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A comedy club is a venue where a variety of comedic acts perform to a live audience. Although the term usually refers to establishments that feature stand-up comedians , it can also feature other forms of comedy such as improvisational comedians , impersonators , impressionists , magicians and ventriloquists .

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92-431: An open mic or open mike (shortened from "open microphone") is a live show at a venue such as a coffeehouse , nightclub , comedy club , strip club , or pub , often taking place at night (an open mic night ), in which audience members may perform on stage whether they are amateurs or professionals, often for the first time or to promote an upcoming performance. As the name suggests, performers are usually provided with

184-412: A franchise business model , with numerous branches across various countries around the world. While café may refer to a coffeehouse, the term "café" can also refer to a diner , British café (also colloquially called a "caff"), " greasy spoon " (a small and inexpensive restaurant), transport café , teahouse or tea room, or other casual eating and drinking place. A coffeehouse may share some of

276-521: A Ukrainian cossack and Polish diplomat of Ruthenian descent. Kulczycki, according to the tale, then began the first coffeehouse in Vienna with the hoard, also being the first to serve coffee with milk. There is a statue of Kulczycki on a street also named after him. However, it is now widely accepted that the first Viennese coffeehouse was actually opened by an Armenian merchant named Johannes Diodato. Johannes Diodato (also known as Johannes Theodat) opened

368-688: A Viennese coffee house on the Adriatic in Trieste , then and now the main port for coffee and coffee processing in Italy and Central Europe. From there, the Viennese Kapuziner coffee developed into today's world-famous cappuccino . This special multicultural atmosphere of the Habsburg coffee houses was largely destroyed by the later National Socialism and Communism and can only be found today in

460-725: A bar, and also sells alcoholic drinks. In the Netherlands a koffiehuis serves coffee, while a coffee shop (using the English term) sells "soft" drugs ( cannabis and hashish ) and is generally not allowed to sell alcoholic drinks. In France, most cafés serve as lunch restaurants in the day, and bars in the evening. They generally do not have pastries except in the mornings, when a croissant or pain au chocolat can be purchased with breakfast coffee. In Italy, cafés are similar to those found in France and known as bar . They typically serve

552-735: A casual setting that was purposefully different from traditional churches. An out-of-print book, published by the ministry of David Wilkerson, titled, A Coffeehouse Manual , served as a guide for Christian coffeehouses, including a list of name suggestions for coffeehouses. In 2002, Brownstones Coffee of Amityville, New York opened its first location as a breakfast-oriented coffeehouse well before that business model became popular. The trend later caught on through coffeehouses such as Starbucks, which seemed to be on every street corner in several major American cities including Los Angeles and Seattle. Cafés may have an outdoor section (terrace, pavement or sidewalk café ) with seats, tables and parasols. This

644-452: A coffeehouse in Paris. In a well-known engraving of a Parisian café c. 1700, the gentlemen hang their hats on pegs and sit at long communal tables strewn with papers and writing implements. Coffee pots are ranged at an open fire, with a hanging cauldron of boiling water. The only woman present presides, separated in a canopied booth, from which she serves coffee in tall cups. Aside from

736-412: A coffeehouse provides patrons with a place to congregate, talk, read, write, entertain one another, or pass the time, whether individually or in small groups. A coffeehouse can serve as an informal social club for its regular members. As early as the 1950s Beatnik era and the 1960s folk music scene, coffeehouses have hosted singer-songwriter performances, typically in the evening. The digital age saw

828-558: A connection with real-life experiences. The spaces theaters and comedy clubs provided created cultural space for a future of comedy in Morocco. Now, Moroccan comedy clubs function as important spaces for humour and cultural commentary. The emergence of Japanese comedy clubs can be traced back to the 18th century with the establishment of Yose theatres. These early iterations were constructed for various forms of entertainment, such as Kōdan , Rōkyoku , Rakugo , and other varieties. Over

920-443: A culture of reading and increased literacy. These coffeehouses were a social magnet where different strata of society came together to discuss topics covered by the newspapers and pamphlets. Most coffeehouses of the 18th century would eventually be equipped with their own printing presses or incorporate a book shop. Today, the term café is used for most coffeehouses – this can be spelled both with and without an acute accent , but

1012-444: A demo recording. They provide an outlet for singer-songwriters. Prior to their popularity, the only outlets generally were folk clubs , which were not always friendly towards creators of new music and preferred traditional popular music. They also suggested that music performed by acoustic musicians or solo artists in this manner would necessarily be folk music, a misconception that still commonly exists today. Some organizers have chosen

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1104-421: A designated stage area and use a microphone with amplification as an industry standard. Open mics for comedy have no minimum requirements to perform, a format which is known as "show and go". At a typical comedy open mic, acts will get 3–7 minutes of stage time. The routine of a five-minute slot requires approximately three minutes of material. All stand-up comedy performed must be an original creation. The host of

1196-660: A few places that have long been in the slipstream of history, such as Vienna or Trieste. The first coffeehouse in England was set up on the High Street in Oxford in 1650 –1651 by "Jacob the Jew". A second competing coffee house was opened across the street in 1654, by "Cirques Jobson, the Jew" ( Queen's Lane Coffee House ). In London, the earliest coffeehouse was established by Pasqua Rosée in 1652. Anthony Wood observed of

1288-438: A full house'. Conversely, when shows were not sold out and audience members had more room to spread out among empty tables and chairs, audience members were less likely to relate their experiences as one of entertainment or enjoyment." The host introduces each act by reciting the name that was placed on the sign-up list and asks the audience to give the performer an introductory round of applause. Performing first at an open mic puts

1380-567: A lively description of the Persian coffeehouse ( qahveh khaneh in Persian ) scene: People engage in conversation, for it is there that news is communicated and where those interested in politics criticize the government in all freedom and without being fearful, since the government does not heed what the people say. Innocent games ... resembling checkers , hopscotch, and chess, are played. In addition, mollas , dervishes , and poets take turns telling stories in verse or in prose. The narrations by

1472-516: A microphone plugged into a PA system so that they can be heard by the audience. Performers may sign up in advance for a time slot with the host , who is typically an experienced performer or the venue's manager or owner. The host may screen potential candidates for suitability for the venue and give them a time to perform during the show. Open mics are focused on performance arts such as comedy (whether it be sketch or stand-up ), music (often acoustic singer-songwriters), poetry, and spoken word . It

1564-538: A normal format, but performers reserve spots one week to one month in advance. Bringer shows are presented in a showcase format, with each performer being required to bring 5–15 people with them (with a cover charge and a two-drink minimum per person) in order to secure stage time, but this is widely seen as exploitative. Poetry and spoken word open mics feature a host, who is normally a poet or spoken word artist, poets and spoken word artists, and audience members. Sometimes open mic nights have featured readers, or are part of

1656-450: A particular clientele divided by occupation or attitude, such as Tories and Whigs , wits and stockjobbers , merchants and lawyers, booksellers and authors, men of fashion or the "cits" of the old city center . According to one French visitor, Antoine François Prévost , coffeehouses, "where you have the right to read all the papers for and against the government", were the "seats of English liberty". Jonathan's Coffee House in 1698 saw

1748-748: A popular meeting place of the French Enlightenment ; Voltaire , Rousseau , and Denis Diderot frequented it, and it is arguably the birthplace of the Encyclopédie , the first modern encyclopedia. The first known cafes in Pest date back to 1714 when a house intended to serve as a Cafe (Balázs Kávéfőző) was purchased. Minutes of the Pest City Council from 1729 mention complaints by the Balázs café and Franz Reschfellner Cafe against

1840-568: A punch line, referred to as " ochi ," akin to the structure observed in contemporary stand-up comedy , which often utilizes punchlines and wordplay for comedic effect. In this way, Yose were the first comedy clubs hosting stand-up comedians (hanashikas) through the art of Rakugo . The first Yose theatre was organized in 1798 by Karaku Sanshotei 1st at the Shitaya-jinja Shrine in Shitaya , Tokyo . The stone monument commemorating

1932-539: A registered coffeehouse in Vienna in 1685. Fifteen years later, four other Armenians owned coffeehouses. The culture of drinking coffee was itself widespread in the country in the second half of the 18th century. Over time, a special coffee house culture developed in Habsburg Vienna. On the one hand, writers, artists, musicians, intellectuals, bon vivants and their financiers met in the coffee house, and on

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2024-979: A restaurant that usually serves coffee and snacks rather than the word coffee that describes the drink, is derived from the French café. The first café in France is believed to have opened in 1660. The first café in Europe is believed to have been opened in Belgrade , Ottoman Serbia in 1522 as a Kafana (Serbian coffee house). The translingual word root /kafe/ appears in many European languages with various naturalized spellings, including Portuguese, Spanish, and French ( café ); German ( Kaffee ); Polish ( kawa ); Serbian ( кафа / kafa ); Ukrainian ( кава , 'kava'); and others. The first coffeehouses appeared in Damascus . These Ottoman coffeehouses also appeared in Mecca , in

2116-468: A significant chapter in the history of comedy clubs in Morocco, having heavy influences on artistic practices. Following the decline of French colonial dominance, comic theaters emerged as distinct spaces, gaining prominence in the 80s as a response to the heightened cultural interest in addressing humorous real-life concerns. The theatrical landscape saw a flourishing of comic theater, employing humor and cultural critique to entertain audiences while fostering

2208-496: A similar formula. The first of these pioneers were The Improv and Dangerfield's . The Improv opened as a coffee house in 1963, within the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York City . While it hosted its first comedian in 1964, 5 years before Dangerfield's opening in 1969, it only shifted into a comedy club after hours. The Improv became exclusively a comedy club over the years, before its closing in 1992. Dangerfield's

2300-420: A stage, often the upstairs or back room of a pub or bar, or at a bookstore, college campus, rock club, or coffeehouse. Less commonly, they are also held at venues such as strip clubs and comic book shops. Comedy clubs may be the only open mic establishments that have a green room , a backstage area for performers waiting to go on stage where no audience members are present. Open mic nights give emerging comedians

2392-500: A stand-up comedy open mic tries to maintain an equilibrium of mood within "the room". Hosts will try to seat audience members close together near the designated front stage area because that seems to maximize the audience's feelings of enjoyment and may lead to increased laughter; of one such event, a reviewer wrote, "Tightly arranged seating within the comedy room created physical discomfort for audience members... yet audience members often talked about how much they enjoyed 'the feeling of

2484-704: A variety of espresso coffee, cakes and alcoholic drinks. Bars in city centers usually have different prices for consumption at the bar and consumption at a table. Coffeehouses are part of the culture of Buenos Aires and the customs of its inhabitants. They are traditional meeting places for 'porteños' and have inspired innumerable artistic creations. Some notable coffeehouses include Confitería del Molino , Café Tortoni , El Gato Negro , Café La Biela . The first coffeehouse in America opened in Boston , in 1676. However, Americans did not start choosing coffee over tea until

2576-424: A well-established stand-up scene; the major examples include Boston , Chicago , London , and New York City . Stand-ups also use open mics for networking to find both paid and unpaid work opportunities, for making friends, or as a form of therapy . "The room" is the term for the setting of a comedy performance; comedians are said to gauge the audience by their ability to "read the room". Stand-up performances have

2668-625: A writing workshop, but generally a sign-up sheet is available for anyone interested in participating. Each participant is then called to come to the microphone and read a selection or two. Writers may attend an open mic to try out a new piece for an audience or to find out more about the local writing community. Others attend poetry open mics just to listen. Poetry/spoken word open mics range from laid back, serene settings to lively sessions where readers and/or performers compete for audience applause. They are usually held in libraries, coffee houses , cafes, bookstores and bars. Each poet or spoken word artist

2760-431: Is a key element to get the crowd feeling more relaxed in their space, especially for more controversial jokes which most comedians often make use of. Comedy clubs use low ceilings and small interior spaces to create fuller looking crowds. Low ceilings are especially important for most comedy clubs since laughter is an important part of their ambience. Laughter is proven to be contagious in humans, and low ceilings allow for

2852-403: Is always pronounced as two syllables. The name café has also come to be used for a type of diners that offers cooked meals (again, without alcoholic beverages) which can be standalone or operating within shopping centres or department stores. In Irish usage, the presence or absence of the acute accent does not signify the type of establishment (coffeehouse versus diner), and is purely a decision by

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2944-507: Is especially the case with European cafés. Cafés offer a more open public space compared to many of the traditional pubs they have replaced, which were more male dominated with a focus on drinking alcohol. One of the original uses of the café, as a place for information exchange and communication, was reintroduced in the 1990s with the Internet café or Hotspot . The spread of modern-style cafés to urban and rural areas went hand-in-hand with

3036-493: Is less common for groups such as rock bands or comedy troupes to perform, mostly because of the space and logistical requirements of preparing equipment and soundchecking such groups. Open mics may have very low entrance fees or no entrance fees at all, although the venue itself may prepare a gratuity jar , a "pass the hat" for donations, or a raffle with various prizes. Venues that charge no fees profit from selling drinks and food. The performers are not typically paid, although

3128-400: Is often asked to keep their performances to a minimum/specified time slot, giving each performer enough time to share some of their work with the audience. The host or MC acts as a "gatekeeper", determining which performers are suitable for the event. If a performer goes over their time limit, the host diplomatically thanks the performer for their contribution and asks them to yield the stage for

3220-414: Is that the comedian does not get too flushed and tired under the hot spotlights and cold room. The second and more influential effect is on the psychology of the audience; audiences become more alert and evidently more focused on the performance which usually elicits more laughter as a result. Where a venue has multiple stages, an "A Room" is typically the largest and best room, used for popular acts, while

3312-595: Is the opportunity for exposure. Open mics offer attendees the opportunity to discover new and local talent. Performing in front of open mic attendees exposes a performer's material to people who have never heard it before. This allows attendees the opportunity to connect with a performer and share a performer's material with friends and family with similar taste. Experience is also another benefit for performers at open mics. Many performers at open mics are just beginning their career as performers or have been performing for years. Either way, performing at an open mic gives performers

3404-584: The Arabian Peninsula in the 15th century, then spread to the Ottoman Empire 's capital of Istanbul in the 16th century and in Baghdad . Coffeehouses became popular meeting places where people gathered to drink coffee, have conversations, play board games such as chess and backgammon , listen to stories and music, and discuss news and politics. They became known as "schools of wisdom" for

3496-766: The Boston Tea Party and the Revolutionary War . After the Revolutionary War, Americans momentarily went back to drinking tea until after the War of 1812 when they began importing high-quality coffee from Latin America and expensive inferior-quality tea from American shippers instead of Great Britain. Whether they were drinking coffee or tea, coffeehouses served a similar purpose to that which they did in Great Britain, as places where business

3588-584: The Principality of Wallachia ), in the center of the city, where today sits the main building of the National Bank of Romania . Pasqua Rosée, an Armenian by the name Harutiun Vartian, also established the first coffeehouse in Paris in 1672 and held a citywide coffee monopoly until Procopio Cutò , his apprentice, opened the Café Procope in 1686. This coffeehouse still exists today and was

3680-538: The 1960s through the mid-1980s, churches and individuals in the United States used the coffeehouse concept for outreach. They were often storefronts and had names like The Lost Coin (Greenwich Village), The Gathering Place (Riverside, CA), Catacomb Chapel (New York City), and Jesus For You (Buffalo, NY). Christian music (often guitar-based) was performed, coffee and food was provided, and Bible studies were convened as people of varying backgrounds gathered in

3772-617: The 19th and 20th centuries in Europe, coffeehouses were very often meeting points for writers and artists. The traditional tale of the origins of the Viennese café begins with the mysterious sacks of green beans left behind when the Turks were defeated in the Battle of Vienna in 1683. All the sacks of coffee were granted to the victorious Polish king Jan III Sobieski , who in turn gave them to one of his officers, Jerzy Franciszek Kulczycki ,

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3864-627: The Italian caffè —first attested as caveé in Venice in 1570 —and in turn derived from Arabic qahwa ( قهوة ). The Arabic term qahwa originally referred to a type of wine, but after the wine ban by Islam , the name was transferred to coffee because of the similar rousing effect it induced. European knowledge of coffee (the plant, its seeds, and the drink made from the seeds) came through European contact with Turkey , likely via Venetian- Ottoman trade relations. The English word café to describe

3956-725: The Italian-originated café of Francesco Bellieno for selling underpriced coffee. During the 18th century, the oldest extant coffeehouses in Italy were established: Caffè Florian in Venice, Antico Caffè Greco in Rome, Caffè Pedrocchi in Padua , Caffè dell'Ussero in Pisa and Caffè Fiorio in Turin . In the 18th century, Dublin coffeehouses functioned as early reading centers and

4048-513: The London City magistrates tried to prosecute people who frequented coffeehouses as they were liable to "spread false and seditious reports". William III 's privy council also suppressed Jacobite sympathizers in the 1680s and 1690s in coffeehouses as these were the places that they believed harbored plotters against the regimes. By 1739, there were 551 coffeehouses in London; each attracted

4140-647: The Marrare and the Marrare dictated the law"). Other coffee houses soon opened across the country, such as Café Vianna, opened in Braga , in 1858, by Manoel José da Costa Vianna, which was also visited by important Portuguese writers such as Camilo Castelo Branco and Eça de Queirós . During the 1930's , a surge in coffee houses happened in Porto with the opening of several that still exist, such as Café Guarany , opened in 1933, and A Regaleira , opened in 1934. In 1761

4232-719: The Turm Kaffee, a shop for exported goods, was opened in St. Gallen . Finland's first coffee house, Kaffehus, was founded in Turku in 1778. The oldest still-in-use coffee house in Helsinki called Café Ekberg was founded 1852. The exclusion of women from coffeehouses as guests was not universal, but does appear to have been common in Europe. In Germany, women frequented them, but in England and France they were banned. Émilie du Châtelet purportedly cross-dressed to gain entrance to

4324-526: The United Kingdom is Thursday, with Wednesday in second place. A popular open mic arrangement in the United States is the "Blues Night". In this format, a bar or club will dedicate a particular night, usually in the middle of the week, as being "open mic blues night". The establishment may supply a house band , typically guitar, bass, and drums, and sometimes a keyboard. Singers, guitarists, and harmonica performers who wish to play sign up, usually with

4416-548: The West. Comedy club Some forms of comedy can have distinguished venues such as improvisational theatres , which host improv or sketch comedy, and variety clubs which may also host musical acts along with comedic acts. The documentation of Moroccan comedy spaces traces its roots back to the 17th Century, encompassing rich performance practices like Labsat and Sultan Talba . The origins of comedy clubs can be traced to Labsat , an extravagant performance arts festival, with

4508-488: The birthplace of Yose is located in this shrine, initially referred to as yoseba before later adopting the term "yose." Towards the end of the Edo period , multiple Yose theatres emerged, providing a primary source of entertainment in towns where options were limited. The subsequent Meiji and Taisho eras witnessed the appearance of large-scale Yose theatres. However, with the advent of various entertainments like television,

4600-439: The coffee houses of Oxford in his Life and Times (1674) "The decay of study, and consequently of learning, are coffee houses, to which most scholars retire and spend much of the day in hearing and speaking of news". The proprietor was Pasqua Rosée, the servant of a trader in goods from the Ottoman Empire named Daniel Edwards, who imported the coffee and assisted Rosée in setting up the establishment there. From 1670 to 1685,

4692-419: The comedian at a disadvantage due to the audience being "cold" and is considered the most challenging spot to perform in. Stand-ups usually use the second person to address the audience. In 2011, writer Rob Durham said that an open mic night should be no longer than 90 minutes and consist of no more than 15 acts. A comedy open mic will not normally exceed 30 people, which comedian Hannibal Buress has cited as

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4784-516: The dark roast style to high quality beans and opened up a small shop in Berkeley, California to educate customers on the virtues of good coffee. Starting in 1967 with the opening of the historic Last Exit on Brooklyn coffeehouse, Seattle became known for its thriving countercultural coffeehouse scene; the Starbucks chain later standardized and mainstreamed this espresso bar model. From

4876-473: The discussion around women as guests of the coffeehouses, it is noted that women did work as waitresses at coffeehouses and also managed coffeehouses as proprietors. Well known women in the coffeehouse business were Moll King (coffee house proprietor) in England, and Maja-Lisa Borgman in Sweden. In most European countries, such as Spain, Austria , Denmark , Germany, Norway , Sweden, Portugal , and others,

4968-435: The emergence of circulation and subscription libraries that provided greater access to printed material for the public. The interconnectivity of the coffeehouse and virtually every aspect of the print trade were evidenced by the incorporation of printing, publishing, selling, and viewing of newspapers, pamphlets and books on the premises, most notably in the case of Dick's Coffee House , owned by Richard Pue; thus contributing to

5060-463: The great auction houses of Sotheby's and Christie's . In Victorian England, the temperance movement set up coffeehouses (also known as coffee taverns) for the working classes, as a place of relaxation free of alcohol , an alternative to the public house . In 1667, Kara Hamie, a former Ottoman Janissary from Constantinople, opened the first coffee shop in Bucharest (then the capital of

5152-480: The highly popular hibiscus blend ( Egyptian Arabic : karkadeh or ennab ). The first ' ahwah opened around the 1850s and were originally patronized mostly by older people, with youths frequenting but not always ordering. There were associated by the 1920s with clubs ( Cairo ), bursa ( Alexandria ) and gharza (rural inns). In the early 20th century, some of them became crucial venues for political and social debates. In India, coffee culture has expanded in

5244-718: The host. This person is tasked with screening the performers, choosing and ordering, and getting the performers on and off stage in a polite manner. Since the songs chosen need to be simple enough so that a band of musicians who have not played together can perform them without practice, blues standards are used. Songs might be announced as a "12-bar fast shuffle in C" or "slow 12-bar blues in F", or similar phrases that should be familiar to all concerned. Lead singers, keyboards, horn players (usually saxophones), and various percussion instruments are common additions. Stand-up comedy open mic nights can be held at established comedy clubs but are more commonly held at other venues with or without

5336-534: The late 1950s onward, coffeehouses also served as a venue for entertainment, most commonly folk performers during the American folk music revival . Both Greenwich Village and North Beach became major haunts of the Beats , who were highly identified with these coffeehouses. As the youth culture of the 1960s evolved, non-Italians consciously copied these coffeehouses. The political nature of much of 1960s folk music made

5428-427: The light". In modern times, this is done with the flashlight from a cell phone so as not to distract the audience with a larger or brighter light. If a comedian ignores this light and continues to perform past their allotted time, this is known as "blowing the light" and may get the comedian banned from performing at that venue. Other types of comedy open mics include "booked shows" and "bringer shows". Booked shows have

5520-529: The listing of stock and commodity prices that evolved into the London Stock Exchange . Lloyd's Coffee House provided the venue for merchants and shippers to discuss insurance deals , leading to the establishment of Lloyd's of London insurance market, the Lloyd's Register classification society , and other related businesses. Auctions in salesrooms attached to coffeehouses provided the start for

5612-418: The maximum number of people who should be there. It is common practice for stand-ups to record their sets for later review and rehearsal. The collective feedback from different audiences has a significant impact on how a stand-up routine is shaped. The host will flash a light at the comedian one minute before their time is up as a signal to finish the joke they are currently telling, a practise known as "getting

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5704-479: The mollas and the dervishes are moral lessons, like our sermons, but it is not considered scandalous not to pay attention to them. No one is forced to give up his game or his conversation because of it. A molla will stand up in the middle, or at one end of the qahveh-khaneh, and begin to preach in a loud voice, or a dervish enters all of a sudden, and chastises the assembled on the vanity of the world and its material goods. It often happens that two or three people talk at

5796-435: The music a natural tie-in with coffeehouses with their association with political action. A number of well-known performers like Joan Baez and Bob Dylan began their careers performing in coffeehouses. Blues singer Lightnin' Hopkins bemoaned his woman's inattentiveness to her domestic situation due to her overindulgence in coffeehouse socializing in his 1969 song "Coffeehouse Blues". In 1966, Alfred Peet began applying

5888-645: The name of 'Penny Universities' . Though Charles II later tried to suppress London coffeehouses as "places where the disaffected met, and spread scandalous reports concerning the conduct of His Majesty and his Ministers", the public still flocked to them. For several decades following the Restoration , the wits gathered around John Dryden at Will's Coffee House , in Russell Street, Covent Garden . As coffeehouses were believed to be areas where anti-government gossip could easily spread, Queen Mary and

5980-423: The next performer. The terms "open deck" (where "deck" refers to the kind of turntable used by a DJ) and "open reel" (where "reel" refers to a 35 mm film reel) are used for more niche open mic events where keen amateurs can meet to exhibit and critique their skills/artform. A decrease in the cost of consumer video technology combined with the powerful editing capabilities of modern PCs has caused an increase in

6072-452: The noteworthy milestone of the first show staged within the king's, Sultan Mohammed ibn Abd Allah , palace. The evolution continued with Sultan Tabla , a theatrical celebration that served as a precursor to more modern al-halqa . Al-halqa , characterized by storytelling circles infused with elements of humor, played a pivotal role in shaping comedy performance spaces and practices. The period of French colonization from 1912 to 1956 marked

6164-505: The number of London coffeehouses began to increase, and they also began to gain political importance due to their popularity as places of debate. English coffeehouses were significant meeting places, particularly in London. By 1675, there were more than 3,000 coffeehouses in England. The coffeehouses were great social levelers, open to all men and indifferent to social status, and as a result associated with equality and republicanism. Entry gave access to books or print news. Coffeehouses boosted

6256-478: The number of visitors to Yose establishments significantly declined, leading to closures. In recent years, the dwindling interest in performance arts within Yose has resulted in the survival of only a few Yose theatres. Consequently, the overall Yose industry faces challenging business conditions as it contends with changing entertainment preferences. Since the late 1960s and 70s, hundreds of comedy clubs have adopted

6348-501: The oldest café still functioning, having opened in 1782), Café Tavares , Botequim Parras, among others . Of these several became famous for harbouring poets and artists, such as Manuel du Bocage with his visits to Café Nicola, which opened in 1796 by the Italian Nicola Breteiro; and Fernando Pessoa with his visits to A Brasileira , which opened in 1905 by Adriano Teles. The most famous of these coffee houses

6440-649: The opening of the first coffeehouse ( kiva han ) in Istanbul : Until the year 962 [1555], in the High, God-Guarded city of Constantinople , as well as in Ottoman lands generally, coffee and coffeehouses did not exist. About that year, a fellow called Hakam from Aleppo and a wag called Shams from Damascus came to the city; they each opened a large shop in the district called Tahtakale, and began to purvey coffee. The 17th-century French traveler and writer Jean Chardin gave

6532-438: The opportunity to perform. The difference is that jam sessions often involve musical ensembles, possibly even a house band or rhythm section , and may involve the participation of professional performers. Open mics provide an opportunity for emerging musicians to gain experience performing to a live audience without having to go through the process of getting normal music gigs, which is very difficult to do without experience or

6624-773: The opportunity to practice their stage presence and figure out the best way to perform their material that engages audiences. Coffeehouse A coffeehouse , coffee shop , or café ( French: [kafe] ), is an establishment that serves various types of coffee, espresso , latte , americano and cappuccino . Some coffeehouses may serve cold beverages, such as iced coffee and iced tea , as well as other non-caffeinated beverages. A coffeehouse may also serve food, such as light snacks, sandwiches, muffins , cakes, breads, donuts or pastries . In continental Europe, some cafés also serve alcoholic beverages. Coffeehouses range from owner-operated small businesses to large multinational corporations . Some coffeehouse chains operate on

6716-422: The opportunity to practice their stand-up routine, which they cannot do without a live audience. The audience for a typical comedy open mic is other comedians. Those underage must have their parents attend clubs with them. More experienced comedians may use open mics as an unpaid opportunity to work out newer material or a new character. Open mic comedy nights are most widespread in larger English-speaking cities with

6808-723: The other hand, new coffee varieties were always served. In the coffee house, people played cards or chess, worked, read, thought, composed, discussed, argued, observed and just chatted. A lot of information was also obtained in the coffee house, because local and foreign newspapers were freely available to all guests. This form of coffee house culture spread throughout the Habsburg Empire in the 19th century. Scientific theories, political plans but also artistic projects were worked out and discussed in Viennese coffee houses all over Central Europe. James Joyce even enjoyed his coffee in

6900-662: The owner: for instance, the two largest diner-style café chains in Ireland in the 1990s were named "Kylemore Cafe" and " Bewley's Café " – i.e., one written without, and one with, the acute accent. The history of coffee in Portugal is usually told to have begun during the reign of king John V , when Portuguese agent Francisco de Melo Palheta supposedly managed to steal coffee beans from the Dutch East India Company and introduce it to Brazil. From Brazil, coffee

6992-401: The past twenty years. Chains like Indian Coffee House , Café Coffee Day , Barista Lavazza have become very popular. Cafes are considered good venues to conduct office meetings and for friends to meet. In China, an abundance of recently started domestic coffeehouse chains may be seen accommodating business people for conspicuous consumption , with coffee prices sometimes even higher than in

7084-538: The popularity of DJing and amateur filmmaking, but these types of events are still very rare. Performing at open mics as a musician, comedian or poet provides many benefits. One of the benefits of performing at open mics is the opportunity for performers to engage in networking . Novice performers are able to connect with seasoned performers who can offer advice on stage presence. These connections are also useful when it comes to organizing future appearances as well as collaborations. Another benefit to networking at open mics

7176-410: The popularity of print news culture and helped the growth of various financial markets including insurance, stocks, and auctions. Lloyd's of London had its origins in a coffeehouse run by Edward Lloyd, where underwriters of ship insurance met to do business. The rich intellectual atmosphere of early London coffeehouses was available to anyone who could pay the sometimes one penny entry fee, giving them

7268-538: The rise of the Internet café along similar principles. The most common English spelling of café is the French word for both coffee and coffeehouse; it was adopted by English-speaking countries in the late 19th century. The Italian spelling, caffè , is also sometimes used in English. In Southern England , especially around London in the 1950s, the French pronunciation was often facetiously altered to / k æ f / and spelt caff . The English word coffee and French word café (coffeehouse) both derive from

7360-561: The rising use of mobile computers. Computers and Internet access in a contemporary-styled venue help to create a youthful, modern place, compared to the traditional pubs or old-fashioned diners that they replaced. Coffeehouses in Egypt are colloquially called ' ahwah /ʔhwa/ , which is the dialectal pronunciation of قَهْوة qahwah (literally "coffee") ( see also Arabic phonology#Local variations ). Also commonly served in ' ahwah are tea ( shāy ) and herbal teas , especially

7452-571: The same characteristics of a bar or restaurant, but it is different from a cafeteria. Many coffeehouses in West Asia offer shisha (actually called nargile in Levantine Arabic , Greek , and Turkish ), flavored tobacco smoked through a hookah . An espresso bar is a type of coffeehouse that specializes in serving espresso and espresso-based drinks. From a cultural standpoint coffeehouses largely serve as centers of social interaction:

7544-483: The same time, one on one side, the other on the opposite, and sometimes one will be a preacher and the other a storyteller. In the 17th century, coffee appeared for the first time in Europe outside the Ottoman Empire , and coffeehouses were established, soon becoming increasingly popular. The first coffeehouse is said to have appeared in 1632 in Livorno , founded by a Jewish merchant, or later in 1640, in Venice . In

7636-581: The sound of laughter to bounce back from the ceilings and be heard throughout the space. In higher ceilings and bigger spaces the sound of people’s laughter vanishes almost instantly. Lower ceilings contribute to a more joyful space. The bare redbrick wall of The Improv in New York, a result of the venue not having the budget to cover it with drywall , would go on to become a common design feature of comedy clubs. Comedy clubs opt for colder temperatures for multiple reasons. A main reason for colder temperature

7728-474: The term café means a restaurant primarily serving coffee, as well as pastries such as cakes, tarts , pies , or buns . Many cafés also serve light meals such as sandwiches . European cafés often have tables on the pavement (sidewalk) as well as indoors. Some cafés also serve alcoholic drinks (e.g., wine), particularly in Southern Europe. In the Netherlands and Belgium, a café is the equivalent of

7820-529: The title "acoustic night" or "acoustic club" in an attempt to indicate an event run broadly on the lines of a folk club, but with a much wider range of musical styles. Open mic events are most commonly held in the middle of the week or at the very end of the weekend when footfall through venues is low. They rarely occur on the hallowed Friday and Saturday night time slots, when venues are busy with weekend customers and any live performances are professionals who have been booked. The most common night for an open mic in

7912-510: The type of clientele they attracted, and their free and frank discourse. Coffeehouses in Mecca became a concern of imams who viewed them as places for political gatherings and drinking, leading to bans between 1512 and 1524. However, these bans could not be maintained, due to coffee becoming ingrained in daily ritual and culture among Arabs and neighboring peoples. The Ottoman chronicler İbrahim Peçevi reports in his writings (1642–49) about

8004-434: The venue may give them food or drink. If the host is an experienced professional and not the owner or the manager of the venue, they are usually paid for their services and may perform at some point during the evening, either preparing a full performance of their own or filling in at short notice when a performer is unavailable. Open mics are somewhat related to jam sessions , in that they both see amateur performers being given

8096-529: The years, a notable convergence occurred between Yose and Rakugo , with the two becoming increasingly intertwined. In contemporary times, the majority of Yose theatres exclusively feature Rakugo performances, underscoring the prevalent association between Yose theatres and this particular form of comedic storytelling. Rakugo is a traditional Japanese storytelling art where a hanashika enacts stories by embodying characters through distinct voices, gestures, and wordplay. The narratives typically conclude with

8188-555: Was built ground-up as a comedy club in the Upper East Side of Manhattan . It closed due to the pandemic in 2020. Comedy clubs advantageously use their space to cater to their audience and create an optimal experience. Most clubs adjust their lighting to darker tones with the aim of creating anonymity in the crowd. Anonymity has the effect of producing more genuine responses in individuals, while also decreasing amount of external stress produced by being seen. The darkness factor

8280-731: Was done. In the 1780s, Merchant's Coffee House located on Wall Street in New York City was home to the organization of the Bank of New York and the New York Chamber of Commerce . Coffeehouses in the United States arose from the espresso - and pastry-centered Italian coffeehouses of the Italian American immigrant communities in the major U.S. cities, notably New York City's Little Italy and Greenwich Village , Boston's North End , and San Francisco's North Beach . From

8372-545: Was taken to Cape Verde and São Tomé and Príncipe , which were also Portuguese colonies at the time. Although, coffee already existed in Angola , already introduced by Portuguese missionaries . During the 18th century, the first public cafés appeared, inspired by French gatherings from the 17th century, becoming spaces for cultural and artistic entertainment. Several cafes emerged in Lisbon such as: Martinho da Arcada (being

8464-573: Was the Café Marrare , opened by the napolitan Antonio Marrare, in 1820, frequently visited by Júlio Castilho , Raimundo de Bulhão Pato , Almeida Garrett , Alexandre Herculano and other members of the Portuguese government and the intelligentsia . It began its own saying: « Lisboa era Chiado , o Chiado era o Marrare e o Marrare ditava a lei » (English: "Lisbon was the Chiado, the Chiado was

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