the end-of-course showcase at the Museum of Comedy)
My style of coaching is particularly suited to enhancing your writing toolkit, inspiring ideas and material, and creating a safe, supportive environment for trying stuff out. (Pictured is student Tallulah Haddon performing at a course showcase gig).
PRESS Note these articles relate to my beginners stand-up class that I ran for over 15 years. The former BBC Arts editor Will Gompertz (then Tate Media director) did my previous beginners stand-up course over 10 years ago and wrote about it in the Guardian and here is an article about the beginners stand-up course and climactic showcase gig from 2019 in the London Evening Standard.
"Just wanted to drop you a note to let you know that following your stand up comedy course - I've gone from “where on earth am I going to get gigs in Peterborough … or anywhere…” to “OMFG!! I’m a semi finalist on ‘So You Think You’re Funny’ at the Edinburgh Fringe …!!??!!#*!" Meena Dhokia
Since the pandemic I have also been running Zoom stand-up writing workshops with comics from all over the world, so I'm delighted to also offer an in person version in London, which runs as a series of sessions leading up to a showcase of the new material produced.
If you are new to my coaching and want a flavour of my approach, I offer stand-up (and other kinds of comedy writing) inspiration on my podcast Q&HA! The Question Tools of Comedy and I occasional make inspiring videos like this one.
Any queries, please contact me.
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