Standup in Stilettos’ Christina Pazsitzky on Emasculating Hecklers

Joel Warner and Peter McGraw: In your opinion, what makes a good comedic performance space? What makes a bad space?

Christina Pazsitzky: The ideal space is a small room made of brick with low ceilings. The audience all faces one direction — towards you, and they’re not chomping on nachos. The sound is great, lighting is bright, but not blinding you to the point of not being able to see the crowd. I need to see the disappointment on their faces.

Things that make a shit room: The bar is in the back of the showroom so you can hear all the daiquiris being blended, ice being crushed, orders being yelled, etc. The servers talk loudly to the patrons taking orders. Patrons eat seafood or some type of cumbersome food during your show. Patrons are allowed to talk, yell, whistle, be on their cellphones during your set and nobody polices the room.

But the thing that ruins stand up the most is DRUNK AUDIENCE MEMBERS! I hate when clubs let in the drunks who have been going at it since 5 p.m. that night and it’s now 11 p.m. and they’re hammered. They don’t listen to jokes, they are disruptive and ruin any ability for me to be vulnerable up there.

Standup in Stilettos’ Christina Pazsitzky on Emasculating Hecklers / wired.com / By Joel Warner and Peter McGraw / June 14, 2012