Stand-up Phenomenon Sweeps the Stage

Last Friday, a group of improv actors and comedians from across campus came together to perform a set of stand-up comedy for students.

The show featured Middlebrow improv actors Luke Smith-Stevens ’14.5, Bryan Shpall ’13 and Tom Califra ’14, along with Otter Nonsense comedians Adam Benay ‘14 and Greg Dorris ‘13. Theater major Jake Schwartzwald ’14 also performed. Although improv shows are common on campus, stand-up shows are a new — and quickly growing — comedy outlet at Middlebury.

Even with minimal advertising, the show drew a packed crowd; Hepburn Zoo was so full that many students resorted to sitting on the floor or standing behind the seated audience.

Each comedian performed a set ranging from five to 10 minutes. Although most comedians focused on campus life, some also touched on memories from childhood, life after graduation — even the wild west.

Unlike improv, which allows a group of performers to bounce jokes off of each other, stand-up highlights performers as individuals.

“In improv you have a team. In stand-up, its all you, and you’re making a personal connection with the audience, revealing something about yourself,” Benay said.

This comedy style can prove both freeing and frightening.

“Having to write things, having to perform jokes over and over again — you get more in your head, which can be terrifying,” he continued.

Schwartzwald, who discovered stand-up through his background in theater, shared similar sentiments about the liberties and difficulties of stand-up.

“When you are acting, things are usually so rehearsed that you know exactly what’s coming,” he said. “Stand-up is a little scarier, because the burden of coming up with material is on you. But it’s also really rewarding to be the writer, director and performer of your material.”

Each comedian prepared for Friday’s show differently. Benay came up with many of his jokes while driving to Burlington for dinner last week.

“There’s no formula to it. I never sit down in the library and say, ‘Okay, time to write some jokes,’” Benay said. “You come up with a premise — a lot of time its a topic you have thought about before. Then you just think about ways to make it funny.”

Dorris likes to work with an audience to develop his jokes.

“I tend to scribble down ideas throughout the day that I later type up and flesh out in a massive word doc on my computer,” Dorris said. “Then I go up on stage with some partially formed ideas and see if I can work some ideas out in front of an audience.”

Nick Libbey ’13 shared approving reviews of the show and excitement about the growth of stand-up on campus.

“It’s always amazing to hear the improv kids get up and deliver their own stuff,” Libbey said. “These guys offer a new view on college and refreshing commentary about daily life.”

Caroline DeCamp ’14, a seasoned improv-goer, enjoyed the show for its change of pace.

“It was cool to see some of the people in Middlebrow and the Otters perform individually,” DeCamp said. “Their humor tended to be more introspective and self-deprecating than improv — a new style that was different and fun.”

Melissa MacDonald ’15, one of the MC’s of the show and a member of Middlebrow herself, has high hopes for the future of stand-up at Middlebury.

“I think a lot of us are hoping that pretty soon stand-up shows will be a regular occurrence on campus,” MacDonald said. “There are a lot of funny people at Middlebury, and the student-body has a wide range of tastes when it comes to comedy.”

The next stand-up show — and last show of the year — is scheduled for Sunday, May 5th in Hepburn Zoo at 8 p.m. The show will feature Benay, Dorris, and  visiting Los Angeles-based comedian Chris Thayer. Until then, you can keep up with the funny by following Dorris on Twitter @GregDorris!