How to Book Comedians for a Private Party

How much a comedian costs for a private party is a hard question to answer. Where are you located? If you’re near a city with a lot of pro comics (New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Austin, a few others) then there are great comedians nearby. The Ivy League of Comedy has a roster of about three dozen hilarious and affordable comedians. Outside of major urban areas you’re not as likely to find much of a selection of professional comedians.

What night or day of the week? (Evenings are more expensive than daytime, and weekends more expensive than weekdays/nights)

If you live in an area with a decently-sized comedian population, a rough guess, depending on the comic, is maybe $750 for a Saturday night, says The Ivy League of Comedy’s Shaun Eli. But if you’re talking about a larger crowd, or you’re quite well off, it’ll probably be more. Does that sound like gouging the rich? It’s really the other way around, it’s a discount for the majority of the population who can’t really afford what we’re worth.

Not so much. The cost would be higher for a longer set. But, says The Ivy League of Comedy’s Shaun Eli, really most of what you’re paying for is to have us show up. The difference between 30 or 45 minutes is obviously only 15 minutes. But if you look at the total time expense, we probably drove an hour, had to allow for traffic delays, got there early to check out the room set-up and other factors, and maybe stuck around afterwards. So that 15 minutes isn’t 15 out of 45 minutes, it’s 15 minutes out of 4 hours.

You’ll need a sound system, so you’ll have to buy, borrow or rent one if the comedian doesn’t have one (some of us do, but not all of us, and The Ivy League of Comedy's Shaun Eli has three). Travel and lodging, if not built into the fee you’re paying, will be an extra cost. You can see where the comedian’s coming from and figure out if they’ll need to fly or stay overnight. The Ivy League of Comedy prefers to build all the travel expenses into a flat fee, to make it simpler for you.

A private party is way different. Often if it’s a small group, like a family or group of friends, they all know each other and they want to be part of the show. I don’t have a problem with that, as long as it stays friendly, says The Ivy League of Comedy’s Shaun Eli.

I did a private party recently where the audience interrupted so much I couldn’t get through a joke, but that was okay since they were all having fun. It just became a bunch of conversations with the audience— what comedians call crowd work.

There was plenty of laughter, but really I’m not sure how much of it I was responsible for. And that was fine. I realized that in that situation I was more a facilitator of fun than an actual stand-up comedian. They all had a great time.

I was prepared for someone to say that I was just standing there. And I was ready with the response that it was my job to make sure that everybody had fun, and they did, and it wouldn’t have been nearly the same evening without me. But that didn’t happen— everybody was very happy and the person who hired me was thrilled with his birthday party.

Judging by the size of his house he was probably quite wealthy, and people like that are used to getting their own way. So if he’d been anything less than very happy he would have made that known.

Yes, absolutely. And ask this right upfront. You don’t want to waste your time or the comedian’s time if you have requirements they can’t meet. Tell them exactly what you’re looking for. The Ivy League of Comedy specializes in clean stand-up comedy.

And as far as all-ages? Very, very few comedians have material, even clean, that will entertain both adults and children. The kind of jokes that adults love? Kids won’t understand them.

The Ivy League of Comedy has a few comedians who are good for 12- and 13-year-old audiences, but in general most stand-up comedy is probably best for 14 and up. Not because of racy jokes, but kids who still think that the opposite sex is yucky probably don’t want to listen to stories about dating.

If you want us to, the comedians from The Ivy League of Comedy can. But if you want true customized comedy, it’ll cost you. It’s not easy to just sit down and write jokes on a given topic.

Comedians from The Ivy League of Comedy would be happy to perform at your birthday, anniversary or retirement party.

Yes and no. We’re happy to perform at a surprise party, but the comedy should not be a surprise to the rest of the audience. You want to build anticipation that it’s not just another party, it’s a whole fun event with a professional comedian. That’s way better than interrupting everyone’s conversations to say “Now shut up and listen to this stranger that you know nothing about.”

You should absolutely speak about this right away. Not every comedian is suitable for a corporate event. In fact most are not. Don’t assume that a comedian knows that a corporate show should be clean. A not-clean comedian figures you’re hiring them and you should know what they do. The Ivy League of Comedy specializes in clean and corporate comedy.

It’s better to be indoors, for a number of reasons, says The Ivy League of Comedy’s Shaun Eli. But, indoors or outdoors, a sound system that’s loud enough for the space (louder’s better- we can always speak more softly or hold the microphone farther away, but we can’t overcome a weak sound system) and a hand-held microphone. A stage and stage lighting are nice, but not necessary.

The comedian has to be seen, and if you can arrange the lights so that the comedian’s lit from the front and everybody else is in the dark, that’s best. And you can buy cheap trouble lights (work lights, clamp lights) for ten or fifteen bucks. Buy a few of them, with extension cords, and light the comedian from the front from a few different places (from overhead if possible).

And note that the audience really needs to be seated, as close to the comedian as possible. Also try to eliminate distractions: close the window curtains, have the show in a separate room with the doors closed, and turn off any televisions.

Comedians from The Ivy League of Comedy have performed for thousands, and we’ve performed for three people. A dozen people can be a great audience.

The three person audience? It was a snowy Thursday night between Christmas and New Year’s, and that’s how many showed up at a small club. The emcee just sat down on the edge of the stage and chatted with the audience, entertaining them as he went. The rest of the comics pretty much did the same thing, and everybody left happy (except for the club owner, who presumably lost money on the show).

Not much. A few square feet. Most of us don’t move around that much.

We’re happy to perform in a restaurant’s private room. We suggest that you make sure that it’s actually a private room, and not just an area of the restaurant roped off or separated by room dividers, because the noise will carry.

Yes, many of The Ivy League of Comedy’s comedians have performed on yachts.

The length of a comedy set for a private party varies, but your guests want time to socialize. A half hour is fine. And the comedian should not be a surprise. The audience should be told, well in advance, that a comedian’s coming. But it’s your party. The Ivy League of Comedy is happy to give you guidance and answer any questions you might have.

Tell us about your guests (ages, backgrounds, what they do for a living and for fun) and we'll suggest comedians who fit. But the demographics don’t have to match. You might want someone who’s not just like everyone at the party. Someone with a different point-of-view and different life experiences, says The Ivy League of Comedy’s Shaun Eli.

The Ivy League of Comedy suggests dinner, then the comedy. Then, if you have them, speeches. Or, if the speeches aren’t too long you could have the comedian after the speeches. But it’s better before. Just make sure that people are finished eating, because you don’t want someone choking on their steak because they’re laughing.

To clarify: If you mean a private party for a family or group of friends, there really aren’t comedians who specifically specialize in events like that, but there are comedians who are particularly good at it. The Ivy League of Comedy has several comedians who are excellent for private social events. If you mean a country club, golf club, yacht club, flying club, that sort of thing, The Ivy League of Comedy’s comedians are particularly expert at entertaining those demographics. Almost all are college-educated and many have graduate degrees (including law).

The Ivy League of Comedy recommends booking comedians three months in advance, but we have also done last-minute bookings. If you need a comedian last-minute, call (914) 487-3866; don’t text or email.

That’s a hard question to answer, because few if any comedians have video of them performing at a private party. Would you want somebody recording your party? Even if they happen to have video of them dealing with an audience, obviously they chose that particular video clip to show you, so it’s not necessarily representative of their work in general. It’s probably best to have a conversation with them and ask any questions you think of. And if they’re brusque with you, or evasive, well, if they’re that way before you’ve even hired them, I question how patient and nice they will be with your audience. You don’t want someone combative. You want it to be a party for everyone, including the comedian. The Ivy League of Comedy is happy to provide advice.

Yes, having a written contract benefits both parties. A contract should cover more than just where, when, for how long and how much. A comedian’s contract should cover contingencies— better to have it spelled out in advance how things work, rather than having a misunderstanding or no guidelines for how to proceed if there are any issues.

So if the comedian’s contract is a half-page, and doesn’t say anything about a sound system, or what happens if it’s an outdoor event and it rains, or any number of other factors, you’re probably not dealing with a very experienced comedian. The head of The Ivy League of Comedy used to work as a risk manager, so he’s made sure that their contract is detailed. That said, it is friendly, not one-sided, and written in plain English. You don’t need to be a lawyer to understand it, and there are none of those fancy Latin legal terms you’d have to look up.