Jennifer Gracie of North Salem, N.Y., who does everything in Ridgefield including learning how to deliver a stand-up comedy routine, will be one of the graduates of Christine O’Leary’s eight-week workshop who will perform during the Comedy Graduation Showcase on Sunday, Nov. 24, at 11 a.m. at the Ridgefield Playhouse.
Jennifer Gracie
Her fellow classmate, Mitchell Prywes, a physician in Danbury who has gained new comedic bedside manner skills as a result of his class, will offer his stand-up routine to a real live audience.
Their coach/teacher is Christine O’Leary, an award-winning professional comedienne, social worker and social media editor who knows how to bring out the comedian in everyone. She will host the event. Bagels and coffee will be available in the lobby for the Sunday morning show-goers.
While Ms. Gracie lives in North Salem, it is in Ridgefield that she does “all of my shopping, dining, pedicures, massages, dog grooming, cupcake purchasing, Ridgefield Playhouse-ing, organic basil purchasing, and anything else vital to happiness.”
She said, “I had frequent dreams my whole life where I was on a stage and people were laughing. The feeling was amazing, and I was always disappointed when I woke up. I decided to make it really happen.”
“I discovered that being a funny person and being able to do stand-up are two different things,” Ms. Gracie said. “A sense of humor is the beginning, but being able to write in a way that will make total strangers relate and laugh is very different than cracking your family up at the dinner table. That process must be learned.”
Ms. Gracie said the hardest part of the workshop experience was standing up and reading material to her classmates for the first time. “I was shaking, but as soon as I heard the first laugh I was hooked, and I looked forward to it each week. It’s a great group of people.”
The class was not a breeze, and she admitted that it was a lot of work writing, editing and practicing. She said Ms. O’Leary always reminded her to trust the process, and she was right.
Mitchell Prywes
Dr. Prywes, a Danbury physician who has practiced in the community for 25 years, took the comedy workshop to be able to check one more thing off his bucket list. He grew up watching stand-up comedians and loved retelling jokes to friends and family, and making them laugh.
When asked how the class changed his ability to do stand-up, he said, “Comedy comes from telling the truth, and solving a problem.”
For Dr. Prywes, the most fun part of the workshop was “watching the entire creative process evolve, and sharing that experience with both Christine and my group of fellow students.” He would absolutely recommend the class to others who have a comedic streak and want to get the nerve to do stand-up.
“Christine is a wonderful teacher, and she has a way of helping you identify and extract where the most humor is derived from your life experiences.”
For tickets to the show, at $10, call or visit the box office at the Ridgefield Playhouse, 203-438-5795.