A common rule about standup comedy is that bombing – failing to make the audience laugh – is an inevitable part of the growth and mastery of the craft.
“Bombing, however, is also the most crucial part about stand up; without failing, you can’t learn. And without learning, you can’t get better.” (Via StandupNY)
“Oh, I love the bomb. You have to embrace the bomb. And the bigger the moment, the tastier the bomb.” (Jon Stewart to Judd Apatow)
Bombing is important to standup comedians because they learn how to handle failure, how to read the audience and react in real time, how to come back from mistakes. They also learn that failure isn’t a permanent condition.
When was the last time your choir bombed?
We don’t aim for bombing in choral performance – because generally performances are too infrequent to take that level of risk. But it is likely that choral organizations are leaving their most transcendent performances (in comedy language, performances that kill) unperformed because they are not risking bombing.
Imagine this: more performances with more risk. More risk of bombing, but also more chance of reaching new heights.
It’s one of the reasons the Whiffenpoofs have famously performed every Monday at Mory’s. Not because every performance is great, but because every performance gives them a chance to hone the craft, grow stronger, and learn how to take risks and recover.
Every choral organization can find ways to increase their performance opportunities, and simultaneously amplify the risks they take. They will not succeed every time, but in the process of bombing, they will learn, grow, and achieve greater heights.