by Kat Bradfield
At 8:30 p.m. every Tuesday in the Mezz, Capital’s Comedians put on their weekly “Laughs in the Mezz” comedy show.
“We’ve been doing the show since September of last year,” Brian Doney, who heads the show, said. “We had two meetings at the beginning just like ‘hey we’re doing this thing and we are about to start doing open mics.’ A few people came to the first few meetings but no one came to participate in the open mics.”
Last semester, Doney got the idea to start a stand-up comedy show, saying, “I think the first reason [for starting the show] was I wasn’t getting enough stage time performing in Columbus. Another one was just that nothing like this has ever been done before. I do believe there’s other students on this campus who like doing stand-up. They just don’t know it yet or they aren’t willing to try it yet.”
Anyone on campus, whether or not they have experience, can sign up for a five minute slot in the show either by emailing Doney or signing up in the Mezz half an hour before the show on Tuesdays. Unfortunately, not many people have taken this opportunity.
“The first few times were really hard, and I’m wondering, ‘should I keep doing this?’ and thinking ‘oh, I hope this gets better,’” Doney said. “I still try to get students to come and perform, but since I haven’t been having luck with that, I get my friends from the Columbus comedy scene. I try to get the best talent I can from Columbus to come here and entertain the students. The guys you see here you can also go out and see them do real shows, like comedy showcases or stuff at places like the Garden Theater.”
Still, Doney holds out hope that the longer the show goes on, and the more exposure it gets, the more students will be willing to get up and perform.
“I think [students don’t come perform] mostly because they’re scared,” Doney said. “It’s a weird thing that you don’t think everyone can do. It’s not as conventional as acting. You can’t really start doing stand-up until you’re 18. In fact most of the guys I know didn’t start until they were in their late 20’s […] It just takes writing and some courage, and just willing to be yourself and to fail.”
Whether or not students want to perform, Doney encourages anyone and everyone to come watch the show.
“I want people to perform, but I also want people to watch and enjoy it too,” Doney said. “I put a lot of work into this so they can have a good time. I just love making people laugh. I wanted to do something for the school. I thought whatever I had, I wanted to give it to Capital, and so far the reception has been good.”
In this aspect too, however, the show is still rather small. It can range from one to two people to 10-12.
In addition to personally inviting students to the show, Doney has gathered sponsors and raffles off prizes once a month.
“Once a month we do the raffle version of the show,” Doney said. “We don’t give out prizes every time, but in between each raffle show, I give away these little key chains that say something silly like, ‘I can eat fire! Brian says so.’ If you come to a regular show and you stay and watch, I’ll give you a key chain. When the next raffle show comes, bring the keychain and you’ll get three extra tickets.”
By attending the show, a student could win from Anthony’s Pizza, Jeni’s, Salon Therapy, Drexel Theatre, or Cosi.
Though the show has not been an immediate hit, Doney is adamant it will grow.
“Even though it’s a small organization, and the show is pretty much just me, I do believe by the time I graduate it will be something that will last,” Doney said. “I love that it can make a couple people laugh. I just enjoy doing this, and I hope everyone at some point will stop by and check us out. Maybe they’ll fall in love with it like I do.”
kbradfield@capital.edu
