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THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 2017
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AMATEUR HOUR McCurdy’s Comedy Institute puts aspiring local comics through stand-up boot camp. NIKI KOTTMANN BLACK TIE EDITOR
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t’s a quiet August afternoon downtown, but behind the McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre doors, things are a bit more boisterous. Here, Jerry Plank is bent over, screaming the Lord’s name in vain while re-enacting his last proctologist appointment. Plank is one of the 17 participants in the Humor Institute at McCurdy’s Adult Comedy Boot Camp. These students come from various employment backgrounds — plumbing, teaching, even mind reading — to learn stand-up comedy from comic Ken Sons. After about 12 hours of hands-on training via practice sets, brainstorming and feedback sessions, the course culminates in a public performance Aug. 30 at McCurdy’s. Sons says he designed the class with Les McCurdy 15 years ago for people who want to start doing comedy gigs, but the majority of students are motivated merely by the fun of it. “For most of them, it’s a bungee jump,” Sons says. “It’s always been something they’ve wanted to try.” Only two of this session’s students have performed comedy in front of a crowd before, so naturally, most of the topics discussed are basics, such as how to deal with a spotlight (yes, it’s bright — that’s just the way it is), where to stand (don’t leave the carpet, or you’ll be out of said light’s range) and how to avoid “stepping on your joke” (pause when the audience is laughing, or the laughs might get cut short or interfere SEE PAGE 2
Photos by Niki Kottmann
Each boot camp participant got a turn at the mic at the final performance on Aug. 30.
“For most of them, it’s a bungee jump. It’s always been something they’ve wanted to try.”
— Instructor Ken Sons
Kevin Sons began the adult comedy boot camp at McCurdy’s Comedy Institute 15 years ago with Les McCurdy.