Get ready to meet the affable comedian behind “Chips in the Night”! Chris Demos is all set for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival from 7-19 April. Read on to find out more about the comedian’s view on the stage, dealing with reviews, wardrobe malfunctions and more.
About Chris Demos
What do you enjoy most about acting?
Honestly, I’ve just always loved making people laugh, and the more I got into stand-up, the more I fell in love with doing it on stage and performing.
Do you want to work in film, live theatre or both?
Stand-up is my passion, but I would also really like to see where it can take me. I would love to work in television or film, in front of the camera or even writing, but sticking to the comedic side.
What strategies do you use to overcome stage fright or nerves before a performance?
I always make sure I’m really prepared when I’m trying something new, and I just have faith that it will be funny, or that I can make it funny, or that I can pull on some tested material if it doesn’t go as planned. You can’t tell which way a gig is going to go. A small gig fills me with more dread than a sold-out room because the sold-out room gives me more people to connect with who will enjoy the jokes. Having said that once I was so worked up I convinced myself that my t-shirt was choking me, so I bolted home and changed and felt better, that was some mind game I was playing because I literally put on an identical t-shirt, but it worked!
How would you react if you received a negative review of a performance?
Ok, first let’s be real – no one likes a negative review, but they happen, they’ve happened to me, they’ve happened to me on the same night I’ve had a good review. The reaction goes like this, outrage first, then a bit of introspection; trying to learn something from the review, what was it they didn’t like, is it fair enough, could I have explored something more, did something not land? Then maybe what are some good take aways from the bad review, there’s usually one almost compliment in there. Then, if you can apply something to fix the show or adjust the joke to address whatever they said was lacking, you do it; if you can’t, you can’t, and just get over it. Everyone’s going to get good and bad reviews. That’s life, c’est la vie, to quote B*witched.
Have you ever had to improvise during a performance? If so, can you share an example?
It actually happens quite a lot. Recently, someone’s phone went off in the middle of a joke, specifically, it was their Siri, which loudly said, “I don’t understand,” and it got a huge laugh. Obviously, totally unexpected, but the audience loved it so much I had to pivot what I was doing, ride that wave, add to the joke that Siri had just made, and abandon where I was going. I’ve also done some tech-heavy shows in the past where the tech just hasn’t worked; that’s when you either make a joke of it or scroll through the rolodex of old jokes in your brain and try to pull one out that fits the situation.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Come to my show Chips in the Night at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival 7-19 April, no Mondays xoxo
Where can patrons purchase tickets to this production?
To book tickets to Chips in the Night, please visit https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/browse-shows/chips-in-the-night/.
Thank you so much for sharing your journey and insights with us. Best of luck with “Chips in the Night” at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival! Break a leg, and we hope those laughs keep rolling in!
Other interviews can be viewed in our Meet The Performer Series.
