Writing On Stage: 9 Questions With Stand-Up Comedian Dave Williamson

Dave Williamson

By Sean Tuohy

South Florida-born comedian Dave Williamson is a natural storyteller with a quick wit that can be deadly. Williamson’s comedy gives an unflinching look at his life as a parent and grown man. He originally worked at his family’s car dealership, but then broke out and started touring nationally and recently sold a Web series to NickMom.

Williamson took a few minutes to sit down and talk about his stand-up career, how he approaches comedy, and what the future holds for him.

Sean Tuohy: What led you to comedy?

David Williamson: I really enjoyed writing in college. I got a minor in creative writing. I was a comedy fan, and a bit of the class clown. After college, I was freelance writing for magazines and my girlfriend (now my wife), took me to a sketch comedy club. I immediately wanted to write for them. You had to be a performer, so I tried out. Luckily, they accepted me and I fell in love with performing. After a few years, sketch comedy led to stand-up, and I never looked back. 

ST: Who were your comedy influences growing up?

DW: I was a big fan of “Saturday Night Live” as a kid. I'd also recite funny commercials to make my parents laugh. My mother's side of the family had great storytellers, so I spent family gatherings watching them tell tales. That's what pretty much led to me being a class clown.  

ST: What was your first time on stage like? Good, bad, or eh?

DW: I got comfortable with sketch comedy pretty quickly because I was already a good public speaker. The first time I did stand-up, I was warming up the audience at the sketch show. It went terrible. I had no idea how to do segways, or punch lines for that matter! But then I talked my way onto a theater show that a local radio show was putting on. I basically lied and told them I was an experienced stand-up. I did 15 minutes and it went surprisingly really well. I was hooked and concentrated mostly on stand-up after that. 

ST: Do you write jokes down or do you keep them in your head?

DW: I used to write everything down, word for word. After you are a few years in, you get better at "writing on stage" and working things out in your head. I write down premises, and set lists, but I rarely will write down a joke word for word anymore. 

ST: You have great delivery. Did that take time to develop or was that natural?

DW: I feel like that comes with being comfortable on stage, and doing the sketch comedy for two years before I got into stand up certainly helped with that. It definitely develops and is a process over time though. There is no book you can read and boot camp you can take that will be a substitute for stage time. It's all about logging hours on stage. 

ST: How long does it take you to create a new bit?

DW: Totally depends. Depends on the bit, and depends on the shows you are doing. In Los Angeles, you are usually doing short showcase sets night in, night out, so there are fewer opportunities to work new stuff. On the road, you can sandwich new stuff in between the proven jokes during your headline sets.  

ST: How did it take to get the material together to record “Thicker Than Water?”

DW: That was my first CD so it was a culmination of my jokes that I wrote over the first eight years or so of doing stand-up. I already have a new hour, and I'm excited to record it, because it’s more representative of my voice and ability now, and what I've been creating the past two years.  

ST: What does the future hold for Dave Williamson?

DW: More touring, and continuing to grow with my material. I hope more television opportunities, which would give me a chance to build my audience. I've started hosting a podcast called Water Polo Dojo, where I basically teach comedians about my favorite sport, water polo. I've started a production company called Clean Plate Productions so I can develop multiple Web series and independent films, creating my own stuff instead of waiting for it to happen. I'm also producing a comedy festival, so I'm pretty busy! Also, tweeting is fun.  

ST: What is the worst joke you ever heard?

DW: Ugh. That's a tie between every joke an audience member has told me after a show. Usually with whiskey breath and way too close to my face! 

To learn more about David Williamson, visit his official website, like his Facebook page, or follow him on Twitter @DaveWComedy.

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Finding the Humor: 8 Questions With Comic Kelly McCarron

Kelly McCarron

By Sean Tuohy

Funny, awkward, and adorable comedienne Kelly McCarron stands out in the comedy landscape by using her original voice to talk openly about her life. She's able to turn the most embarrassing moments in to side-spiting humor. You can purchase her comedy album "I'd Eat Both"  through her official website.

McCarron chatted with Writer's Bone about her beginnings in comedy and what the future holds for her.

Sean Tuohy: What drew you to stand-up comedy?

Kelly McCarron: I’ve been interested in a career in comedy since I was 16. I wanted to do sketch comedy. I read somewhere that if you want to write comedy, any kind of comedy, you should try stand up for a bit. I followed that advice and ended up loving it.

ST: What was your first experiences on stage like? Good, bad, or awful?

KC: I had three minutes and I didn’t suck. I was prepared to suck, but I didn’t. I think having had experiences being funny on stage in high school helped me.

ST: How long did it take you to develop your own voice as a comic?

KC: I think I’m still developing it to be quite honest. But there are certain things I’ve learned to always do. I always keep an adorable, upbeat demeanor about myself onstage, no matter what I’m talking about. I’ve learned that people feel sorry for me if I talk badly about myself. So if I say self-deprecating things with a cute tone of voice and a smile on my face, in allows the audience to relax and laugh along with me.

ST: A lot of comics use comedy to deal with some type of issue in their lives. Do you use comedy as a type of therapy?

KC: Of course I do! All of my comedy comes from a truth and sometimes that truth is painful. Finding the funny in a painful truth can help me get through it and move on. I’ve been using it in scripts I write as well, basing storylines off of my life. It’s very therapeutic.

ST: "Rejected: The Pilot," which can be viewed on your website, is funny and heartfelt. What is the backstory on this pilot? How long did it take from the time you had the idea till you film the first scene?

KC: The backstory is the story. I was in love with my best friend, another comedian, and I told him how I felt, and he wasn’t in love with me. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a crazy cousin to take me to a weird male strip club, but that’s where creative writing comes in. I did give a candy heart to a boy I had a crush on when I was in the fifth grade. Well, I was too shy, so I had a girl do it for me, and he did throw it on the ground. I started writing the script in the winter of 2011 and we started filming in March of 2013. I have a few more episodes written and a couple more in the works. I would love to have the funds to make more someday.

ST: "I'd Eat Them Both!" was your first comedy album and it's fantastic. Is there a second album in the works?

KC: Thank you! Technically, I suppose another one is in the works, as I am working on new material, but I’m not focused on a new album. I self-produced “I’d Eat Them Both!” and it took a lot of work. If I were to self-produce another one it wouldn’t be for a while.

ST: What does the future hold for Kelly McCarron? Where can we see you next?

KC: I’ve been working on a feature length screenplay called “Siblings.” It’s an odd-couple road trip movie about a brother and sister. I don’t have a relationship with one of my brothers and so I posed the question, “What if I had to drive cross country with him?” And so the idea for “Siblings” was born! I’ve been working on it for about a year now and I’m very proud of it and hope that it can get made!

Cover of McCarron's comedy album

ST: What is one random fact about yourself?

KC: I love chocolate shakes, I love hot chocolate; I will not drink chocolate milk. I know that’s weird.

To learn more about Kelly McCarron, check out her official website, like her Facebook page, or follow her on Twitter @kellybmccarron.

The Writer's Bone Interviews Archive

Water Yourself Daily: Actress Erica Rhodes On Her Creative Process

Erica Rhodes

By Daniel Ford

At 10 years old, I was awkwardly trying to make friends in elementary school.

10-year-old Erica Rhodes was sharing a dressing room with Allison Janney.

Rhodes, an actress best known for her work on “A Prairie Home Companion,” has barely taken a breath since her big break (which I guess you aren’t allowed to do when Garrison Keillor is your mentor), and has been featured in everything from a cult horror flick to a viral Web series.

I caught up with Rhodes recently and asked her about her early career, how she gets into character, and why it’s important to be creative every day.

Daniel Ford: When did you first realize you wanted to be an actress?

ER: I can't remember not wanting to be an actress. My Mom used to rent lots of old movies for me when I was a kid. I remember watching the Shirley Temple movies over and over thinking I could do that! But I think the moment I remember best is when I was 5 years old and I modeled a water bed. And I thought, "This is the life."

DF: You essentially grew up while working on NPR's “A Prairie Home Companion.” How did you land on the show and what lessons have you learned from Garrison Keillor and the rest of the cast?

ER: My mom is from the same hometown as Garrison Keillor (Anoka, Minn.). She is a violinist in Boston and asked Garrison to come and do a fundraiser for her Orchestra (the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston). He kindly agreed. They got along very well and she invited him to see me in the Nutcracker (I played a party girl that year). Then we had dinner afterwards and the next day my Mom said he wanted me to be on his show. I had no idea what it was, but the next day I was sharing a dressing room with Allison Janney and performing in front of thousands of people. I have learned so much from Garrison and the rest of the cast Garrison has always pushed me as a performer and a writer. He has always believed in me. And he has taught me almost everything I know about comedy and performing for huge audiences. The rest of the cast also helped me every time I performed with them. Sue Scott especially took me under her wing a lot. Allison Janney taught me my first "vocal warm-up." I've also acted with Meryl Streep and Martin Sheen, so I learned how to hold my own with these great performers. I feel very lucky to have had the experiences I had on the show in so many different venues all over the country. It's really where I've felt the happiest over the years. Also whenever I have felt particularly low or frustrated with my career, Garrison has invited me back on the show. He has really been a lifelong hero of mine.

DF: Your career has spanned from cult horror films to award-winning indie films to television shows. Was your goal setting out to have a varied career, or did it just kind of work out that way?

ER: I think in the beginning, a performer wants to perform. So I wasn't very particular about what genre or format. But now I am choosing to go back to my comedic roots and just focus on that. Horror is fun, but can only take you so far. I would like to do more television in the coming years. That is what I am focusing on. Television and comedy.

DF: What’s your acting process like? How do you ease yourself into a character? What things do you think about or do while reading a script?

ER: Man. I used to do so much preparation and thinking. Now I try to think less and act on my instincts more. Because my instincts are usually closer to "right" especially for comedy. Now I just try to be myself and say the words or say my words. Just simply "be" I guess. And listen if it's a scene. And even in stand-up there is a lot of listening that goes on. For funny scenes, I try to find the funny moments between the obvious moments. I try to be surprising and unpredictable.

DF: You’ve been a part of three popular Web series—“Apt. 45,” “Upstairsgirls,” and “Sandy's Channel.” What attracted you to the roles and how was the experience different than working on a television show or movie?

ER: You've done your research! There's actually one more called “FourPlayinLA,” which my sister wrote. Apt. 45, I created with my friend Ileana Chan when I first moved to Los Angeles. I didn't know anyone and she was my neighbor. And we were friends from acting school in New York City. We came up with the idea of a newbie actress trying to get her non-actress neighbor into "the biz." Ileana did most of the work on that. But we co-created it and I starred in it. It actually helped me book “Upstairsgirls” which ended up being a much bigger Web series in the long run. I auditioned for “Upstairsgirls” and my role really wasn't invented yet. They were just looking for a "blonde" girl in her 20s who was good at improv. Sandy sort of evolved into the character after many episodes of experimenting and working off of the other actors. Sandy had a following so the producer, Scott Zakarin decided to have a spin-off channel just for Sandy. I liked working on web series, because I had a close and direct communication with the fans. But now I really prefer television and film, because there is usually a higher production value. Though I did learn a lot from all the hours I spent improvising and experimenting on the Web.

DF: What made you want to become a stand-up comedian and how has it shaped you as a writer and an actress?

ER: Stand up is very new for me. I've only been doing it for about a year and a half. But I am really enjoying it. I've always wanted to try it, but last year I felt frustrated with the audition process. And I wanted to take my career into my own hands. So it propelled me into stand-up. Because I have been performing since I was a kid, I really feel lost and aimless if I can't do it. It's truly what I feel most fulfilled doing. So I had to find a way to do it without someone granting me permission. I am also very lucky that my manager, Bruce Smith, is very helpful with the writing process. He reviews and edits all of my material before I bring it to the stage. I think I've grown so much as a performer and writer since last year. And I find it very rewarding to make something out of nothing. I learn something new every time I get on stage. So I am always growing as a writer and performer.

DF: You’re very active on social media. Do you find yourself using social media to interact with fans, test out material, or just have fun?

ER: I think I use Facebook for letting people know about my shows and maybe a little for fun. Twitter I use more for attracting fans and testing out short jokes. I read an article where Joan Rivers said if she were a new comic today, she would stay online all day every day, because it is such a good way to gain exposure quickly. So I do try to use them in a proactive way. Though occasionally I probably waste an hour or two here and there posting something stupid. Social media is a tricky thing to navigate. I'm still trying to figure it out. I wrote some jokes about it. Like, "My friends think I spend too much time on Facebook to get anything done in my real life, but my Twitter followers know how productive I am."

DF: If you could co-star in a movie with any actor/actress (alive or dead), who would it be and why?

ER: Peter Sellers! He was a comedic genius. I bet I would have learned a lot from him. I love him in every movie he was in, especially, “Being There,” one of my favorite films.

DF: What’s your best advice for up-and-coming actors and actresses?

ER: I always tell up and coming actresses to travel, travel, travel. That way I can have their auditions!

I'd say just make your own stuff as much as you can. Make stuff for yourself, make stuff for other people. Don't be a bump on a log. Do the Artist's Way and write every day. You're a creative being and you need to water yourself daily. So find ways for creative expression. Auditioning is just one way to get seen. Find the other ways, if that's not working for you. Also, it's really hard. Everything is hard. It's hard to get an agent, it's hard to book a job, it's hard to stay afloat. It's really, really hard. Give yourself credit for every little achievement. Don't look to others for approval. Give it to yourself. And mostly, take care of yourself as a person. As a human. Love yourself. Is that corny? Probably. But really. Figure it out. You'll be fine.

DF: Name one random fact about yourself.

ER: When I was a kid I took a gymnastics class once and I could stand on my head longer than all the other girls. I guess I have a flat head. I won a pack of gum.

To learn more about Erica Rhodes, like her Facebook page or follower her on Twitter @ericarhodes.

The Writer's Bone Interviews Archive