Walking up the stage steps in downtown Hillsdale’s Dawn Theater, senior Michael Bunting was prepared to deliver his comedy routine. His involvement in theater made up for his inexperience in stand-up comedy.
Initially, Bunting felt out of his element and was surprised that the crowd was so quiet. He delivered his prepared eight-minute routine on stereotypes about his Toyota Prius. Some jokes stuck and people laughed.
“I just kind of threw myself into it. I had a lot of theatre and acting experience, just because that’s what I grew up on,” Bunting said. “I was comfortable in front of people, I was comfortable sort of putting on a character, memorizing lines.”
The theater hosts its weekly open mic night from 8-11 p.m. on Fridays. That night senior Warren Viegas brought along fellow senior Kenneth Manyari-Magro, sophomores Joe Spica, and Michael Farrell as well as Bunting to perform comedy routines.
Those performing invited friends and along with people already at the Dawn Theater formed a crowd of more than 40. Manyari-Magro opined about affirmative action, Spica played his guitar to various jokes about human anatomy, while Farrell covered relationships. Like Bunting, none of the other three people had performed live stand-up before.
“I thought for their first time, everyone did pretty well,” Viegas said.
Last semester, Viegas began assembling a group of people to practice stand-up comedy, writing routines, and try out new material. Viegas loved comedy and believed that the college was missing a group that focused on humor. He hopes to continue having members of the comedy group perform at open mic nights throughout the rest of the semester.
“It’s a good place to talk about your problems,” Viegas joked. “It’s like free therapy.”
In preparation for their first stand-up routines, members of the group read books on comedy and studied the craft of successful comedians.
Manyari-Magro appreciates the feedback the group gives after group members perform their comedy routines.
“It’s a place to share what works, what didn’t work. We tell ourselves, ‘hey, we’re going to be brutally honest with each other afterwards. This worked, this didn’t work,’” Manyari-Magro said.
Manyari-Magro had no previous experience with stand-up comedy before getting on stage at Dawn Theater, but he had always liked comedy and had practice in public speaking from his time on the speech team.
“I grew up watching Saturday Night Live,” Manyari-Magro said.
He said that his background in speech helps him write his comedy routines with a point.
“You might disagree with me, but if you’re laughing along…I think it’s a different medium of persuasion,” Manyari-Magro said. “George Carlin said don’t just make your audience laugh, make them think.”
For Bunting, his first time on stage proved to be one of the most important aspects of his comedic career.
“Some things you think are funny, other people don’t, and I guess I don’t know if there’s anything that can be called objectively funny. It’s really whether or not it makes people laugh,” Bunting said.
Viegas’ experience for leading the group not only comes from his passion for comedy, but from his firsthand experiences in stand-up comedy. He has performed at comedy clubs throughout California and even performed at the Los Angeles Improv! club where famous comedian George Carlin once performed early in his career.
Last Friday, Viegas went to open mic night again, this time with only three stand-up acts. Manyari-Magro performed a speech about hating peace, delivering a string of jokes surrounding topics from child soldiers to the importance of justice. Viegas then got up and practiced some material he had prepared on Hillary Clinton, and Bunting practiced his Prius routine again.
The three performers got their friends in the front row to laugh a few times and some of Viegas’ jokes got people at the bar in the back of the theater to laugh as well. Viegas said he expects to have way more people at the next stand-up tomorrow.
“I was really impressed with the talent of the Hillsdale students who performed. They had some really solid stand up routines, and I’m excited to go back to another open mic night to see more or give it a try myself,” said senior Kelsey Drapkin, who attended.
Although Viegas believes that the comedy club is a great place to practice stand-up and test out jokes, he doesn’t lose sight of the enjoyment that can be found in comedy.
“At a core level, we’re just doing it for fun,” Viegas said. “Hopefully we’ll have people laughing with and at us.”
Viegas also said he hopes to establish a permanent comedy club on campus before he graduates.
“It’d be cool if a lot of people enjoyed it after we left and turned it into something they could enjoy,” Viegas said.
