The Comedy Studio's Comic In Residence Interview - Dave McDonough

Dave McDonough is the April
Comic In Residence

Every month, The Comedy Studio picks a comedian to be the “Comic In Residence,” playing every show on the schedule. For April, the Studio has chosen a bit of a ringer in Dave McDonough, who starts his run tonight. McDonough won the Boston Comedy Festival’s competition in 2009 and has opened for Doug Stanhope and others. He’s got a deadpan style that has drawn natural comparisons to Steven Wright, but McDonough has more of a scatological bent.

The Marshfield native has always loved watching stand-up, and it came natural for him to transition from class clown to comedian. He says he likes to listen to Bill Burr, Louis CK, Rodney Dangerfield, and Don Rickles, a mix of edgier local comics and classic comedy idols. “Pretty much any comic who says whatever they want,” he says. “I like edgy comics. Not that you can’t be clean and funny it's just that I think it's more fun to be a jerk sometimes.”

I gave McDonough the usual Comic In Residence Questionnaire.

When did you start doing comedy?

I did my first show in 2000 then I quit until 2004. I quit because it was much harder than I thought it would be. I didn't realize how much work you had to put into it. I came back because I couldn't stop thinking about it and I thought I might be good if I put the time in. Also I lived far from the city at the time and that also dissuaded me a little.

How often have you played the Studio?

I play the studio fairly often, probably every other month or so.

What other clubs do you play?

I also play at Mottley's, Dicks Beantown Comedy Vault, and Nick’s Comedy Stop. My favorite club to perform at is the Studio because of the room itself and the audience and I'm not just kissing ass.



What local comedians have influenced you?

Tony Moschetto and Gary Gulman. I saw Gary before he did Last Comic Standing and you could just tell he was going to be big. He really made it look easy just a really good writer. And Tony was really dry and kind of out there, extremely clever and approachable. Watching him made me realize that being really dry and appearing like you don't care can sometimes draw the biggest laughs.

What's the average number of gigs you've played in a month before this?

I'm pretty lazy, so the most I've ever done before this is probably between fifteen and twenty.

How will you approach your time -- work on new stuff, refine older stuff, or a mix of both?

I plan on trying a lot of different sets, some new stuff, some clean stuff and some dirty stuff.

What do you expect to have gotten out of the experience when the month is over?

My timing and work ethic are two things I need to work on. If I develop some new jokes or tags then I'll be happy but I'm really just trying to get down what I have to a point where I can't screw it up.

Do you plan to make comedy a job, or is it something you do as a hobby?

I don't do stand up for a hobby, I take it very seriously so hopefully within the next few yrs I'll be doing it full time.

The Comedy Studio's Comic In Residence Interview - Sean Wilkinson

Sean Wilkinson is The Comedy Studio's
Comic In Residence for March

Every month, The Comedy Studio features one comic on every show. For March, it’s Brockton native Sean Wilkinson, starting with tonight's Mystery Lounge show.

Wilkinson says he wrote his first joke at seven or eight and grew up watching Letterman and Conan. He decided in high school he was going to give comedy a shot someday, and has fed himself a steady diet of Louis C.K., Patton Oswalt, and Zach Galifianakis (he lists Oswalt’s Werewolves and Lollipops as his favorite comedy CD – “I've probably listened to that twice as much as any other album,” he says). During the day, he works at what he calls a “big financial services company,” so he can afford to tell jokes at night.

When did you start doing comedy?

Five and a half years ago. I did comedy at my college for three years, about a show every 2 months back then. Then I graduated and started taking it more seriously, getting out to the Boston scene and doing some traveling when I can.

How often have you played the Studio?

One or two times a month over the course of a couple years.

What other clubs do you play?

Mottley's, Nick's, and Grandma's Basement.

What local comedians have influenced you?

All of them/None of them. In all seriousness though it's a great, supportive comedy scene with a lot of talent and everyone is very helpful. I'd say Jason Marcus and Sean Sullivan have influenced me more than anyone. They're both great and I've gotten to watch their entire careers unfold because I went to high school with them. I've done more traveling, writing, and drawing robots with Jason than anyone. Sullivan is good friends with my brother Steve and he's always been hilariously mean to me and I like people like that (in high school he didn't like the idea of there being two Seans, so he called me mini-Steve for the better part of a decade). Both of them have pushed me to get up on stage as much as possible too.

Don't tell Sullivan that I said anything positive about him by the way, he still intimidates me.



What's the average number of gigs you've played in a month before this?
It varies, but I probably average 7 or 8 booked shows a month, and then with open mics added in I get up on stage 20+ times a month.

How will you approach your time -- work on new stuff, refine older stuff, or a mix of both?

A mix of both. Older stuff on the weekends, with some newer stuff mixed in on the weekdays.

What do you expect to have gotten out of the experience when the month is over?

I'd be surprised if I didn't feel more confident in my material by the end of the month. They have great audiences and a set there can be a real confidence booster for your jokes. Sometimes I get too comfortable with how I normally arrange a short set, so I'd definitely like to play around with the order of my jokes a bit. It is a huge honor to be able to do this, so other than that I'm just going to try to enjoy the experience.

Do you plan to make comedy a job, or is it something you do as a hobby?
I plan on making it my full-time job, not sure what my timeline for that is yet. Also Mutual Funds Incorporated might not like seeing that timeline on the internet. Until then it is the best hobby in the World... next to scrap booking, of course. A distant second to scrap booking.

Comedy Studio’s Comic In Residence Interview - Alana Eisner

Alana Eisner - Comedy Studio
Comic In Residence for February

Every month, The Comedy Studio features one comic on every show. And each month, the Boston Comedy Blog interviews that person. For February, it’s Alana Eisner. Eisner started comedy while a student at SUNY Albany, and moved to Boston in 2008 in part because she heard it was a good comedy scene in which to develop. That, and her sister is in Boston. Since then, she has become more dedicated to her craft. “Comedy didn't start out as my main objective, but it is now,” she says. “I can't picture myself doing anything else.”

When did you start doing comedy?

I started doing comedy about four years ago. I started out towards the end of college in Albany so I didn't get to go on stage very often in the beginning.

How often have you played the Studio?

I probably played the Studio about 50 times before this month.

What other clubs do you play?

I perform at Anderson comedy shows such as the GAS shows at Great Scott, Grandma's Basement shows, Mottley's at times. I still do a lot of open mics.



What local comedians have influenced you?

There are a lot of great comics in Boston that have influenced me. Jenny Zigrino is a close friend and great talent. Rick Jenkins and Rob Crean are both strong performers and have helped me develop my act with providing helpful insight as well as stage time. Other local Comics I admire include Josh Gondelman, Shawn Donovan, Bethany Van Delft, Tim McIntire and Dan Boulger.

What's the average number of gigs you've played in a month before this?

About 6-8 shows a month. I still go to open mics and make sure to get on stage at least four times a week.

How will you approach your time -- work on new stuff, refine older stuff, or a mix of both?

A mixture of both, I have been writing more lately, so I would like to work on new material during the weekday shows.

What do you expect to have gotten out of the experience when the month is over?

I have already gotten a lot out of this month. This opportunity rekindled my comic momentum. I hope to work on my writing and strengthen new material. I would like to try out different openers and closers as well work on material that involve more storytelling. Other than that enjoy this wonderful opportunity and interacting with the other comics.

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Comedy Studio Comic in Residence Interview -- Corey Manning

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Comedy Studio Comic in Residence Interview - Jason Marcus

Every month, The Comedy Studio puts one comic on every show for the whole month as part of its Comic in Residence program. The idea is to help a comic grow with regular stage time in front of a variety of audiences.

Every month, we here at Boston Comedy ask the CIR the same questions (but they aren’t made up by some pretentious dead dramatist – I came up with the question);

Up this month is Jason Marcus, whose one-sentence bio on his Web site reads, “I was born into a middle class family with a Hawaiian father and white mother...and then there were jokes.” He has been gigging outside of Boston the past couple of years, winning comedy contests in the Detroit International Comedy Festival and at Catch A Rising Star.

Here’s a quick look at Marcus, including a video from the first week of his residency. Catch him later on to see what’s changed.

When did you start doing comedy?

I started doing comedy almost four years ago.

How often have you played the Studio?

A few times a month, Rick Jenkins is always really cool about giving me dates when I'm not on the road.

What other clubs do you play?

I'm at Mottley’s, Nicks and Catch a Rising Star a lot.

What local comedians have influenced you?

There have been so many local comics that have influenced me for different reasons Kevin Knox, Shane Mauss, Ken Reid, Paul D'Angelo, Tom Dustin, Rob "Roadsteamer" Potylo. There's a lot of really great comics/performers that I looked up to in Boston, way too many to name them all.

Kevin Knox would go out every night and SMASH a room of 14drunk people on a Monday night with the same high level of energy as he would a packed house at a great club on a Saturday and he went above and beyond to teach me the things about comedy that you don’t learn on stage. Shane Mauss was huge for me too because he is proof that if you're a good guy and you work hard you can make it, he’s also an amazing comic.



What's the average number of gigs you've played in a month before this?
I usually try to get on stage almost every night, especially if I'm trying to get in shape for a festival or a road gig that I've never done before so I don’t look too bad.

How will you approach your time -- work on new stuff, refine older stuff, or a mix of both?

I asked around to see what my favorite comics did when they had their residency, just to compare and see what worked. From that, I've been working out new material on Wednesday and Sunday doing a mix of old and new on Tuesday and Thursday and trying to beat up the perfect tight seven on Friday & Saturday.

What do you expect to have gotten out of the experience when the month is over?

Hopefully, a solid tape that I can submit to festivals, more minutes of new material and cirrhosis of the liver from hanging out with Rick and the all the comics on the second floor of the Hong Kong.

The Comic in Residence Interview: Matt D

The Comedy Studio’s Comic in Residence program is made for comics like Matt Donaher, known to comedy audiences as Matt D. He’s been doing comedy for less than two years, and is already one of the scene’s sharpest up and coming comics. His deadpan and penchant for one or two line jokes has earned comparisons to Steven Wright, and a friend of mine, Derek Gerry of The Whole Truth on WMFO, has compared him to Woody Allen.

He’ll be playing at the Studio Tuesday through Sunday, every night through the month of June.

When did you start doing comedy?

I started doing comedy in February of 2009.

How often have you played the Studio?

I get to play the Studio about twice a month.

What other clubs do you play?

Mottley's Comedy Club, The Funny Bone, Catch a Rising Star...I end up playing less clubs and more high school graduations and art space type deals.



What local comedians have influenced you?

Myq Kaplan without a doubt. Steven Wright is also a favorite of mine, as well as Jonathan Katz. Sometimes it's hard for me to separate 'people I really enjoy' and 'influences,' but those are the guys I listen to from Boston and say, "I want to be like that someday."

What's the average number of gigs you've played in a month before this?

I am usually out every night, thankfully there are enough places to do that in New England.

How will you approach your time -- work on new stuff, refine older stuff, or a mix of both?

Work on new stuff and trying to solidify a seven minute set, so a mix of both. I'm glad you had that option ready.

What do you expect to have gotten out of the experience when the month is over?

I'm not sure what I expect, what I hope to get is five more minutes of jokes, and be strong enough to kick the show off to a good start every night. I do expect to have a lot of fun though.

Comedy Studio - The Comic in Residence Interview

Every month, The Comedy Studio hosts a new "Comic in Residence," a comedian who plays the venue every day for a month. It's a program developed by Studio owner Rick Jenkins to help comedians develop their craft by getting onstage as much as possible.

Starting this month, we'll be interviewing the Studio's Comic in Residence at the beginning of each month, finding out how long they've been doing comedy and what they plan to do at the Studio. This month it's Tim Vargulish, a smart up and coming comic from Rhode Island and a regular on the Boston scene for the past couple of years.

When did you start doing comedy?

I started doing comedy four years ago.

How often have you played the Studio?

I've consistently played the studio about 1-2 times for the last two years.

What other clubs do you play?

I also play at Mottley's and Catch a Rising Star.



What local comedians have influenced you?

I'm not sure if any local comedians have influenced me. When I first started out I was influenced by David Cross and Patton Oswalt. There are tons of amazing local comedians that I look up to, Shane Mauss, Joe Wong, Sean Sullivan, Josh Gondelman, sorry but there's just way too many to name.

What's the average number of gigs you've played in a month before this?

Around twelve a month, give or take.

How will you approach your time -- work on new stuff, refine older stuff, or a mix of both?

On Sundays and Wednesdays I want to work on new material. Thursdays I want to work on a mix of new and old stuff. Fridays and Saturdays I want to use to just really perfect a seven-minute set.

What do you expect to have gotten out of the experience when the month is over?

I'm just hoping to have a great experience, performing every night with tons of incredibly funny people and improving my material as much as possible.