Laugh like You Mean it. | Kathryn's CAS137H Passion Blog (Comedy)

Dance dilemmas (True) Funny stories about my dance career. Parte Uno

November 7, 2013 by Kathryn Lodwick (KEL5344)

Pumpkin panic.

My junior year of high school I was cast as Cinderella in my dance studio’s ballet production of Cinderella. As every true dancer/performer knows, the real action happens back stage as opposed to on stage, and that fact became a reality to me the night of dress rehearsal.

The beginning of the first act was coming to a close, and I had just danced with the Fairy God mother as she showed me to my pumpkin carriage. Considering this was a completely amateur ballet production run by the local dance studio, the entire cast was local high schoolers, including brothers and boyfriends of the female dancers. Two of my friends who happened to be twins, Chris and Jon, were the “palace guards/pumpkin carriage drivers”, which was quite possibly the worst jobs they could be appointed to. Their job was to pull the pumpkin carriage on stage, open the door for me, then pull me off stage. This is precisely what they did, and as they pulled the carriage off stage I was impressed by their professionalism. When we finally arrived off stage however, things started to go downhill. Chris and Jon pulled the carriage deep into the hallway (which happened to be the exact width of the carriage) then left me there. Since the carriage was stuck, I was not able to open the doors. I also wasn’t able to climb out since the sides were too high. So there I was, clad in my tutu and huge tiara, trapped in my own pumpkin carriage. Talk about royal treatment….NOT

I didn’t want to start calling for someone since the music was playing on stage and people were still dancing, but I had to make a music cue and be on stage in less than 5 minutes. My first instinct was to take my signature Cinderella broom and attempt to pole vault out, but I decided that wasn’t the best idea…..and that’s when I finally heard my ballet instructor calling; “Cinderella! Cinderella?! Where the [insert profanity here] are you?! Christopher and Jonathon, where is Kathryn?!” I began calling her desperately, and soon I was discovered and rescued from my gourd like transportation device.

Let’s just say Chris and Jon won’t be pulling any more pumpkin carriages any time soon.

How NOT to play Leap Frog.

Murphy ’s Law: “If anything can go wrong it will” most definitely applies to theatrical productions.

My senior year of high school I was in the local high school’s production of Hello, Dolly. I was a waiter in the waiter’s gallop scene, and since the choreographer was a dancer herself, knew of my dance experience and was just an overall extremely daring person when it comes to choreography she decided it would be great to do some stunts during this scene.–One of which was to have me (4 ft. 11 inches) hoisted over my then boyfriend David’s head (he’s 5 ft. 11).When this seemed like a good/safe idea, I’m not sure, but she was the choreographer and I’m always open to new moves.

Before one can execute such a drastic stunt, one must practice smaller, simpler versions of said task, so I began simply letting David lift me as high above his head as he could while I jumped. This was a terrifying experience. I think we all underestimated his upper body strength considering the second time we practiced I actually went flying completely over his head. That was the day we all realized the importance of having supervision during stunts. I flew about 4 feet behind where he was standing and fell on about 3 bystanders. It was one of the more unpleasant experiences during musical practice. From then on there were several designated people standing around ready to catch a flying 17-year-old me and I was hoisted over 6 feet into the air.

Fortunately by opening night we had mastered the stunt and everything was fine. Although I will never look at the game of leap frog the same way again.

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Fruit Post #2- Why is ‘The Annoying Orange’ funny?

November 1, 2013 by Kathryn Lodwick (KEL5344)

Let’s all take a moment to think about the annoying orange. What memories come to mind, and why do those specific memories come to mind?

For me, the first thought that came to mind was “wait, the first video came out in 2009?! I feel so old!” and then “what was I doing with my life watching those videos? It’s sad I even remember them…but wait…The Annoying Orange is hilarious”. I’m sure some of you can relate to one of these thoughts, I mean seriously, this talking fruit series came out 4 years ago and is still going strong! And why on earth is it so funny?

Ever since I watched the first video back in the good ol’ days (aka my freshman year of high school) I’ve wondered why The Annoying Orange is so funny, but never really came up with specific reasons or did the research. So let’s break it up and see what we find.

1). The plot: When you watch the videos, you see there are clear main characters, and as the series progressed more characters were introduced. Like “Passion” the passion fruit. Of course the orange forever stayed the main character and was present every episode. But was there any specific character that was particularly funnier than the rest? No, not necessarily. Even the annoying orange isn’t exactly funny. The only constant thing that seems to occur in the videos is the orange harasses other fruits, they become fed up with him, then he gives them a two second warning of their death, for example, he yells “hey, knife!” then a hand with a knife comes out of nowhere and chops up his friend, for example, an apple. I think the reason there is some humor in this is because Dane Boedigheimer (the creater/writer of the series) makes each “fruit murder” seem horrific. This I believe is why it’s funny. Dane takes such a normal activity and makes it so much more dramatic than it is. Even young children can understand that there is no wrong in cutting up fruit, and that you’re not actually killing it.

2). The orange himself: What does the orange even do other than pester other fruit? The answer: Not really anything! So what exactly is so funny about watching a piece of fruit harass other foods you might ask. Absolutely everything!!! It may sound stupid but, oh wait, it is. Everything about the YouTube series is absolutely pointless. I think the reason we find it so funny is because the orange truly is annoying, and there is a sort of almost sympathy for the foods that have to deal with him. There is some relatability to each character. And the annoying voice the orange has, just….I don’t think I even have to explain….

3). Reasons for watching: So in the end, if you haven’t figured out why you found the orange funny, here are a few more theories:

A). It’s just good clean fun, i.e. it’s not complicated, offensive or inappropriate. At the end of the day, or during a study break, you just want to watch something to make you laugh, and unlike other comedy shows out there the annoying orange is child friendly and not offensive to specific religions, ages, races, political parties etc. Shows like Family Guy have some pretty intense jokes that can offend certain social groups, but with the orange, it’s not making fun of anyone. Everyone watching realizes they’re watching a talking fruit.

B). It’s about talking fruit. Honestly, what’s not hilarious about watching fruit with human like faces associate with each other? The personification of inanimate objects is generally funny, and for some reason society likes to think fruit is funny, so when you put those two things together you have a recipe for hilarity.

C). I really don’t know. Other than it being extremely pointless, yet completely hilarious, my personal reason for watching the series is non existent, even I couldn’t tell you why I watch it….

But in the meantime let’s have a flashback, and watch the first episode! Please fruitfully enjoy 😉

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZN5PoW7_kdA

Sources:

http://www.internetservice.net/2010/10-reasons-people-watch-the-annoying-orange-videos/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZN5PoW7_kdA

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Funny Fruit/Falling post #1

October 25, 2013 by Kathryn Lodwick (KEL5344)

Today’s blog post is a first look at my next few blogs where I will be writing about how fruit and falling are portrayed in comedy. In this specific post I’m going to elaborate on the history of the slipping on a banana peel joke.

Public Hazard.

In the mid-19^th century banana peels posed a serious public hazard, considering there was no public sanitation in major cities. –In other words, when people were done eating their beloved fruit, they simply tossed the peel wherever they were walking (sidewalk, street etc.) which caused a rather large problem for those walking post banana peel tosser. And although not too many a person actually slipped on a peel, it was considered extremely rude to toss a peel on the sidewalk.

Nowadays it’s rather rare that one sees a banana peel laying on the sidewalk, however, the fear of slipping on one seems to be forever ingrained in the minds of most Americans. In contrast slipping on a banana peel was not thought of as something comical until the 20^th century. Just like stand-up comedy, the act of the banana peel regarded as comedic originated from the Vaudeville stage. “Sliding” Billy Watson is said to have been the inventor of the “joke”,–he had simply seen a man grappling to keep his balance after having stepped on a peel, –and this had inspired him. In 1903, Cal Stewart (a Vaudeville comedian) told banana peel related jokes. The actual stunt soon appeared in the silent film The Flirt. In spite of the fact it mainly appeared on silent films in the early years, it soon transitioned to more modern films as the film industry popularized and evolved. The quip even appeared in Woody Allen’s film Sleeper.

Nowadays the banana peel stunt is still regarded as funny, but an older form of comedy.

Scientific Proof.

But one question that is constantly brought up is if it really is possible to slip on a banana peel, or is it all really just an act that spiraled into something more?

Here’s the answer:

Most bananas reach their prime slipperiness after several days, even weeks of rotting. Nonetheless, anything from a barely ripe peeled banana to an almost black peel have been used in the joke. But this does not make the joke’s punchline per se, accurate.

In 2009 Mythbusters (of Discovery Channel) tested the banana slipperiness theory and concluded (after many tedious and comical experiments) that in fact, a regular (not rotten) banana peel is not slippery…or at least slippery enough for someone to slip on violently like portrayed in the stunts. Nevertheless, if there are several banana peels covering the surface of whatever the person is walking on, the surface is indeed slippery, and a person is able to slip on the peel/s. But considering it had to be several peels, the fact that one could slip on one, non-rotten peel was disproved.

Other than slipping on banana peels, what precisely makes falling in general (whether it be from slipping on an object, tripping on the stairs or even just losing your balance) so appealing and amusing to the public? No one enjoys falling down themselves, but when seeing someone else take a tumble, there is an uproar of laughter. I will write about the study of this in my next post and leave you thinking of ideas as to why people falling is so funny.

In the meantime, here is my all-time favorite falling person video.

Charlotte Takes A Tumble: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WseaZO2UGAY

Sources:

Youtube.com: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WseaZO2UGAY

Mental Floss.com:http://mentalfloss.com/article/31135/how-did-slipping-banana-peel-become-comedy-staple

Last Word On Nothing.com:http://www.lastwordonnothing.com/2013/02/26/fallingisfunny/

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There’s more to “HAHAHA” than you think.

October 17, 2013 by Kathryn Lodwick (KEL5344)

First of all, what is laughter, and why do we laugh?

Most people laugh when something is funny or when they’re happy, while some individuals laugh to cope with an uncomfortable or confusing situation. But whether you’re laughing at a joke, or because you’re embarrassed, it’s an involuntary action and everyone does it.

Laughing as an action is part of human psychology, biology and society. There is no specific gender, ethnicity, nor country that laughs, simply every human being laughs at some point in their life. The causes of laughter are both social and biological. The body’s reaction to particular emotions can be laughing, crying or really anything, and sometimes a person can react differently to the same thing. The main reason people laugh is because they’re reacting to something socially related. Many people for example, purposely laugh to fit into a certain group of people, it’s used as a tool to seem more approachable. A socially acceptable action. And then there’s always that girl back in high school that laughed at everything a guy would say because she liked him/wanted him to think she was interested, whether she was or not.

There are also specific natural elements that can cause laughter in humans, laughing gas (nitrous oxide) and mirth have been found to cause the giggles. And although people can inhibit the action as a reaction to specific social situations, for example purposely laughing at a joke even though you don’t find it funny, most laughter occurs involuntarily, unconsciously. Although scientists and doctors have yet to find specific muscle contractions, chemicals, and brain mechanisms that cause laughter, there is evidence that it can benefit a person’s health and well-being, by not only helping with lowering blood pressure, but boost the immune system, triggers the release of endorphins, lowers anxiety and helps circulation which can help prevent against heart attacks and other cardiovascular related problems.

There are also specific “Laughing Classes” that are exactly what they are called. A class to learn how to laugh. Since laughter has been proven to release hormones and stress, professionals who already make a living by helping people relax (like yoga teachers, masseuses, counselors and even personal trainers) research the health benefits of laughter then conduct specific classes for the sake of either distressing or even working out. Yes, you read that correctly, laughing is a workout all in itself since you’re contracting muscles. In fact you can have a pretty successful ab workout by just laughing. Doctors and psychologists have also found that laughter is regulated by the brain to help the person cope with social interactions (which explains how/why people laugh at both funny and not so funny things). So sometimes accidental things really can be helpful!

However, laughter isn’t a just thing for only adults let alone only humans. In fact, most people laugh for the first time when they’ve reached 4 months old, and this is just as important as a baby’s first smile when it comes to human behavioral development.

Even animals have been known to display laughter like actions, such as panting when being tickled.

Below I’ve listed a few synonyms for “laughter/laughing/laugh”:

Chuckle,

Giggle,

Chortle,

Yukking it up,

Guffaw,

Cackle,

Snicker,

Titter,

Snigger,

Howl,

Cachinnate,

Crack up,

Split one’s sides,

Joshing.

Sources:

Wikepedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laughter

Psychology Today:http://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/laughter

Helpguide.org: http://www.helpguide.org/life/humor_laughter_health.htm

Laughter Yoga University:http://www.laughteryoga.org/english

Care2.com:http://www.care2.com/greenliving/8-health-benefits-of-laughter.html

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Sexism in humor post #1:Why are penis jokes funny?

October 11, 2013 by Kathryn Lodwick (KEL5344)

Penis jokes, or the more commonly used (and rather vulgar) term “dick jokes” are made on a daily basis by comedians and the like. Your friends make them, that guy named Sam down the hall makes them, when your grandmother makes one it’s pretty awkward, and you’ve probably cracked a few. But what makes jokes about male genitalia so funny? -And funny enough for them to pretty much be a modern day fad?

When you think about it, it’s rather sexist that both men and women make jokes about men’s’ “parts” more than they do about women’s’, and personally, I’ve yet to find a specific reason as to why there are more jokes about men than women regarding this subject.

But here’s my theory: The conclusion in which I have come to is that the reason people are more comfortable making “dick jokes” is that in general, society talks about and is foremost more comfortable talking about male genitalia VS. female genitalia. The reason for this is because throughout history and even in today’s world, most people are if not less familiar with female anatomy, but less curious about it. There’s something about it that isn’t taught as explicitly in schools and in books as male anatomy is. Perhaps the reason jokes about this subject aren’t as prominent because people aren’t as familiar with it as they are with males. Also, the subject of penis size has also always been a huge topic of discussion, especially in comedy. For years comedians, actors and actresses in movies, and every day people have been poking at fun at men who are lesser “endowed” than other men. But jokes are never made regarding size when it comes to female anatomy other than the common “boob size joke”. When someone makes a joke about a woman’s chest size, it’s generally regarded as extremely insensitive, and if it’s a guy they automatically become a jerk. –Yet it’s perfectly okay for both men and women alike to make a joke about a guy’s “size”.

Is this because this is how it has always been? How can we make body part jokes regarding size equal? Will it ever be acceptable for a man to be able to make fun of a woman because her breast size is small, and not be considered an insensitive jerk?

Although penis jokes are much more prominent than jokes about female’s bodies, they are also sometimes regarded as taboo in many comedic settings. Many comedy shows and comedy groups won’t even allow you to make these jokes. And when auditioning, actors are encouraged to steer clear of anything related to specific sexual organs. It’s almost peculiar in a way, how it is so common to make jokes about this subject, but then is discouraged in a formal comedy setting. In most cases this is because “dick jokes” are thought to be the lowest of low, or “weakest” / “last resort” jokes. A true comedian only makes a joke regarding male genitalia if they have nothing left to say, and even then, it’s almost a sin in comedy to stoop so low you have to make a joke about penises.

Why is it so uncommon to make a joke about the anatomy of a transgender person? Or why do people feel uncomfortable laughing at certain anatomy jokes, as opposed to others.

So really, there is no study as to why people don’t make jokes about female’s bodies as opposed to males.

Sexism is just too funny.

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Tina Fey

October 4, 2013 by Kathryn Lodwick (KEL5344)

Actress, comedian, role model, MOST INSPIRATIONAL WOMAN IN MY LIFE!!!

Whether you’ve read her memoir Bossypants, seen her interpretation of Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live during the 2008 presidential elections, or love her on 30 Rock, most Americans have heard of Tina. Fey.

In this blog post I’d like to focus on not only the life and career of Tina Fey, but why she’s so inspirational to me and how she has affected my life.

Tina Fey (born Elizabeth Stamatina), studied drama at the University of Virginia (class of 1992), then headed to Chicago starting out in Second City, a comedy club in which many actors/comedians from Saturday Night Live started their careers. In 1995 recruiters from SNL discovered Fey. She soon became the first female on staff writer in the show’s history setting the bar for many female comics to come. In 2004 Fey wrote Mean Girls, then shortly after the debut of the film she started the acclaimed comedy series 30 Rock, a satirical play on her life as a writer for SNL.

In many ways Ms. Fey is a role model, both as an entertainer and a woman. Not only has she been able to maintain a stable and successful career, but a personal life as well. (Fey is married with a daughter). Rarely do you hear something bad about Tiny Fey, most likely because people are afraid to say anything bad about her for fear she’ll make an SNL sketch about it (even though she is no longer writing for it, but then again it is Tina Fey.) Which in my opinion is a reasonable reason to be afraid. But who can’t admire someone who finds humor in the most grave situations and circumstances? Who doesn’t want to be able to laugh at some of life’s problems?

Tina Fey has gotten me through so many difficult times; my junior year of high school I read her memoir Bossypants cover to cover 3 times. You couldn’t pull me away from that book. The way in which she wrote the book is more than conversational. You could almost feel Tina Fey breathing down your neck as she told you about these memories. Kind of creepy. I suppose it helps she was a comedy writer for SNL.

The way in which she has completely changed my life and inspired me is indescribable. As a kid I had never really watched comedy, and although I was raised around jokes and humor in general I never really knew one could pursue a career in comedy, other than stand up. As a child I was also slightly sexist. Not that my parents raised me like that, but as a little kid and you learn about what you want to be when you grow up it’s part of our culture, I suppose to use the words “policeman”, and “fireman”, even though that’s politically incorrect. And even though you could say “policewoman” or “police officer” to be gender neutral, a five-year-old isn’t able to understand that. So even if my mom had said “women can be policemen/police officers”, if she had said “policeman” first that would have been engraved in my head for a while. This was the case for comedians. My little head had ALWAYS associated stand up comedians to be male, and ONLY male. I knew women could be funny, don’t get me wrong, my mom and grandma were hilarious individuals and they are who I learned from, but I couldn’t fathom a woman being a stand up comic. I discovered Tina in 2008 during the presidential elections and I haven’t been the same since. She has inspired me that yes, women CAN be funny and pursue a career in comedy. I am no longer sexist!

Other than making me laugh and getting me through some pretty tough times during my high school years she has inspired me to write comedy, be more confident in my performances and to just be an all-around happier person. When I was applying to colleges (as a comedy/script writing major), people often asked me what I wanted to do with my degree, and my response was always “I want to be the next Tina Fey”.

I’m still trying.

Sources (in which I found information about Tina Fey):

Wikepedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tina_Fey

IMDb:http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0275486/

TinaFeyFan.com:http://www.tinafeyfan.com/

NBC.COM(30 Rock and SNL sections):http://www.nbc.com/30-rock/

Biography.com:http://www.biography.com/people/tina-fey-365284

NYTIMES.com:http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/04/books/bossypants-by-tina-fey-review.html?_r=0

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Choosing the right comedy organization (in college).

September 29, 2013 by Kathryn Lodwick (KEL5344)

Struggling with what comedy club you want to join? Here’s my newbie guide to finding your funny bone.

1). First of all, if you’re like me and you don’t really know what you want to do with comedy, you just know you want to be involved in it, shop around for the different options that are available.

Do you REALLY want to do stand up? Or would you rather do comedy sketches with other people? Or maybe you want to write a comedy, like a skit or a satire.

You need to narrow down your options to fit your interest, unless you genuinely have no idea what you’d be good at, then you can experiment and try all of them!

There are pros and cons to this approach, however.

If you’ve acted and done comedy before, and somewhat know what you’re doing this can turn out pretty well.

It’s also good to get to know people in other types of organizations. For example a lot of the people in Full Ammo Improv at PSU also do stand up for 2nd Floor Stand up.

So maybe if you’re really comfortable doing improv, you’d be okay at stand up.

The cons can be pretty harsh though.

Some people just aren’t funny by themselves.

Yeah, maybe you have really great lines during a sketch, but that doesn’t mean you’re hilarious on your own.

Making mistakes and embarrassing yourself (especially in a comedic setting) is part of the learning process and figuring out where you belong. But if you really don’t feel comfortable with something don’t risk it.

It’s great to experiment, just be cautious.

2).Research, Socialize, Watch, and repeat!

Research: It’s always a good idea to know as much about an organization as possible.

My number one deal breaker when I was looking at the different options was commitment.

How often does the club meet? Say they meet twice a week, how long are the meetings, and do you have to go to both?

Do you need to go to both the meeting AND the rehearsal? Is there a social commitment (a.k.a. do to have to go to parties with them?)

If you feel like you won’t be able to go to all of the meetings or they’re too late at night, there’s no point in joining the club.

Socialize: If it’s an improv or stand up club, see if they have open workshops or open mic night before deciding on joining. If it’s a writing club, read past articles to figure out their writing style. Make sure you sign up for their e-mails, and ABSOLUTELY GO TO THEIR INFORMATION SESSION!

Some information sessions aren’t very important, and even if you don’t learn anything you didn’t know already, you’ll get a feel for how the members act around each other. Trust me on this, if you don’t like the way the members act around you (even though they don’t know you) the first time you meet them, you’re probably not going to have fun working with them in the future.

Watch: Go to their shows! Of course going to their meetings helps, but you need to see them in action.

Take notes and try to picture yourself on stage with them, or writing and editing their writing.

Would you feel comfortable having the president of the club edit your newspaper article? Do you think you’d be okay doing a one on one skit with the guy with the crazy hair? Could you do an entire 5 minutes of stand up comedy?

If you say “no” to any of these questions you might want to really think about whether or not you want to join the club.

Overall, which ever club makes you feel most at home is the one to join.

Some people are just better at writing about funny things, while others like to get up on stage and say it out loud.

Don’t feel like you’re not funny just because you can’t stand behind a mic by yourself, you just have a different way of expressing humor.

So get out there and make people laugh!

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Time for a History Lesson!

September 20, 2013 by Kathryn Lodwick (KEL5344)

A brief timeline of how stand-up comedy evolved through time.

“I think it’s the duty of the comedian to find out where the line

is drawn and cross it deliberately.”-George Carlin

Stand-up comedy can be traced back to as early as the 1800s. (In American Minstrel shows).

Though it was not popularized until the mid 1970s.

Minstrel shows consisted mainly of musical theater performances, although some did include comics.

The (comic) performer would stand center stage, while the interlocutor would tell jokes/ask humorous questions while the end-men would then tell the punch line.

These shows were popular before, during and well after the Civil War during the abolishment of slavery.

However, as vaudeville kicked in in the 19^th century, stand-up’s popularity began to fade.

Will Rogers was one of the more popular stand-up comics during the time of vaudeville.

During times of war (especially WWII) comedic performers would perform their art by way of radio, since it “brought Americans together” during such harsh times.

In the 1950s “The Ed Sullivan Show” and “The Tonight Show” paved the way for more comedy shows and stand-up comics in the oncoming decades.

From the 1970s for the following four decades, the rise and fall of comedy would drastically change due to public appeal and historical events.

The 70s were really when the actual birth of stand-up took place, considering a new generation up comedians were born, including the “invention” of the comedy club.

In the 1980s, stand-up could be found most anywhere, from TV shows, to clubs, to stand-up comics.

During the 90s, however, stand-up had a slight downfall. But only to bounce back into the scene in the 2000s.
Through the 2000s to present day stand-up continued to flourish.

It not only was performed on television and in comedy clubs, but became a pastime for amateurs, becoming an actual activity at colleges, community centers and the like.

These days were are surrounded by stand-up comedy and stand-up comics.

And although more and more stand-up comedians are leaving stand-up for more scripted professions like TV shows and movies, the art is still booming with popularity.

Actors like Mindy Kaling of The Office (who now has her own show, ‘The Mindy Project’) started out doing stand-up.

And practicing stand-up in preparation for a scripted role can actually help your overall performance.

–Since you’re speaking directly to the audience you can build confidence and find out how the audience reacts to certain aspects of your performance. Which will eventually help you when you’re acting with other actors.

Overall, being a stand-up comic is never a bad idea!

Sources:

About.com

News.psu.edu

My own mental library of knowledge

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My relationship with comedy.

September 12, 2013 by Kathryn Lodwick (KEL5344)

“Hysterical” is hardly the first word that comes to mind when most people think of me.

And those of you who do not know me very well are probably having trouble piecing together the picture of stand up comedy and myself.

I’m sure at first glance I probably don’t seem like the type of person you’d expect to perform comedy, especially if you’ve only seen me in a classroom setting.

But in actuality comedy is a HUGE part of my life.

I grew up around people who always had something funny to say, in fact my entire family is known as “jokesters”.

I’m named after my grandmother, and considering she was able to tell jokes well into her nineties I am very proud of this fact.

So really, laughing and making people laugh is part of my everyday life. Part of me.

I’ve always enjoyed listening to funny stories, and telling my own.

Studying various types of humor and how it is perceived based upon age, religion, race, political view etc. and of course watching comedians.

Throughout my high school career I read various biographies and books by famous/popular comedians, actors and script writers like Tina Fey of Saturday Night Live/ 30 Rock, Mindy Kaling of the Office and the British comedian Caitlin Moran.

My senior year of high school I decided I wanted to pursue a career in comedy and or script writing/acting so I decided to make that my major.

However, the cards didn’t fall where I would have liked them to, and when I found out Penn State didn’t offer a script writing major (my chosen field of study) I was heart broken. I was told I could double major in English and Theater with a focus on script writing, but it would be immensely complicated. So I unwillingly took another path with another major.

But after having arrived at Penn State I came to discover that the satire and comedy loving community is far from being overlooked.

Student organizations like Phroth (writers of the Phollegian), Second Floor Stand Up, and Full Ammo Improv are phenomenal groups and I visited every one of them ecstatically.

Although my undergraduate major has nothing to do with comedy, I know that it will forever be a part of me and I will always want to be involved in anything humorous.

I don’t have time to be as involved as I’d like to with the three organizations I mentioned, but you can always find me at a Second Floor Stand Up show, reading the Phollegian or attending a Full Ammo workshop during my (rare) spare time.

The reason I chose this topic for my passion blog is pretty obvious; it’s something I’m very passionate about.

I would love to share my love for laughing and appreciating humor with as many people as I can and I plan to write about a lot of different things related to comedy on this blog.

For example:

The history of stand up comedy, tips for first time stand up comedians, tips for auditions, getting over your fear of improv comedy and a study of how jokes evolve through time and differ in cultures.

I really hope all of you reading this are fellow lovers of jokes and comedy and that this blog makes you smile (if not laugh!)

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