If you like watching stand-up comedians perform, you most likely have wondered whether you could do stand-up. And you most likely decided, “No way.”
If you give a speech before a large group you at least do okay as long as the audience doesn’t go into a collective slumber. But if you do stand-up comedy and nobody laughs, you would feel like the loneliest person in the world.
Still, it was the type of challenge I had been looking for. So I signed up as one of eight students of Mission Viejo’s first Stand-up Comedy Workshop, which ended with Graduation Night performances Friday night before over 300 people in the Norman P. Murray Center.
We each got a lot of laughs because nationally known comedian Tom Riehl, long-time Mission Viejo resident, guided us through six weeks of writing, rewriting and practicing routines of about six minutes each. It was a lot of hard, but enjoyable work. If your material is weak you won’t get laughs and if you don’t practice enough you’ll forget your lines. You can’t read your material like you could in a speech, glancing up now and then.
The other seven students were: Michael Hess, Dennis St. Pierre, Margot Ferron, Robby Millsap, Torey Mang, Jordan Sandfer, and Tammy Descoteaux. I’m moving on to new challenges (I am going to write a musical comedy skit my grandson and granddaughter will set to original music and dance). Most of the other students plan to pursue stand-up at open mikes and comedy clubs. Instructor Tom Riehl is helping get them connected. His effort went far beyond teaching the classes.
Riehl cited city staffers Renee Beach, Ashley Blair and Jon Keim, as instrumental in helping him set up the Murray Center main meeting room and put the show together. It took a lot of re-planning as the number of reservations for the free show multiplied in the last two weeks. Riehl opened the night with a 10-minute routine and two friends, nationally known comedians James P. Connolly and Ron Ruhman, closed the show. Ruhman founded the Saddleback Church Improv Troupe.
One beginner and one advanced stand-up comedy workshop will start the week of Sept. 7.
Allan Pilger
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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
A very entertaining evening. Kudos to the MV city staff. The student comedians were funny, gutsy and delightful. A great use of the Center for the residents of MV.
Here’s to additional programs at the Norman Murray which brings the community together and on the same page. Looking forward to the Readers Festival on September 25th.
Thanks for the kind words Allan. You all did great and helped to make the first show in MV a huge success. I have to believe there are still a few more “closet comedians” here. Come on, you can do it!
It was great meeting all the witty, passionate students in that class. Their unique perspectives on their lives and life in general were both entertaining and illuminating. I wish everyone the best of luck with their future stand-up efforts. Congratulations, Allan, on the fine job you did. Very impressive.
Y’all did a great job, excellent showcase! I’m really glad I got back home in time to watch the eight of you. Plus the Pro’s were excellent as well. Thank you all that put this together as it was just another example of what the city has to offer.
I’m sorry you didn’t mention the excellent job the guest musical guest singer / songwriter (Mission Viejo’s own) Paul Breazeale did prior to your performances.
Thank you City of Mission Viejo and Comedy in the OC first “Students of Stand-up” Comedy Graduation Showcase! It was a very enjoyable evening.
Thanks, Dennis. I enjoyed working with the class very much as mostly all are in an age range to which I am not exposed hardly at all (younger than my sons and older than my grandkids).
I was impressed how Dennis and the others were so concise with their material as you need to have 4-6 jokes per minute. I was more into story telling with a lot of dialogue between jokes, so I had a lot to learn.
Dennis, incidentally, does a killer impression of Bill Clinton.
The evening started with Paul Breazeale, musical guest singer / songwriter playing and singing prior to our performances. Thank you so much Paul for always sharing your talents so willingly with the city. My friends who needed to be there early were truly entertained by you. You made the night extra special.
I thought the evening was a huge success and I would love to see more – plus maybe…variety shows!
Nice picture of a person with Allan’s name on the cover of the Saddleback Valley News part of the OC Register. Must have been his younger days…….
Thanks Ronald and Margot. I am glad you and your friends enjoyed the music. I had a great time playing…thanks for being receptive to the original material!