The first time I performed...

The first time I performed was open mic at “The Comic Strip”, the oldest stand-up comedy showcase club in New York. When I hit the stage, to my surprise, in the front row, sat a co-worker whom I had a HUGE crush on. She hadn’t told me that she was going to be there. I started my set and I got some laughs. But shortly afterwards, like a slow but powerful wave, I began to feel uneasy in the pit of my stomach and felt I was about to faint. Abruptly I told the audience good night and left the stage. The next memory I have is being outside the club and regaining consciousness. A fellow open micer was staring at me. I mumbled that I hadn’t eaten all day, had worked my day job and that I guess that my anxiety of performing for the first time got to me. He looked at me like, “yeah, right…what drugs have you taken?”

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