How to Host a Comedy Show

Assess the reasons for wanting to host a comedy show and a motivation for doing so, such as for charity or to help grow your own name and brand.

Check local venues in your area for openings and rental opportunities for hosting your comedy show. Speak with representatives of various venues and theaters in your city to inquire about rental opportunities and the minimum requirements for guests and fees. Book a venue in a location that will draw visitors and that is relatively close to a busy city with comedians to fill open time slots you have.

Create a comedy routine by studying various favorite comedians and their routines while observing stage presence and appearance of stand up comics to build your own form. Write your jokes and practice memorizing them, using a mirror while presenting each one individually to family members and close friends. Building a support system can help to find your best jokes while improving your stage presence and delivery as well.

Recruit other local comedians by reaching out personally and directly or by creating bulletins and advertisements to post at venues in your city. Use social networking communities and websites to create events and to help find comics who would like to perform at your event. Inform all of those interested of the amount of time each has for their own routines as well as the order they perform, after creating your own roster and filling all open mic spots.

Market the event by having all comedians who are performing -- including yourself -- tell their own friends and family members by using social networking. Create online events to spread the news of the upcoming show or print flyers with head shots of the performing comics to spark interest from passersby and potential attendees.

Prepare for the event repeatedly up until the day of your performance as the host. Record yourself while practicing your routine using a video camera to view your own appearance and look while on stage. Include humorous jokes about each one of the comics by researching their own personal backgrounds and history.