#3 in a Series: The First Year

After the Cain Lopez trip, things started happening. I got my first Tribble Run just eight months after that first open mic, traveling with Robin Cee to perform in bars all across Idaho and Montana. More Tribble Runs followed, with other headliners. A few other bookers were willing to give me a chance, too. And whenever I was home in Portland, I continued going to every open mic I could. I'd even drive three hours north to Seattle to do four minutes in the open mics at the Comedy Underground.

If I had to name one person who helped me the most, though, it would be Andre' Paradise. If I was willing to put in the effort and drive the miles to Salem, Cornelius, Albany, Vancouver...he was willing to give me stage time. I'd drive 45 minutes to get 5 minutes of stage time in front of a paying audience. As I improved, Andre' gave me 7 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes. I never got paid -- it wasn't about getting paid. It was about getting better. About learning the craft.

Some people call this unpaid stage of a comedy career "paying our dues". Master comedian Debbie Wooten gave me a better analogy: Tuition. If you want to become a professional in many other careers, you pay big bucks to go to college and attend classes. All of those unpaid or low paid gigs were simply my tuition, and my classroom was the stage. What a wonderful, scary, fun, terrifying way to get an education! And what a fantastic adventure!

Andre' Paradise was so instrumental in helping me "learn by fire". I learned how to deal with drunk crowds, young crowds, black crowds, redneck crowds, college crowds. To be kind, I guess you could say I did "okay".... I was NOT good, that's for sure. But who is, when they're first starting out? Unless you're a "natural" -- and I'm definitely not a natural. Eventually, Andre' gave me paid spots, and also let me enter his Shades of Laughs Urban Comedy Competition. I didn't get very far in the competition, but it was another learning experience. And the next year, when I competed again against career headliners who've been in the business for many years, I was a finalist!

Oh-- and while doing all of this, I was still a full time teacher. There were occasions when I'd get a Thursday night gig five hours away in Coos Bay. I'd race down there as soon as school was out, do two shows, drive back up to Portland, and get 3 hours of sleep before getting up to go to school. I suppose I should've felt exhausted, but I didn't; I felt exhilerated!

But I knew I couldn't keep up this pace forever. Nor could I take week-long gigs during the school year. So I made a HUGE decision: I decided to take a one-year unpaid leave from teaching.

#2 in a Series: Lucky Break

(This is a recounting of my journey into standup comedy. Read the posting below this one first!)

For three months, I went to every open mic I could find in Portland. If someone would give me stage time in Salem, Cornelius, Seattle, or Siberia, I'd drive there to do my 3-7 minutes. Okay, I didn't drive to Siberia because the landbridge was covered with salty water.

And then came my "big break": Headliner Cain Lopez and feature act Roger Lizaola needed a ride to Oak Harbor, about 9 hours from Portland. If I'd give them a ride, they'd let me emcee their show.

That was my first paid gig. Actually, Cain slipped me $50 under the table to help pay for gas, but I call it a paid gig. I was clearly a novice, but the audience was polite and Cain and Roger couldn't have been nicer to me. I'll never forget their generosity.

MY STAND UP COMEDY JOURNEY: #1 in a Series: My First Open Mic

Day One: My First Open Mic
October 19, 2005

I'd only been to one live comedy show in my life...about 5 years earlier. Tonight, I went to my very first open mic. I just wanted to see what it was all about, figuring that someday I might get up there on stage myself. My husband went with me.

As each of the comedians took their 3 minute turn at the mic, I got more and more antsy; I wanted to get up there, too! I tried to stand up to go sign my name on the roster, but my husband yanked me back down.

"No!! You'll only make a fool of yourself!! Don't do it!! Wait 'til another time!"

I pulled away, and signed up.

As I waited for my name to be called, my hands started shaking. Then my legs started shaking. And just when the emcee called my name, even my boobs started shaking. Yes, you read that correctly, and no, I had never heard of anything like that, either.

The lights shining into my eyes were blinding. I tried to remember the 3 minutes of material I had written in a 6-night community college comedy course. Some people get on stage and say that 3 minutes feels like a lifetime. I don't know if I got any laughs...maybe a few....but those minutes zipped by, I thanked the audience, and their applause carried me back to my seat. My husband was waiting....slumped in his chair, embarrassed, not proud of me. Perhaps it was because the topic of my material was his colonoscopy.

All I know is that magical night was the beginning of a wonderful journey, and my life has never been the same.