(Sunday Paper, Year IV, Issue 3)

In some ways last Saturday’s show was just like any other.

It didn’t stand out in a way that should set it apart from other shows I’ve done or will do.

I hosted the show, just like I’ve hosted other shows and will host more shows in the future.

The comedians performed and were very good, and the audience had a good time.

It was a good Saturday night comedy show.

To the average observer, it was nothing worth writing home about…

…except I am going to write about it because to me it was a big deal.

Last Saturday, of course, was the debut of Comedy Night at Exhibit ‘A’.

I was excited about it and I am excited about the next one, and the one after that.

And I think the best way to describe the way I’m feeling about the first show is this:

I feel content.

I’m a little surprised this is the dominant feeling.

For so long I almost dreaded my own show - did I know enough about all of the moving parts involved in putting together a show that I would be able to do it well enough to have a good show?

Well, in part thanks to a very supportive partner in Exhibit ‘A’, I didn’t have to worry about every little thing, and I think the parts I did have on my plate I handled well.

There were a bunch of things I was always told about putting together my own show: you want a venue that wants to have you there - they support the comedy, they understand the importance of a consistent show - Exhibit ‘A’ checks each and every one of those boxes as far as the right venue. I’m very lucky.

But I like to think I handle myself very professionally as well, and I’m upholding my end of the bargain. I think we make a great team.

And that teamwork resulted in a sold out first show that I am proud of.

If I want to be critical of myself I would say I could bring more energy to the hosting role - but only a little. I think I did fine…but I was somewhat guarded. It was the first show, I wasn’t sure how much to ad-lib and how much to just stick to my jokes.

I definitely already feel more comfortable in my role as host that I might be a little looser the next time around.

The whole idea of Framingham Comedy Weekend back in July was to see what kind of interest downtown Framingham had in comedy - would people come out to shows month after month? It remains to be seen how the month after month part goes, but people definitely seem to be interested in having a monthly show - I think they appreciate that these Boston comics are coming to their city to perform for them.

And I’m really excited about that.

It certainly doesn’t hurt that people love Exhibit ‘A’ - it’s a fun place to be and the beer is great and they seem to want to support whatever entertainment options the brewery provides them.

I’ll take it…i’m happy with how the first show went, thanks to that support. And I’m looking forward to seeing what we can continue to build with each successive show.

It’s an exciting thing that’s just getting started.

I think my feeling about that is more than just content.

Writing

*I jotted down some ideas that I might get started on writing soon, but otherwise it was just a week of regular old work…I promise you that when exciting stuff starts to happen in the writing department you’ll be the first to know. But if you think of this section as ‘work’, which I often do because my writing is my work, know that things are going great. Each successive year since I left teaching the work has become more steady and I have more discipline to my weeks and though the creative writing isn’t always happening, writing work is.

Comedy

*I should have done more this week after the show on Saturday, but I didn’t do much. I wrote a couple of jokes that I’m excited to try at a mic, to which hopefully this coming week I’ll get out a couple of times. This was kind of a busy week outside of comedy…but I did make it to The Comedy Studio and just hung out on Thursday, so at least I had some time out.

What I’ve Been Enjoying

*I’m not a huge poetry guy. I’ve tried - I remember liking Carl Sandburg’s poems when I read them at some point. But this week I was reminded how much I enjoyed Mary Oliver’s work. Years ago we would get a weekly note with a “here’s what to expect this week” type of update from our Head of School (who is also the best boss I ever had, for what that’s worth). And at the end of each of those weekly calendars she would put a poem. And often that was a Mary Oliver poem. And not too long ago I took a couple of Mary Oliver books out of the library because I liked the poems so much and I enjoyed those books and this week I was sorry to hear that she passed away. And in her obituary and all the writing about her work it mentioned how accessible her work was for everyone. And I thought that was pretty spot-on.

Notes

*Tickets are available for the February show at Exhibit ‘A’! Click here to buy them - the last show sold out, so buy in advance if you want to guarantee a seat!

*If you’ve been reading the past couple of weeks you know that I’m rooting for the Saints today. I hope you’ll join me, no matter how you feel about that other game.

*Since we spent so much time here talking about the Exhibit ‘A’ show, allow me to make you among the first to see the new poster for the February show. I really enjoy these and look forward to what my artist friend creates each month in terms of incorporating an Exhibit ‘A’ beer into each design. If you’re interested in seeing more of her work you can visit her website here. Here’s a first look at the February poster, if you haven’t already seen it hanging in the brewery: