Ready to step up to open mic night?

EDITOR'S NOTE: Because of an editing error, a story (“You got this”) on Page 13 of Thursday’s Pulse section listed an incorrect day for the weekly open-mic night at Tanner’s Creek restaurant in Norfolk. The events are on Sundays.

Everybody laughed at your Hanukkah jokes last month, so you think you're on a roll. You got that electric guitar for Christmas and you're ready to be the next Prince. You made that New Year's resolution to finally conquer the stage and perform before a crowd of strangers. 

Go for it. 

Hampton Roads' restaurants, cafes and libraries offer weekly open-mic and performance nights for those who want to test their skills with poetry, music and comedy. And it's the perfect time of the year - it's too chilly outside to do anything else. 

For advice, we tapped some pros who know what it's like to grab the mic for the first time: Speaking your mind

Catherine "Sexee Kittee" Hodges has been reading her poetry at local haunts since 2010, though she's been writing poetry for almost 40 years. She's had times when the crowd was so disengaged that people were shouting across the room as she spoke; she's also had show-stoppers, though, when people put down their drinks and stopped moving to absorb every word.

She knows what it's like to be nervous. Hodges hosts her own open mics now on Monday nights in Portsmouth and reserves the first half hour for mingling among poets.

"To get rid of the jitters," she said.

Another tip for easing the anxiety is to pick pieces that you're comfortable with, said poet Synnika Lofton. Use a piece that you've practiced for days or weeks, he said. He also recommends recording your voice and listening to it so that you get used to it. It took him months to learn to like his, he said, and it gave him confidence.

Hodges and Lofton said newcomers should also look for quiet places for first readings, such as a workshop setting or a home.

On open-mic night, however, be prepared to do more than read, Lofton said.

"If you're going to be in front of people, you need to internalize and embody your work," said Lofton, who hosts poetry workshops and readings in Chesapeake and Norfolk. "If you have the same monotone for 30, 40 minutes, people are going to go to sleep."

Pick up the vibe of the room before going onstage; nothing too graphic if kids are in the room. Also, be honest, Hodges said.

"No need to come out like Vanilla Ice, 'I came from the 'hood,' and you're really from Crystal Lake," she said. "Everybody has a story to tell. Your story may not parallel mine, but your story impacted you as much as mine impacted me."

Poet Grace Parker Tazewell likes to prepare the audience by describing the tone of the poem before reading it. Some poems begin light, then turn dark, she said, and the audience needs to be advised of any emotional shifts. "A confused audience is a frozen audience."

Once you start, think about pacing, the poets said.

Hodges recommends sucking on a piece of candy to slow your speech.

When you're done, don't be surprised by the audience reaction. Poets in the audience might snap their fingers or clap softly, or sit silently absorbing the words. Don't take the silence as a negative.

"Just remember," Lofton said, "be confident in your voice. You contribute to the overall performance of that given night."Rocking the house

Terry Butler, who works as the assistant director of choral activities at Norfolk State University, has performed everywhere from Grace Episcopal Church in Norfolk to the White House and knows about nerves.

He suggests that musicians, whether they are playing an instrument or singing, practice, practice, practice. It builds the confidence performers need to stand before a crowd.

Butler said it's also mandatory to get to a venue early to check out the equipment and connect with sound technicians, who can be your best friends when you're new.

If you do mess up in the middle of the gig, Butler said, "keep going as if nothing ever happened."

"The majority of performances mask a few mistakes," he said. "Most of the time people in the room won't even know."

When the nerves hit, Butler said, pick the face of a friend or a point on a wall and sing or perform to that person or thing. "If your favorite thing is water on a beach, picture that."Killing at comedy

Joy Julian, who works as a media specialist with Chesapeake Public Schools, has been doing stand-up for almost two years. She pursued it after she learned a few years ago that she had breast cancer; trying comedy was on her bucket list.

The cancer, which is now in remission, became part of her routine. So is her hometown of Chesapeake - "a lot of rednecks with money" - her weight and her parents, because it's easy to joke about yourself. So a tip for new comics - keep the material to matters that everyone can relate to. Stay away from certain areas - politics, race and religion.

"You can hear a pin drop if you do those because it goes over flat or people are afraid to laugh," Julian said.

Remember, also, that doing comedy is never easy. Even a standard five-minute routine - which is typical for open-mic nights - has been written and rewritten, practiced back and forth and tried in front of friends to look conversational.

Keep the jokes quick, too. Too much information can confuse people, Julian said.

Also, keep it clean, warns Rona Hyman, who started doing stand-up after taking a class in 2010. It's a turnoff for many in the audience and for managers, who can determine if you perform again or not.

Very few open mics are really open, Hyman said, or allow you to show up and perform. A lot of places put your name on a list once they know you.

Hyman also said she wouldn't hit a stage without taking a class. It's where you learn everything from how to write jokes to how to hold the microphone - and her class at The Muse Writers Center in Norfolk required students to write and perform a five-minute sketch.

It taught her how to be prepared for everything, including hecklers, a point newbies need to remember.

Hyman has a couple of lines to divert the attention back to the stage and away from the jokester, but don't spend more than a couple of minutes on them, she warned. Otherwise, you give hecklers control of the show.

One of the most important tips, Hyman said, is to have fun.

"Comedy is a universal language," she said. "Through laughter, I think we communicate with everybody."