I was lucky enough to do a feature spot at the Lake Ontario Playhouse in Sackets Harbor, N.Y., a few weeks ago. The gig consisted of a Friday and a Saturday night show, leaving me with a weekend to get out, explore and report all the highlights back to you in this installment of the Backstage Pass. The drive to New York turned into an eight-hour trip thanks to something called “The… 0

"Where do you get your material?" Comics hear this question on a nightly basis. No matter how comics come by their material, the ability to make it look like they're just up on the stage talking is a skill that takes years to perfect. A lot of work goes into looking that natural during your delivery. In fact, every polished minute of material that you see requires about ten hours… 0

NASCAR, hockey and open-mic comedy. The common thread? Spectators at all three arrive with a little bloodlust. As much as crowds love good comedy, there's a giddy anticipation when an audience senses that a comic is on the verge of crashing and burning. It's a question I've been asked before: What is it like when… 0

As a standup comic, I'm often times asked where comics get their material. Do we all just lead hysterical lives, filled with pratfalls and shaving-cream pies? Not so much, although the world would be a pretty cool place if that was true! But joke writing is a skill, and good comedy is frequently the result of taking… 0