# Five-Minute Set Builder

Use this to turn loose jokes into a first performable order.

Set title and saved version:

Date:

Set frame:

This set is really about:

## Joke Pool

List each joke by title and exact draft version. Keep the wording you intend to perform; a title alone cannot identify it after a rewrite. Eight to twelve jokes are a starting pool, not a promise of five minutes.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.

## Set Map

Opener:

Character-confirming joke:

Topic cluster 1:

Bridge:

Topic cluster 2:

Callback seed:

Callback payoff and the earlier seed it needs:

Strong late joke:

Closer:

Optional middle bit to skip if time runs short:

If you cut a callback's seed, cut or rewrite its payoff too. Save this order before rehearsing so your notes refer to the version you actually used.

## Timing

Host's actual time limit:

Host's finish signal:

Estimated time:

Actual timed duration, including pauses:

Run date and set version:

Solo rehearsal or listeners present:

Lines to cut:

Tags to keep:

Say the set aloud with a timer. Leave room for reactions rather than filling the entire slot with uninterrupted speech. Rehearse a route from your optional cut directly to the closer. Do not use word count or imagined laughter as proof that the set fills five minutes.

## Laugh Map

Complete audience-response marks only after a run with listeners. For solo rehearsal, leave marks blank and record timing, pauses, rushed phrases, stumbles, or unclear words in the note column.

- L = a laugh you heard.
- S = a smile or small response you observed.
- C? = possible confusion; write the observed sign beside it.
- N = no observed response.
- U = unknown or unobserved, such as a recording obscured by noise.

Silence alone does not prove confusion or dislike. Audio alone cannot establish a smile. A rule-based or AI-generated score is feedback about text, not evidence of audience laughter.

Test date and setting:

Set version performed:

Recording reference, if permitted and available:

| Line | Joke title / version | Mark | Observation, timestamp, or delivery note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | | |
| 2 | | | |
| 3 | | | |
| 4 | | | |
| 5 | | | |
| 6 | | | |
| 7 | | | |
| 8 | | | |
| 9 | | | |
| 10 | | | |

Words or order changed while performing:

## Next Test

Keep the current wording and order as version:

Observation to investigate:

One proposed change: wording, delivery, or order:

Why that change might help:

Next version name:

Next test date or willing listener:

Change one variable at a time when comparing versions of the same joke. If the evidence is unclear, keep the draft and test it again before deleting or rewriting it.