Chris Karwoski
Images courtesy of Jodi McDermitt
LIMA — Jodi McDermitt, of Lima, has been a professional stand-up comedian for four years. She began her career by opening for another act during a fundraiser.
“I was so nervous,” McDermitt said. When the main comic asked her how long she’d been doing comedy, she wasn’t wearing a watch but pretended to, looking at her wrist, and replied, “Well, in about 15 minutes, this will be my first time.”
When she finished her first act, she described the experience as both “exhilarating” and “terrifying.”
But she was anxious to do it again.
McDermitt’s upcoming performance at Live at the Lab might rival that experience.
“I’m so excited that Marc is giving me the opportunity to put together this show at The Lab,” said McDermitt, though she cautioned it is not easy to perform in front of people she knows.
Comedy 101
The main types of comedy are sketch, improvisation and stand-up.
The first two, sketch comedies (‘Saturday Night Live’) and improvisation (‘Whose Line is it Anyway?’) are somewhat at the extremes when it comes to planning, whereas stand-up represents a good mix of both planned, pre-tested material and rolling off the cuff and switching a line of jokes based on the feel of the audience.
To be a stand-up comic, “you’ve got to be able to read the room,” McDermitt said.
“Everybody’s style is different,” McDermitt said, explaining the differences in standup approaches.
Stand-up comics usually fall into a few categories, like anecdotal storytellers (Amy Shumer), one-liners (Rodney Dangerfield), props (Carrot Top), ventriloquists (Jeff Dunham), insult (Don Rickles) and observational (Jerry Seinfeld).
“When you write jokes and when you come up with material, it’s a molding process and sometimes it takes time to find out who you are. You grow into it by finding out what feels natural and where you relate to the audience,” McDermitt explained.
Professional comedians have found their “niche,” McDermitt said. McDermitt’s niche is primarily storytelling drawn from her life experiences.
“There’s no greater thing than when somebody comes up to you after a show and says, ‘Oh my gosh, that thing you said about kids, I totally relate to that.’”
Another approach she enjoys is telling jokes that are “misdirects,” leading the audience one way but then ending with an unexpected twist.
Joining McDermitt (Seriously, Jodi?) at 8 p.m. on Saturday, July 16 will be comedians Tyson Cox (tysoncoxcomedy.com), Mike Shea (mrmikeshea.com) and Chris Karwoski (chriskarwoski.com). Tickets are $10 each and can be purchased at TheLabLima.com. The show’s content, McDermitt said, would be appropriate for “PG” and, in some portions, “R” audiences.
“I’m really excited about the lineup. These guys are hilarious,” McDermitt said. “The crowd is going to have a great time.”
McDermitt said there is great value to having a good sense of humor. It is useful for icebreakers and relieving tension. Amateurs who desire a career in comedy can offer to perform at benefits, like she did, or take the stage on open mic nights. Both are great ways to be offered an opportunity as an opening act, she advises.
Being a professional comic is rewarding.
According to McDermitt, the ability to make people—complete strangers—laugh while on stage can be a “magical” experience.
